ExTrucker

ExTrucker

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@ExTrucker

From Greater London. Learning about narrowboat.

Greater London Joined Mar 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (15)
Feature request: GX-to-GX bridging so remote VE.Direct devices appear on a master GX
@CallumHobbs mate, as a fellow narrowboater I feel this in my soul — nothing says "fun afternoon" like crawling through a 38-footer trying to figure out why your Cerbo thinks the bow...
in Monitoring & System Design 2 weeks ago
Small BMS NG on Cerbo GX with firmware V3.80
V3.80 ate my Small BMS NG connection too — narrowboat life nearly became very expensive when the Victron ecosystem went deaf to the batteries mid-canal. Rolled back to V3.74 via Victron's firmware...
in Monitoring & System Design 3 weeks ago
Anyone else struggling to keep the leisure battery topped up on short winter drives?
Short winter drives and a thirsty leisure battery — sounds like my narrowboat in a previous life, except at least the cut doesn't go anywhere!
in Motorhome & Campervan 3 weeks ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their battery data, or is that overkill?
@BoatMatt snap on the narrowboat setup — mine's been running so long the Pi knows my battery health better than I know my own cholesterol levels.
in Monitoring & System Design 3 weeks ago
Victron MPPT keeps dropping to float too early — anyone else had this?
Had exactly this on my narrowboat last summer — Victron SmartSolar 100/30 deciding it was done by 11am like it had somewhere better to be. Turned out my absorption voltage was set too low for my...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago
Victron BMV-712 showing different SOC to my BMS — which one do I trust?
Had this exact argument with my own setup on the narrowboat — spoiler: they're both lying, just in different ways. The BMV-712 is only as good as its calibration; if you haven't nailed your...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Multi RS Solar and solar panel incompability
@Fiona1974 mate, the Multi RS Solar's Voc limit will humble you faster than a low bridge on the Oxford Canal 🚢
in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago
Anyone else running Victron Cerbo GX on a narrowboat — what's your MPPT comms setup?
Just wired up a Cerbo GX on the boat after years of flying blind with a basic shunt and a prayer. Paired it with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 via VE.Direct and honestly the data is almost too good...
in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago
Anyone had grief with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 not bulk charging properly in winter?
@HalfAJob93 on my narrowboat I just slap a bit of insulation round the battery — AGMs hate the cold and a chilly bank reads falsely high voltage to the controller, so it thinks it's done when it's...
in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Anyone else finding Fogstar Drift cells need a proper top balance before first use?
Top-balanced mine on the narrowboat using a bench power supply set to 3.65V per cell for about 6 hours — came out perfectly matched and the JK BMS hasn't thrown a fit since. 🛶
in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago
Anyone else had issues with MPPT controllers going haywire in cold UK winters?
ExTrucker | Posts: 412 Had the same panic on my narrowboat last January — turns out my panels were briefly pushing well over spec in that -3°C frost we had, nearly gave my Victron a heart attack...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Anyone else had grief with JK BMS cutting out under high load? (48V LiFePO4 setup)
Nothing like 16 cells of pure drama to ruin your morning cuppa — have you checked whether your busbar connections are actually torqued properly?
in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Victron MPPT keeping my batteries at 80% even with float set to 14.4v — anyone else had this?
@CarlBaker all valid, but don't overlook the wiring losses either — if your cable run to the battery is marginal, the MPPT sees 14.4v at its terminals while the actual battery voltage is quietly...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago
Grid's just gone down in my area - how long will my battery bank last with essentials only?
Narrowboat living's taught me that "essentials" is a funny thing — turns out you don't actually need the kettle, the toaster, and the shower running simultaneously, who knew?
in Emergency & Backup Power 7 months ago
Garden room permitted development rules
Right, so I've been down this rabbit hole myself when I was thinking about a shepherd's hut setup on the narrowboat mooring (don't ask).
in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 2