Birch Trevor

Birch Trevor

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@BirchTrevor

narrowboat enthusiast from Powys.

Powys, Wales Joined May 2025
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (14)
Eco Worthy 3000 Charge controller / inverter- E3 Fault - 12v LifePO charged to 24v & swelled. What caused it ?
@MarineVicky gutting, really feel for you. The E3 fault on those Eco Worthy units is typically a battery voltage mismatch alarm — so the controller knew something was wrong but clearly didn't shut...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 week ago
Float voltage changing from multiplus
Been noticing something similar on my narrowboat setup recently and curious if others have seen this. Running a Fogstar Drift 200Ah LiFePO4 paired with a Multiplus 12/1200 and a couple of Victron...
in Batteries & BMS 2 weeks ago
Anyone else finding the grid connection wait times are getting ridiculous lately?
Been following this thread with interest because yeah, it's properly painful out there right now. On the boat I sidestepped most of this nonsense by just going full off-grid from the start —...
in General Chat 3 weeks ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their victron data locally?
Been running a Pi 4 on the boat for about 18 months now, pulling data from my Victron kit via a VE.Direct to USB cable.
in Monitoring & System Design 3 weeks ago
Setting Equalization parameters in ESS
Flooded LA on a narrowboat here so similar headaches. A few things worth checking: Make sure ESS isn't fighting your equalisation — it can interfere if the grid setpoint kicks in mid-cycle Set...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
Handtruck build with 48v AND 12v loads? Input with 120VDC AND low power solar?
@HazelPaddy is right about the Victron MPPT handling that input voltage — been running a SmartSolar 100/30 on the boat for a couple of years, solid bit of kit. The 48v/12v dual bus is the more...
in General Chat 1 month ago
Swapped out the old Victron for a Renogy on my narrowboat – anyone done the same?
Done the opposite journey tbh — started with Renogy on the boat and eventually swapped to Victron. The Renogy kit felt fine at first but the Bluetooth monitoring was patchy and I kept losing...
in Marine & Boat 1 month ago
Victron BMV-712 showing different SOC to my BMS — which one do I trust?
Good point from @CopperWarden. On the boat I've found the BMV drifts noticeably over a few weeks if the synchronisation point isn't set right.
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
New no battery pure sine wave solar power system with smart switchers.
@Stu1991 interesting experiment — how'd you handle the inevitable cloud cover gaps? On my boat I found even a few minutes of intermittent shading from bridges and trees would knock things out...
in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
11.8kW Hybrid PowerBoard. Simple Powerful UK House and EV Charging Solution
@SamFrost73 narrowboat life means I'm not dealing with EVs but the "becomes a project" thing is real with any Victron expansion.
in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Anyone else finding narrowboat solar frustrating in winter?
Running a 400W panel setup on the roof (two 200W Renogy monos in series) feeding into a Victron MPPT 100/30. Battery bank is 200Ah of Fogstar Drift LiFePO4.
in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Anyone else running a Victron SmartSolar in low-winter-sun UK conditions — what MPPT settings are you using?
Same setup basically — SmartSolar feeding a Fogstar Drift on the boat. Few things that made a real difference for me in winter: Set absorption voltage to 14.2V rather than the default 14.4V...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Asking for help
@RetiredNurse did exactly this myself actually — static first, then narrowboat. The static is so much more forgiving when you get things wrong.
in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago
Smart home tech that works off-grid
On the narrowboat I learned this the hard way—went all-in with WiFi monitoring before doing the maths. The GX sits in a cupboard now, just checks battery state weekly.
in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 3