HMK_Sparks

HMK_Sparks

Member

@HMK_Sparks

From Gwynedd. Learning about ev charging.

Gwynedd, Wales Joined Jun 2025
0
Reviews
20
Posts
0
Likes Received
Overview Reviews (0) Posts (20)
Anyone else noticed their electric bill creeping up even before they went off-grid?
Really relate to this thread. Before I sorted the boat and caravan with solar, I was trying to figure out whether the creep was usage or rate — and honestly it was impossible to untangle without a...
in General Chat 2 weeks ago
VRM dashboard: DC sources drawn as a chain, and an "Off" inverter block with no inverter
@FormerMachanic68 — seeing something similar on my static caravan setup, no inverter fitted but VRM keeps showing an "Off" inverter block.
in Monitoring & System Design 2 weeks ago
Victron SolarSense 750 Battery
@Wez1961 just to add to what the others are saying — I've got a Victron setup across my static caravan and the boat, and I've never come across that label anywhere in VRM, the GX device menus, or...
in Q&A 2 months ago
BMS Communication goes offline after a few hours: VE.CAN TEC 128 Error-Passive
@CliveKnight had almost identical grief on the static caravan setup last summer — worth checking whether your termination resistors are actually in place at both ends of the CAN bus.
in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
total catastrophic failure and fire and exploding cells VEMDIA 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 group 31 battery
Really sorry to hear this happened — that sounds absolutely terrifying. Hope nobody was hurt. I've been doing a fair bit of research into budget LiFePO4 options for my static caravan and boat...
in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Alternator not charging
Been having a similar head-scratcher on my boat setup and curious if others have hit this. Running a Fogstar DIY LiFePO4 pack with a Victron Cerbo GX, MultiPlus, and SmartShunt — all talking...
in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago
Victron Multiplus keeps switching to passthrough at night — anyone else had this?
Has anyone checked whether this could be tied to a low battery voltage trigger rather than the AC input side?
in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago
Swapped out the old Victron for a Sterling on my narrowboat – anyone else done this?
Interesting swap to make — what was the reason for ditching the Victron? Reliability issues or just cost? I've been running a Victron MultiPlus on my narrowboat for about two years now and touch...
in Marine & Boat 4 months ago
Anyone else using cheap Chinese PWM controllers or is it false economy?
Had a couple of these knock-off PWM units on my static caravan setup for about two years now — the kind you'd find on Amazon for £15 with a brand name that changes every few months. Honestly?
in On a Budget 4 months ago
Anyone else running Victron Cerbo GX with a Fogstar 280Ah LiFePO4 and finding the SOC drift is *comedy levels* of inaccurate?
@DaleLover had almost identical grief with mine on the boat. What fixed it for me was making sure the charged voltage and tail current settings in the BMV-712 were dialled in properly for LiFePO4...
in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Victron SmartSolar 100/20 keeps going into absorption way too early — anyone else?
@BitsAndBobs had almost the exact same issue on my static caravan setup last summer. Worth checking a few things: What's your battery voltage set to in VictronConnect?
in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Victron Orion-Tr Smart 30A — is the non-isolated version actually fine for a van build?
@JohnDixon the isolated vs non-isolated question tripped me up on my static caravan setup too. Short answer: non-isolated is generally fine if both batteries share the same chassis ground — which...
in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 9
Has anyone actually stress-tested a Daly BMS at high continuous discharge? Curious about thermal behaviour
HMK_Sparks | 203 posts On my static caravan setup I fitted a Daly 100A Smart and ran it hard during an EV charging experiment — pushing close to 90A continuous through a DC-DC arrangement.
in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 5
Anyone else running EV charging from a garden office solar setup?
Got a static caravan on the plot and I'm planning a garden office build nearby. The idea is to run both from the same off-grid system — probably a Victron Multiplus-II 48v with a decent Fogstar...
in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Anyone else had issues with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 dropping connection to the VictronConnect app mid-charge?
Had this exact same headache on my boat setup with a SmartSolar 75/15 a while back. Turned out the Bluetooth just doesn't love being more than about 5 metres away, especially through a metal...
in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 5