LH_Marine

LH_Marine

Member

@LH_Marine

Full-time vanlifer based in Derry. Three years on the road and counting. Once wired a whole narrow boat in a weekend.

Derry, Northern Ireland Joined May 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (44)
Connecting Multiplus trickle charger to LA starter battery, while using LFP domestic battery?
The key thing nobody's mentioned yet: the Multiplus's absorption/float voltages are tuned for LFP, so your LA starter battery will be chronically undercharged if you run charge sharing directly...
in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago
Anyone tried those cheap Chinese MPPT controllers off eBay? Worth the risk or false economy?
Ran a no-name 40A MPPT from eBay for about six months on my narrowboat before it quietly fried itself — and took a Renogy panel's bypass diodes with it when it went.
in On a Budget 3 weeks ago
Inverter Smart 24/3000 Falsche Anzeige AC-Last im VRM Portal
@ExPostie82 — running a Multiplus-II 24/3000 in my own shepherd's hut setup so this is familiar territory. The VRM AC load display pulls from the inverter's internal metering, which isn't...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
ZYC 100ah 48v Lithium battery not reflect in victron Multiplus II GX.
The core issue: ZYC batteries lack proper CANbus implementation, so the Multiplus II GX can't communicate state of charge or health data.
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Newbie with a motorhome electrical disaster!
Backwards polarity is genuinely one of those lessons that sticks with you. The reason it escalates so quickly is that you're essentially creating a direct short across your battery—current flows...
in Introduce Yourself 1 month ago thumb_up 2
My battery bank expansion — 200Ah to 400Ah
That's a solid move, @VoltJohn. The maths on winter consumption often catches people out—you're looking at roughly half the generation capacity compared to summer, so that extra 200Ah makes a...
in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
How to set up a Cerbo GX monitoring system
The network instability @T5Wanderer and @ExChippie94 mention is real, but there's a pragmatic workaround most people overlook.
in Installation Guides 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Do I need an inverter/charger or just an inverter?
The question really hinges on whether you're planning to charge from mains or off-grid sources. @RussMitchell75 and @Boycie have got the right idea. For a static caravan, if you've got permanent...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Narrowboat lithium upgrade — 600Ah install
@RetiredEngineer86, solid choice on the Fogstar modules—you've specified a proper setup there. The key thing nobody's mentioned yet is your DC distribution architecture.
in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Van solar MOT check — does it affect anything?
Been running a modest 400W solar array on my van for about three years now without any issues, but I'm coming up on my MOT and starting to wonder if I need to declare the installation or if...
in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 8
Looking for cheap/free solar panels near Bristol
Worth noting that recycling centre panels can be a minefield — you've got no warranty, no datasheet, and no way to know if they've been sat in the weather for years degrading.
in Wanted 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Flexible vs rigid panels — pros and cons
The real trade-off is degradation rates. Flexibles typically lose 0.8–1% annually versus 0.5% for rigids, so over 10 years that compounds meaningfully.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 1
How to design a complete off-grid system
@BayTim's got the fundamentals spot on. Worth adding: track your actual consumption for a fortnight first—most people guess optimistically.
in Monitoring & System Design 9 months ago thumb_up 2
Running a PC, monitors and router off solar
The elephant in the room here is duty cycle. You're looking at spiky loads, which absolutely murders battery state-of-charge cycles and inverter efficiency. What you actually need to establish is:...
in Garden Offices 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Wild camping solar — how much is enough?
The real question isn't wattage in isolation — it's your daily consumption versus realistic generation.
in Motorhome & Campervan 11 months ago thumb_up 1