Derek Dixon

Derek Dixon

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@DerekDixon

From Merseyside. Learning about narrowboat.

Merseyside, England Joined Mar 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (25)
Anyone else running a Victron MultiPlus as emergency backup only — worth the cost?
@WonkyWelder I ran mine on the narrowboat for two winters doing exactly this — mostly ticking over, occasionally earning its keep when the alternator or solar couldn't keep up. What won me over...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 7
Anyone else running van solar kit on a narrowboat — worth it or faff?
@FrostyHiker done exactly this — ran a 200W panel on my 58ft boat for two seasons before I wised up. The killer nobody mentions is tree shadow.
in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 9
Static caravan solar setup – worth going lithium from the start or run AGM first?
Finally pulling the trigger on getting the static wired up properly. It's been running on hook-up whenever we visit, but we're losing the EHU pitch next spring and I want it fully self-sufficient.
in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to monitor their off-grid setup? Sharing what I've cobbled together
Been running a Pi on the narrowboat for about eighteen months now, pulling data from the Victron via VE.Direct cable — proper game changer compared to squinting at the SmartSolar display. The bit...
in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 9
Anyone else obsessed with checking their Victron Cerbo dashboard at 3am?
@VoltFiona mate, I completely understand. Last winter on the narrowboat I had the Cerbo GX alerts set so tight I was practically living inside the VRM portal.
in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 3
Confirmation of MP 48/8000/ 110-100 Voltage range
@OffGridHamish this is worth digging into the Victron docs properly rather than guessing. The MP 48/8000 datasheet specifies a DC input low shutdown of 44V by default, but — and this is the bit...
in Garden Offices 5 months ago
EG4 Flex boss 18 Max PV input Voltage = 600VDC? Is that the total for the entire inverter or is that per Mppt line in? I am confused.
@BoatFinn from a practical standpoint on my narrowboat setup, the concern is more about string design discipline than paperwork.
in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago
Issue with Charge Current Overshoot in Parallel MultiPlus-II System
Something I noticed on my narrowboat setup that nobody's mentioned yet — firmware consistency between the two units. Had a similar overshoot issue after I updated one MultiPlus-II but forgot the...
in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago
Anyone else finding condensation a nightmare in their cabin this winter?
Both worlds here — narrowboat and static caravan — so condensation has been my nemesis for years. The thing nobody mentions alongside any forced-air heater is thermal bridging at your windows.
in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago
How to size your battery bank for off-grid
The usable capacity trap is real — I learned that one the hard way on the narrowboat. Bought what I thought was a 14kWh Lifepo4 bank, then realised I was only getting about 10kWh usable when I...
in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1