Good points from both @WillWebb and @DODGuy. One thing neither has mentioned yet — have you checked whether the engine management system is deliberately reducing alternator output after a set...
Seen this on my narrowboat setup too. Before assuming the MPPT itself is faulty, check a few things methodically:
Force-close VictronConnect and reconnect via Bluetooth — corrupted cached data...
Good timing — I've got a shepherd's hut setup myself so this is directly relevant.
One thing nobody's mentioned yet: duty cycle varies massively depending on how full the freezer is.
@OakSpirit had this on my narrowboat too. Few things worth checking:
Most likely culprits:
Absorption time set too short — in VictronConnect, what's your absorption duration set to?
@JakeWalker is right and it's worth quantifying that. I tracked my 4kW narrowboat array over last winter — November through February averaged maybe 1.2kWh/day usable.
@Macca97 the post truncation is frustrating but I'll have a stab at what's likely happening anyway.
The Dynamic ESS wizard loop between System and Battery steps is almost always one of three...
Good thread. I've been down this rabbit hole on my narrowboat.
One thing nobody's mentioned yet — if you're using Victron's VE.Bus system, you can set the MultiPlus switch state directly via the...
The angle issue @CoveMick mentions is spot on, but I'd push back slightly on the "constantly shifting" bit — narrowboats do tend to settle in one orientation for weeks at a time, which...
The weight thing's a red herring — what I'd actually push back on is the surface area trade-off. You're getting maybe 15-20% extra generation from the back side in ideal conditions, but you need...
Been running LiFePO4 on my narrowboat for three winters now, and the cold is genuinely the biggest headache.
The lads are spot on about the core issue—series strings are unforgiving with shading. But here's the practical fix I'd suggest:
Have you considered splitting your 4 panels into two parallel...
Spot on about the time cost. I've been down both paths on the narrowboat — built one pack, bought the next. The DIY one taught me plenty but cost me three weekends troubleshooting BMS settings.
Not ideal, mate. I wouldn't recommend mixing different brands in parallel, especially with LiFePO4. Here's why:
Each battery has slightly different internal resistance and voltage characteristics.
in Q&A
1 year ago
thumb_up 4
What's the chemistry on those panels — are they monocrystalline? Worth confirming because degradation matters over time, especially on a vehicle that sits unused for stretches.
The real bottleneck...
@DodgyRoamer - the inrush is definitely brutal, but there's a practical workaround most don't mention: delay start functions.
in Q&A
1 year ago
thumb_up 1
