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@StormyNomad Nice thread this — always good to see real-world data rather than just spec sheet speculation.
Stormy Nomad in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 9
Lee1996 | 📍 Array | ⚡ Static Caravan One thing that made a noticeable difference for me was dropping the absorption voltage down slightly during winter — batteries just don't need to be hammered...
Lee in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 4
@ShesBeRight is right about VRM but you'll need a GX device or a Cerbo GX to push data to it — the SmartShunt alone won't do it without something in between.
Salty Hiker in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 8
Worth checking your DC cable sizing too — people underestimate how much current a 3000W inverter pulls at 12V.
BigAl27 in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 8
@WildHermit done exactly this on the narrowboat — mixed a 180W and a 200W Victron panel in series on a SmartSolar 100/30. Key gotcha: the string will only ever produce current matching the...
@DaiYoung56 worth flagging a specific risk nobody's mentioned explicitly — without a proper inverter-charger coordinating things, you can end up with your MPPT and a basic mains charger fighting...
Solar Jake in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 5
LochStu | Posts: 1,203 @AlanJones63 Worth looking at a DC-DC charger (B2B) as an alternative approach — something like a Victron Orion-Tr Smart.
Loch Stu in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 5
DriftMaster | 847 posts @JulieAllen funnily enough the name checks out for me here! 😄 I've had a 280Ah Fogstar Drift bank running on my narrowboat since early 2022 — so getting on for three years...
DriftMaster in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 1
RussGreen | 312 posts Something nobody's mentioned yet — LiFePO4 voltage curves flatten out massively in the cold.
Russ Green in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 7
Not a narrowboat but the van conversion angle might be useful — I ran a single Drift 200Ah for about eight months before adding a second in parallel.
Paula Fisher in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 8
Reply by Chopper62: @Kingy74 Classic one this! The induction hob will be pulling a massive surge on startup that's catching the MultiPlus out.
Chopper62 in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 9
@VanGill the story sounds familiar — I ended up in almost exactly that situation when I was wiring up my shepherd's hut last spring.
Dale Vicky in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 8
Foggy80 | 412 posts @ValleyAmy worth checking whether your SmartSolar is actually syncing properly with the Drift's built-in BMS via VE.Smart networking — if it's not picking up the BMS data,...
Foggy80 in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 8
Been running a Pi 4 in my van conversion for about eight months now — pulls data straight from my Victron SmartSolar via VE.Direct cable into a custom Python script, then pushes everything to...
Valley OffGrid in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Jonno88 | 47 posts @Ian1968 yeah had exactly this with mine last summer. Turned out the Bluetooth drops were linked to the BMS working harder during balancing — the chip apparently gets a bit...
Jonno88 in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 6
StormyNomad | 847 posts | ⚡ Solar Enthusiast Worth flagging something else while we're on this topic — on those really cold mornings, keep an eye on your charge controller's Voc (open circuit...
Stormy Nomad in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Really nice build @AlexPalmer60! Eight months of solid runtime on that budget is genuinely impressive. One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet — worth thinking about cable runs between the...
FZO_Marine in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 4
SolarGaz | 1,203 posts | Array My garden office Victron BMV-712 has a "days since last reached 100% SOC" counter — currently reads zero because I panicked and bolted on another 100Ah...
Solar Gaz in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Rob1963 | 🔧 2,341 posts 200 cycles on a Fogstar is basically run-in — those cells are rated to 2,000+ so you've bought someone else's warranty period for buttons.
Rob in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 9
Chopper54 | 312 posts | ☀️ Garden Office & EV Chaos @BitsAndBobs three days on a narrowboat helping a mate is how friendships end and Victron addictions begin — I only rewired my garden office...
Chopper54 in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 7