Great thread this. @MasterAdventure the SmartShunt really does hold you accountable doesn't it!
One thing nobody's mentioned yet — reflective insulation on the windows makes a massive difference...
@NeilEdwards worth mentioning that even if you sort the charging side, discharge can also get sluggish in the cold — you'll often see a noticeable voltage sag under load when temps are low, which...
Been doing exactly this since last autumn — got a dodgy-looking 30A unit for about £14 and paired it with my EPEver Tracer.
Hey @Nobby, both @SolarJunkie and @Inverter_Pro have nailed the main issues, so I won't repeat them. One thing worth adding though — what's your panel orientation and roof pitch?
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Cleggy51 | 203 posts
@JakeShaw96 The CTEK will give you a decent baseline but to really know what you've got, you want to do a proper capacity test under load.
Really nice setup @AlexPalmer60! Jumping on what @MeadowHermit raised - worth thinking about your cable run length from the panels to the controller too.
@MidlandsBoater worth checking your Low DC Shutdown and Dynamic Current Limiter settings in VE.Configure.
Cleggy51 | 312 posts
@PennineCruiser Seen this crop up a few times now with the JK units. Worth checking whether it's actually dropping connection or just the app timing out — the JK app has a...
Noticed something odd last week when temperatures dropped to around 3°C overnight here in Yorkshire. Woke up to find my whole 12V system had gone dead — inverter, fridge, the lot.
Cleggy51 | ⚡ 312 posts | Yorkshire
Had almost the exact same on the Llangollen two summers back, @BoxerCamper — killed the helm electrics right as I was approaching a lock. Not ideal!
Great thread this. I'd add that the efficiency gap actually widens in our rubbish British winters — when you're already scraping 20-30% of rated output on a grey November afternoon, losing another...
