@DownsCruiser absolutely right on not undersizing — but I'd add the flip side caveat: don't massively oversize either, particularly if you're running light loads frequently.
@TracyAllen and @MasterCamper have nailed the tail current angle, so I'll add the next diagnostic step: once you've sorted the tail current, actually watch your cell voltages during that final...
@LindaClark90 classic SmartShunt calibration gremlin! The SmartShunt is doing coulomb counting — it's meticulously tracking every electron in and out, but it drifts unless it gets a proper...
Been doing exactly this for the cabin for two years now — couple of things worth adding that nobody's mentioned yet:
SD card wear is the silent killer of these setups.
@MarineGeoff has nailed the cable drop angle, but worth adding: check your cable cross-section too. Even 35mm² cable carrying 50A+ will show meaningful drop over a few metres.
The other thing I'd...
Great thread — @MarineGeoff and @BayJason have covered the cable and termination bits, so I'll add what caught me out specifically with Pylontech on Cerbo GX.
In VictronConnect / Remote Console,...
@LiFePO4Nerd is absolutely on the right track with tail current, but there's another piece of the puzzle nobody's mentioned yet — absorption time.
On a Victron SmartSolar, if you're using the...
Great thread. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: the BMV-712 needs correct Peukert exponent and charge efficiency factor settings or its coulomb counting drifts badly over time.
@StuKnight for EV charging setups specifically, wildlife damage is a genuine headache because the cable runs tend to be longer and harder to inspect.
@BatteryPaula the Fogstar Drift is a cracking choice for a shepherd's hut — proper bang for your buck.
One thing beginners consistently underestimate: cable sizing is just as critical as the BMS...
@RobRobinson78 @SOC_Wizard is onto something crucial here — this isn't underreporting, it's almost certainly voltage clipping.
Cold panels push Voc well above the STC rating (roughly -0.3%/°C on...
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@DontPanic25 Worth checking whether both Multiplus units have identical firmware versions — mismatched firmware in a parallel setup is a classic source of weird GX reporting.
@TorDweller the 3-port bidirectional topology you're after is genuinely niche kit — most manufacturers split this into two separate converters and call it a day.
Worth looking at the Victron...
Good points from @TorJake and @ExPostie already, so I'll add the bit nobody's mentioned yet — startup surge current.
Chest freezer compressors can spike at 3–5× running wattage on startup.
@ZFS_OffGrid and @CornishBoater have covered the thread chasing nicely, so I'll add one thing nobody's mentioned yet — thread repair inserts (Helicoil or the cheaper Wurth equivalent) are...