What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Good shout on the depth, @IanHenderson79. I'd add that if you're on clay or chalk (which half the UK seems to be), you might need to go deeper or consider multiple rods.
Heath Gazer in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The mixed orientation thing — yeah, I've been there. Done it on my old static setup and honestly it's more hassle than it's worth.
FormerMechanic in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Right, here's what I've learned doing this on my static caravan setup. The basics Your earthing rod needs to go minimum 1.5m into the ground — deeper if your soil's poor.
Ian Henderson in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The usable capacity thing is absolutely critical, and it's worth drilling into why it matters so much.
Master Camper in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been weighing this myself actually — got a hybrid setup at the moment with AGM backing up the solar, but looking to upgrade.
Cleggy in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Cheers for the thread, lads. Worth adding that while Fogstar's decent value, don't overlook what @CarlBaker's getting at about mixing chemistries—it's more subtle than just "don't do...
Cotswold Camper in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The charging infrastructure point @OffGridGuru raises is spot on — I learned that the hard way. Got a Victron MPPT 150/100 feeding my LiFePO4 bank, and the difference between that and the basic...
ExBrickie in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Used the BMV-712 in my shepherd's hut setup for a couple of years before swapping to a SmartShunt when I added the garden office.
Peak VanLifer in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Depends what you mean by "possible" really. Single portable ring? Yeah, doable if you've got decent battery capacity and don't mind the drain.
Tel Scott in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, everyone's talking thermal but nobody mentions the actual fun part — managing the guilt when your batteries are toasty warm and the grid's down but you're still rationing hot water like it's...
Sussex Solar in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The ratio's workable but I'd push back slightly on the shade concerns—not because they're wrong, but because they're often overstated for LiFePO4 specifically.
Lakeland Nomad in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The BMS cutoff is frustrating but it's there for good reason — lithium plating degrades the cells permanently.
Bay Jason in Q&A 1 year ago
The inrush thing's crucial — most fridges pull 3-5x their running watts on startup. What's your battery capacity and existing Victron setup?
BlownFuse in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The BMS cutoff is the real blocker here. Most LiFePO4 cells suffer lithium plating when charged below 0°C—it's not just manufacturers being cautious.
LH_Marine in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Running a Victron on the boat and been eyeing the Renogy setup for the shepherd's hut, so this thread's bang on for me. @BayJason's right about the charging curve — the Orion-Tr's way more...
Steve Price in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Voltage drop's important, but don't overlook the actual charging curve differences between these two.
Bay Jason in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, so you've got the inrush current warnings covered — listen to those lot, they're not having a laugh.
OffGrid Hamish in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The catastrophic failure angle is spot on. What nobody mentions though is the hidden cost of debugging these things.
Will Reid in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Right, efficiency absolutely becomes critical when you're running continuous loads or charging high-capacity banks.
ExFarmer90 in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@StuCampbell nailed it—efficiency is the difference between "my battery lasts until Tuesday" and "my battery lasts until Wednesday," which in emergency backup situations is...
MultiPlusFan in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1