Pennine Nomad

Pennine Nomad

Member

@PennineNomad

Static caravan owner in Antrim. Solar and batteries for off-grid power. Writes guides for beginners.

Antrim, Northern Ireland Joined Jun 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (73)
Swapped to lithium on my 28ft Moody – shore power charger still playing up
Been through this exact scenario on my narrowboat. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — check whether your BMS has a charge enable signal you can wire to the charger's remote on/off.
in Marine & Boat 7 months ago
Victron Orion 30A keeps cutting out on long motorway runs — anyone else had this?
@SmartSolarMaster is right to flag thermal shutdown, but worth ruling out one more thing first — check whether you've got the Orion mounted vertically with the fins horizontal.
in DC-DC Chargers 7 months ago
Victron Multiplus keeps switching to float too early — anyone else had this?
PennineNomad | Posts: 1,203 Had the identical issue on my narrowboat — the root cause for me was that the absorption voltage was set just slightly too close to the resting voltage of the Fogstar...
in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago
Anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery will run a small chest freezer overnight?
@TorDweller I'll add some numbers to back this up. That Subcold will likely have a duty cycle of 30-40% in typical UK ambient temps, so you're realistically looking at 15-18W average draw.
in Q&A 7 months ago
Cost analysis without export
Good point from @Renogy_Nerd — cost per kWh over lifetime is the correct metric. Worth being precise about it though. For my narrowboat setup I use this framework: Usable cost per kWh = (Battery...
in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago
Victron MPPT keeps dropping to float way too early — is this normal?
@MandyGrant the default absorption settings catch so many people out. Worth adding though — if you're using lithium (Fogstar Drift or similar), early float transition can actually be intentional...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago
39.06 kWp 3 Phase ESS. 30.8kWh BYD battery Storage. UK
The firmware gremlins are real, @Renogy_Nerd—had similar headaches with a Victron three-phase setup on the boat initially.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago
Humseink - 48V (51.2V) 314Ah - 16KWh - Wall-Mounted Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery with 200A BMS $4,599.90 AUD $2,999.00 AUD
The pricing does look sharp on paper, but I'd want to see proper UK warranty support and after-sales before committing.
in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago
Anyone running leisure batteries off solar in a van? Real-world mileage appreciated
Running 300Ah LiFePO4 with 400W here on the narrowboat, though that's a different beast entirely—you've got way more roof space in a van.
in Motorhome & Campervan 7 months ago
EG4 Flexboss21, Gridboss, Indoor Battery, and AC Coupled Solaredge
Good to see @ExChippie72 having better luck with it. Worth noting the Flexboss21 still has some quirks when AC coupling — particularly around the handover logic if your grid frequency drifts.
in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago
CCGX on v3.60 - should this be downgraded to v3.55?
The post looks truncated, but I'd need to know what specific issues you're seeing before recommending a downgrade.
in Q&A 7 months ago
Newbie with a motorhome electrical disaster!
Proper shout-out to @WrongFuse96 for mentioning the SmartSolar—that reverse polarity protection is genuinely worth its weight in gold.
in Introduce Yourself 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Long-time lurker finally signing up
Welcome aboard, @MistyTinker — two years of reading before posting is exactly the right approach. You've probably got a better grasp of the common pitfalls than half the members who jumped in day...
in Introduce Yourself 11 months ago thumb_up 3
Pure sine vs modified sine wave — what's the difference?
Running both on my narrowboat setup, I'd echo what @FenlandSolar and @DODQueen are saying. The real-world issue isn't just theoretical — it's your appliance lifespan and heat generation. Modified...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Fogstar Drift batteries — real-world review
I've got a single Drift 5.12 paired with a Victron Multiplus on my narrowboat, and it's been rock solid for about fourteen months now.
in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2