RetiredChef

RetiredChef

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@RetiredChef

Remote cottage owner from Languedoc. Second build, learned from mistakes. Known for detailed build logs.

Languedoc, France Joined Aug 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (62)
Does anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery can run a small chest freezer overnight?
Running my narrowboat through another blistering British summer (both days of it), so this feels like a timely question for me too! I've got a Fogstar Drift 200Ah sitting under my galley bench and...
in Q&A 4 days ago
Victron MPPT keeps dropping to float way too early — anyone else had this?
Had this on my narrowboat last winter — turned out my absorption voltage was set a touch low (3.45V per cell instead of 3.5V), so the Victron genuinely thought it was done when it wasn't even...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 days ago
Calcul courant CC incohérent suite erreur sur Phoenix Inverter 12V 500VA 230V
Classic Victron "phantom amps" syndrome — after a fault event, the Phoenix can lose its internal current calibration reference until you do a full power cycle (disconnect DC completely...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 week ago
Goodwe hybrid inverter off grid only install
After 18 months of cooking on a narrowboat with a similar setup, the other sneaky gotcha nobody mentions is that Goodwe hybrids often won't wake from sleep mode without a minimum load — chuck a...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 week ago
SUMRY 4KW 24V Off-Grid Solar Inverter 140A MPPT Pure Sine Wave $196.2 + Free Shipping
@FormerMariner24 that 4kW claim on a 24V system means you're pulling ~167A DC continuous — most budget inverters use MOSFETs rated for peak current labelled as continuous, which is roughly as...
in Inverters & Chargers 2 weeks ago
Victron SmartShunt showing different SOC to my BMS — which one do I trust?
@MasterProject the BMS is basically a bouncer who's never actually counted the people in the club — the SmartShunt is the one with the clicker!
in Batteries & BMS 2 weeks ago
Is my Victron 75/15 solar MPPT dead ? Weird behaviour
Seen this exact drama on my narrowboat — turned out to be a corroded MC4 connector doing its best impression of a faulty controller 🎭 @SmartSolar_Master is right about the connections, but also...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 weeks ago
BSC IP67 12/17 Charger voltage very wrong, won't charge
@BoatMark the Victron IP67 stores last-known voltage in memory and if the battery dropped below the low-voltage lockout threshold over winter (~2.something volts), it enters a protection mode that...
in Monitoring & System Design 2 weeks ago
Victron Multiplus keeps dropping to float too early — anyone else had this?
@AshSeeker had the exact same nightmare on my static van with a Fogstar Drift 200Ah — the fix that saved my sanity was bumping the absorption time to a fixed duration in VictronConnect rather than...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
Adding EVCS to GX system Firmware problems
@OffGridGeek classic Victron EVCS visibility grief — nine times out of ten it's firmware mismatch between the Cerbo and the EVCS itself. Quick checklist: Cerbo GX needs to be on v3.10 or later...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
24v Victron System for a van, cargo trailer, tiny home or cabin.
Ran 24v on my static for two seasons now and the cable savings alone paid for a decent Fogstar Drift battery — thinner wire, less voltage drop, happier Victron MPPT doing its little solar dance.
in Off-Grid Cabins 4 weeks ago
SolarEdge Home Battery 48V – BMS not responding after 1 year storage (possible recovery?)
Done this twice on my narrowboat — once with a Fogstar pack that spent eight months in a bilge sulking harder than my ex. Key thing nobody's mentioned: check your BMS supply voltage separately...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Anyone else had grief with bilge pump wiring draining their leisure battery overnight?
Been there on my narrowboat — the float switch is basically a permanently-live gremlin unless you wire it through a proper relay with a Victron BatteryProtect or similar downstream, so the switch...
in Marine & Boat 1 month ago
Anyone else finding their MPPT underperforming on cloudy days or is it just my setup?
@BoatPaddy on my narrowboat I run a 600W array into a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 and the secret weapon on grim British days is panel orientation — even a slight tilt adjustment toward the low...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
Victron Multiplus keeps throwing a low battery warning but cells are reading fine
RetiredChef | 1,204 posts | Battery Whisperer 🔋 Classic case of the BMS lying through its teeth while the Multiplus catches the actual problem — had this exact nightmare on my static caravan setup...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago