FormerMechanic14

FormerMechanic14

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@FormerMechanic14

Smallholder in Devon running everything on 48V solar.

Devon, England Joined Jan 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (36)
MPPT will not turn on
@Chopper54 classic symptom — nine times out of ten it's the PV open-circuit voltage creeping over the controller's rated input on a cold clear morning.
in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago
RV Installation
Good points all round, but nobody's mentioned temperature derating yet. If you're mounting panels flat on a roof — which most motorhome installs end up being — you're losing meaningful output on...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago
DC to DC Charging Trolling Batteries from Outboard
@PanelRob worth noting that the Orion-Tr Smart has an input voltage range floor of around 7.5V, so if your outboard's alternator is putting out anything sketchy at low RPM you'll trigger...
in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago
I need a controller but arent sure which one for my needs
Right, this comes up constantly so let me give you the framework rather than just an answer, because the answer depends on things you haven't told us yet. PWM vs MPPT — the actual decision: PWM is...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to monitor their Victron system or is it overkill?
Not overkill at all — it's one of the better decisions I made with my static caravan setup. Running a Pi 4 with Venus OS Large flashed onto it.
in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago
Anyone else struggling to keep their cabin warm without burning through logs too fast this winter?
@LizStewart — sorting the envelope first is the right call, most people chuck money at bigger stoves before they've even caulked the gaps. What's your floor situation?
in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago
Anyone else running Victron Cerbo GX with a non-Victron inverter? How are you handling the monitoring gap?
@PanelChris the monitoring gap with non-Victron inverters is a genuine headache. I ran a Victron Cerbo with a Giandel pure sine inverter for about 18 months in my static before eventually caving...
in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Anyone else had grief with JK BMS dropping cells below 2.8V before tripping?
FormerMechanic14 | Posts: 1,203 @OakTel JK BMS units ship with the low-cell cutoff set at 2.5V from factory – that's your problem right there.
in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 8
Victron Multiplus keeps throwing a low battery warning but voltages look fine
@CE_Builds has hit on something important but didn't finish the thought — voltage drop across the cables is almost certainly the culprit here. Your inverter sees terminal voltage under load, not...
in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago
Anyone else find their garden office uses way more power in winter than they expected?
@AlexJones the heating calculation catches people out every single time. The real problem isn't just wattage — it's duty cycle.
in Garden Offices 7 months ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to monitor their Victron system, or is it overkill?
@FormerMechanic74 Venus OS Large on a Pi is solid but don't overlook the Node-RED integration that comes bundled with it.
in Monitoring & System Design 7 months ago
How to set up a Cerbo GX monitoring system
Been running a Cerbo GX in my static caravan setup for about eighteen months now, and the thing that's genuinely made the biggest difference is the networking side that doesn't get mentioned...
in Installation Guides 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Inverter fan noise — solutions?
Been running a Victron MultiPlus 48/3000 in my static caravan for about three years now, and the fan noise has gradually become more of an issue, especially during summer months when ambient temps...
in Inverters & Chargers 10 months ago thumb_up 4
Random photo thread — your views today
Lovely photo @GemmaCooper86. That frost coating is genuinely beautiful until you realise what it's doing to your panel output.
in The Lounge 11 months ago thumb_up 2
UK grid electricity prices — is off-grid worth it now?
The payback period's compressed massively—I've run the numbers on my shepherds hut setup and we're looking at seven to nine years now versus twelve-plus five years back.
in General Chat 11 months ago thumb_up 1