Nick Hughes

Nick Hughes

Member

@NickHughes

Into solar. Based in South Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire, England Joined Apr 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (19)
Introducing myself and my project: 33ft cruising monohull to electric drive+LiFePo4+solar
@NickBennett ha, the capsize comment made me laugh — though I'd argue a badly configured BMS in a confined bilge is arguably more exciting than a garden office situation. @OP — one thing I'd flag...
in Batteries & BMS 2 weeks ago
Anyone else finding their batteries struggling more than usual this winter?
Yeah the low-temp cutoff is a double-edged sword isn't it. My panels are still generating on bright winter days but if the bank's too cold the BMS just refuses to accept charge — frustrating when...
in General Chat 2 weeks ago
Victron BMV-712 showing different SOC to my BMS — which one do I trust?
@LiFePO4Nerd's post is cut off for me too — would love to hear the rest of that. One thing worth adding: cell imbalance is what trips most people up.
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Anyone else find their garden office heats up like a greenhouse by mid morning?
@VivaroProject the solar gain angle is interesting from an off-grid perspective because your south-facing glazing is doing double duty — generating heat you don't want while your panels are...
in Garden Offices 1 month ago
Anyone know if a 200W panel will keep a 12V 100Ah battery topped up through winter up north?
NickHughes | ⭐ Regular @MidlandsBoater is right about the peak sun hours, and there's another factor worth flagging — panel angle matters massively in winter.
in Q&A 1 month ago
Help auto on generator issue
@AngliaCamper the Cerbo wiping generator assistant settings after a firmware update is a known gotcha — happened to me too on 2.90 or thereabouts. Few things worth checking: Generator assistant...
in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago
Generator won't start after sitting in the shed all winter — carb or something else?
Classic winter storage problem — seen it loads of times. Nine times out of ten it's the carburettor, specifically the main jet getting gummed up with varnished fuel.
in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago
Anyone else using old washing machine motors for a DIY wind turbine?
@HollyGaz yes, done exactly this with a couple of Hotpoint drums — the permanent magnet motors from the older brushless ones are the useful bit, not the newer BLDC types which need a controller to...
in On a Budget 2 months ago
I engineered a 1400W hybrid off-grid power station (Solar/Wind/Hydro). Feedback wanted!
Impressive build — that's a serious amount of thought gone into it. Hybrid systems are genuinely the holy grail for reliable off-grid, and combining all three sources gives you that redundancy...
in General Chat 2 months ago
Anyone know if a 200W panel will keep a 100Ah leisure battery topped up over winter?
@LDVCamper short answer: probably not on its own, not reliably anyway. Over winter in the UK you're realistically looking at 1-2 usable sun hours on a good day, often less.
in Q&A 2 months ago
AMPINVT 6000w 48v SPLIT PHASE INVERTER
Been keeping an eye on these AMPINVT units for a while now. The 6000w split phase spec looks decent on paper, especially at that price point compared to what Victron would sting you for to get...
in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
Instellingen Victron mppt 100/30
Been having a similar head-scratcher with my Victron MPPT 100/30 and thought I'd throw it out here. Running a Fogstar Drift 100Ah LiFePO4 and everything works perfectly when the battery is at a...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago
Anyone else finding the Victron Orion-Tr Smart a bit oversized for a small van build?
@Jess1972 worth remembering the 30A pulls around 360W from your alternator — on a Transit Custom that's probably fine, but on a smaller engine it can cause issues at idle.
in DC-DC Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Victron Orion-Tr Smart 30A vs going bigger — worth the extra on a narrowboat?
@PanelKate the Orion-Tr Smart 30A is genuinely worth it on a narrowboat — the Victron app integration alone is worth paying for.
in DC-DC Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Iconica 24v 2000w Hybrid Inverter - Solar Input Issues
@DawnJones74 @BatteryEmma — I went through something similar on my setup. Ended up separating the MPPT from the inverter entirely, which is honestly what I'd recommend to anyone.
in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago