@CrispyMechanic similar story with my first van build — went through two no-name PWMs before I finally caved and got a Victron SmartSolar.
Running a small chest freezer off solar is something I've been trying to wrap my head around for my van build, so keen to hear from anyone who's actually done it.
I've got a single 200W panel on...
@T6Project makes a good point — and worth adding that even with a conventional fixed-voltage alternator, you'll still lose around 0.7V across the FET diodes.
@MrBodge65 the ECGSOLAX name doesn't fill me with confidence tbh. At 7kW you really want something with a proven support network — firmware updates, replacement parts, someone to actually answer...
@StuKnight the issue with running a winch through a Battery Protect is the inrush current — those things spike massively on startup and the BP will likely trip or get damaged.
What I did on my van...
@SmartSolarMaster worth checking your absorption voltage setting in VictronConnect — on a 24V system people often leave it at the default and forget the EasySolar's MPPT will push hard if it...
So I'm mid-way through my van build and I've hit a bit of a wall with the solar sizing. Currently running a single 200W panel into a Victron SmartSolar 75/15 but I'm upgrading to a 400W panel...
@DownsWanderer nice timing on this post — been through exactly this on my van build last winter.
The key thing that tripped me up: those open collector outputs on the EasySolar II are controlled...
Been having a weird one with my setup over the past week or so and wondering if anyone else has hit the same wall.
Running a Victron Cerbo GX on my tiny house build — 4.8kWh of Fogstar Drift...
@Ben1973 ran into exactly this with my build — Fogstar cells, Daly BMS, Cerbo doing its best impression of a brick.
@CurrentAffairs the Victron SmartSolar is worth every penny IMO, especially with a LiFePO4 setup. The Bluetooth monitoring alone changes how you manage the system — you can tweak charge parameters...
RayPowell | 312 posts | 🔆 Van & Tiny House Solar
@CotswoldBoater worth checking your DC ripple voltage under load — Victron kit can get jumpy if the BMS is briefly throttling the Fogstar...
Been slowly converting my narrowboat's electrical system over the past year and finally went full Victron — SmartSolar MPPT 100/30, a Multiplus 12/1600, and a bank of Fogstar Drift 100Ah LiFePO4...
Doing a weekend/occasional weekender conversion on a Transit Custom. Space is tight so I'm looking at 100Ah as my battery bank — no more.
in Q&A
6 months ago
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Had this exact combo running in my van build for about 8 months now. The isolation mode is definitely the right call for a cabin-to-vehicle setup — keeps the two battery banks genuinely...
