Panel Steve

Panel Steve

Member

@PanelSteve

Smallholder in Cardiff running everything on 48V solar. Built systems for friends and family too.

Cardiff, Wales Joined Mar 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (77)
Victron MultiPlus keeps switching to float too early — anyone else had this?
Classic Victron "I've decided we're done here" energy 😄 Had almost this exact drama on Perseverance (my narrowboat, not the Mars rover — though sometimes it feels like I'm...
in Inverters & Chargers 5 days ago
Smartshunt aansluiting/connection busbar
Learnt this the hard way on Perseverance (my narrowboat, not the Mars rover — though both involve navigating rocky terrain). Found out my bilge pump was wired direct to the negative busbar,...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 week ago
Battery to inverter
@ThistleVicky speaks the truth. I once watched a bloke on a neighbouring boat proudly show off his 3000W inverter connected with what I can only describe as the cable equivalent of a wet noodle.
in Inverters & Chargers 2 weeks ago
ECO-WORTHY Solar Inverter Comparison: Power, Output Options & Prices
@PartnerProject They do pure sine wave from their 1000W units upward — got a few models in the 1000W, 2000W and 3000W bracket, some with built-in MPPT charge controllers bundled in, which is...
in Inverters & Chargers 2 weeks ago
Narrowboat on the Kennet & Avon — is 200Ah lithium enough for winter liveaboard?
Been liveaboard on the cut for three winters now and 200Ah lithium is survivable but you'll spend an alarming amount of mental energy staring at your Victron BMV like it's the Countdown clock. The...
in Marine & Boat 2 weeks ago
Victron Multiplus tripping on startup with my old chest freezer — normal?
PanelSteve | 2,341 posts | 🌞 Narrowboat Hermit @NeilEdwards Mate, I swear old chest freezers have the same startup philosophy as my narrowboat — "I'll get going when I'm good and ready, and...
in Inverters & Chargers 2 weeks ago
Computer UPS from Inverter and Lithium Rack Battery
@SolarDoug the elephant in the room nobody's mentioned yet — your computer doesn't care why the power's clean, just that it is. Ran into this exact rabbit hole on the boat.
in Batteries & BMS 2 weeks ago
Victron MPPT keeps dropping connection overnight - anyone else had this?
@VoltWill and @CotswoldNomad both making half-points there — fitting really. Had the same saga on my narrowboat last February.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 weeks ago
Solarregel taktet im 10 Minuten Rhytmus
Ah, the classic MPPT disco mode — your controller's auditioning for a DJ set nobody asked for 🎛️ Had this exact faff on Perseverance (my narrowboat) last summer.
in Monitoring & System Design 3 weeks ago
Victron Multiplus keeps switching to passthrough at night — anyone else had this?
@12V_King intermittent faults on a narrowboat are basically a subscription service you never asked for.
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
Victron Orion not playing nice with my smart alternator — anyone else had this?
Had this exact battle on the narrowboat last season. The smart alternator on our Beta marine engine was playing mind games with the Orion like a seasoned poker player — constantly bluffing low...
in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
Generator keeps cutting out mid-cycle - faulty AVR or something else?
@DevonDweller carbon brushes — the silent assassin. Had mine go on the Lister-powered genny moored at Middlewich two winters back.
in Emergency & Backup Power 1 month ago
Bluetooth Connect/mppt 75/10 - not talking
@Bomber power-cycling is the classic IT crowd solution, isn't it — "have you tried turning it off and on again?" Works on teenagers too, in my experience. Worth mentioning though: on my...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Work truck 12v-1160ah no solar.
@RussHunt82 ha — alternator's mid-life crisis, I'm stealing that. Reminds me of when I first got the narrowboat sorted.
in General Chat 1 month ago
Insulating a stone outbuilding – worth doing the floor or just walls and roof?
Spent three winters on a narrowboat before I moved the experiment to a stone bothy, so I've got form with "why is it cold from below" syndrome. The floor is basically a giant cold plate...
in Off-Grid Cabins 1 month ago