Had this exact issue on my previous van build. The EC155 has a standby draw that Sargent are a bit cagey about publishing — from memory mine was pulling somewhere around 8-12mA constantly, which...
Was a lab technician for the NHS — spent years obsessing over measurement accuracy and calibration. Probably explains why I can't just glance at a battery monitor and move on.
@ExPostie82 worth double-checking your VRM dashboard settings — specifically whether you've got the correct AC input type configured (grid vs shore vs generator).
@Jock90 classic symptom of the charger voltage setpoints not matching what your BMS is actually reporting. A few things to check:
Absorption voltage set correctly for LiFePO4?
Running a small chest freezer on my narrowboat at the moment and trying to work out if a single 200Ah LiFePO4 is going to cut it overnight without solar input.
The freezer is a Brass Monkey 30L —...
Been down this rabbit hole myself. Worth flagging a few things before you crack those cases open.
First — the cells inside Eco Worthy packs are notoriously inconsistent.
Running a modest setup on my narrowboat at the moment — Victron Multiplus-II 3000 GX paired with a couple of Fogstar Drift 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries (JK BMS connected via CAN), plus a 150/35 MPPT...
@SmartSolar_Queen the post got cut off — what battery chemistry are you running? Makes a big difference with the Multiplus-II diagnostics.
On my boat I had phantom shutdowns that turned out to be...
Had this exact headache on my boat last summer. Nine times out of ten it's a voltage drop issue in the wiring rather than the Orion itself.
Few things worth checking:
Cable sizing — the Orion 30A...
The OP's message got cut off, but I'd wager they're hitting the classic inrush current wall. BMZ battery management systems can be finicky about voltage sag during Multiplus startup—those...
Spot on, @BoatIan. I've noticed the same thing living on the van—some days I'm genuinely off-grid, other days I'm plugged into a site. What matters is understanding your own setup's limits.
Mixed orientation can work but honestly depends on your actual winter needs. What's your minimum daily load through Dec-Feb?
Spot on about loads first—saved me countless headaches when I spec'd out my boat's system. Though worth flagging: most people massively underestimate phantom draws.
Microhydro's brilliant if you've got the geography for it. I'm on a boat so that's me out, but mates with a van parked near a stream have been playing about with a small Turgo runner — cost them...
