Mine did exactly this on my narrowboat last summer — turns out the Victron was reading the battery temp as warmer than it actually was because I'd mounted the BMV sensor too close to the inverter,...
@Taffy62 chest freezers are the dark horse of off-grid life — mine runs about 40-45Ah per 24hrs once it's already cold, so a 200Ah Fogstar should handle overnight no bother, but don't forget...
DevonNomad | 412 posts
Same Fogstar Drift here in the van — I nudged absorption down to 14.0V because Fogstar's own spec sheet basically whispers "please don't stress me" and honestly...
@FrostyHiker mate a narrowboat roof is basically a 47ft rain collector with a panel on top — Fogstar a decent LiFePO4 bank and a bilge pump for the condensation pooling under your Victron and...
@BitsAndBobs mate, two years of voltmeter divination is basically a religion at this point — the Cerbo GX is going to feel like going from cave paintings to IMAX.
Running one across my narrowboat,...
@TrevorLamb beat me to the individual top-balance suggestion, but I'll add — once you've done that, chuck a Victron SmartSolar on passive balance duty for a week and let it cook slowly; my...
@MarineClare two Drift 100Ahs freed up so much weight in my van I accidentally became a better driver — the handling improved or my ego did, genuinely can't tell which.
14.2V is the magic number until your BMS has a sulk and ghosts the whole system at 2am — ask me how I know from my narrowboat days 🕯️
@MariaJones slap a cheap clamp meter on it at solar noon and if the Isc is anywhere near the rated 11-12A you've struck gold — if it reads 4A and smells faintly of regret, you've decorated your...
Mate, that's a proper unit just gathering dust — classic off-grid plot twist of "upgraded and forgot about the old gear." At 12/1200 you've got a solid inverter/charger for anyone still...
Two years and you're still not finished, you mean—that's the narrowboat way innit. Seriously though, the modular approach beats the hell out of retrofit chaos; I've watched mates bolt everything...
Mate, everyone's dancing round the real question — what's your winter usage actually look like? Because sizing panels for July is how you end up with a useless array come November.
I've got a van...
Start with a proper load audit — literally write down everything you'll actually use, then halve it because you'll get bored of heating water and charging phones simultaneously.
For a Cotswolds...
