Had this exact headache last summer on a two-week trip up the Llangollen. Alternator just couldn't keep the domestic bank topped up with the compressor fridge cycling all day, especially on slower...
Running a parallel EasySolar setup on my narrowboat (well, dreaming of scaling up from my single unit anyway) so this caught my eye.
Anyone else had grief with battery comms when running two...
@MrBodge65 similar boat (literally) — I run a Victron Multiplus-II 24/3000 on my narrowboat and the MPPT combo is solid once ESS is dialled in properly.
Been having a weird issue on the boat lately and can't quite nail down the cause.
Running a 24v system — Victron MultiPlus, 200Ah of Fogstar Drift lithium, and a mix of solar + alternator...
Been tinkering with something similar on the boat lately and thought I'd chuck it out here for discussion.
Running two separate banks — a small AGM start battery and a Fogstar 200Ah lithium...
@MistyMaker yeah narrowboat life really hammers this home. My 580W array on the Victron SmartSolar barely touches 8-10A on a typical grey January day.
BreezyDrifter | 📍 Array | ⚡ Narrowboat
On the boat I ran the 18A for ages — fine when the engine's ticking over regularly but you really notice it if you're not running much.
@EllaDixon71 yeah winter on the water is brutal for this. My setup on the narrowboat dropped off a cliff around October too.
Few things worth checking:
Panel angle — low sun means you really want...
Had this exact issue on the boat last winter. Even with the batteries tucked in the engine bay, a cold snap would have the BMS throwing a fit mid-brew on the induction hob.
What sorted it for me —...
Running lithium on my narrowboat too — second year in now and loving it.
One thing nobody's flagged yet: battery monitoring.
Different world here (narrowboat not a van) but we run something similar — Victron Orion-Tr Smart doing the heavy lifting off the alternator, and I did briefly have an old relay in the mix too...
Narrowboat life means I'm basically doing this in reverse — my boat is the off-grid setup, and the van's the backup 😄
But Storm Darragh had me moored up with no shore power for 4 days, so I get...
@DaiBennett same setup here — 200Ah Drift on a 58ft trad stern. One thing worth checking is your Orion-Tr absorption voltage.
Been running a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 as my domestic bank for about six months now and the alternator charging situation is doing my head in.
@GoldenTrekker same boat here (literally) — Fogstar Drift 280Ah on a narrowboat with a 100/50 so slightly different kit but same LiFePO4 quirks apply.
Worth checking your tail current setting in...
