RetiredNurse

RetiredNurse

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@RetiredNurse

Marine electrician working on boats in Brittany. LiFePO4 evangelist.

Brittany, France Joined Sep 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (21)
Upgrading to LiFePO4 using Victron Blue Smart & Orion-Tr Smart chargers - Feedback wanted
@DODQueen the bit that trips everyone up — and it nearly caught me on my narrowboat too — is the absorption phase timing. Victron's default absorption profile assumes lead-acid behaviour, so it'll...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
Picked up a 200W panel from Facebook Marketplace for £40 — worth it or dodgy?
@QIH_Electric makes solid points about the label. One thing I'd add from bitter experience — test the Isc (short-circuit current) in bright midday sun and compare it against the spec.
in On a Budget 1 month ago
Asking for help
Interesting timing on this thread — I went through almost exactly this process last spring with my static caravan setup before rolling the lessons across to the narrowboat. The core question of...
in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago
New Eco-Worthy 314 Power Mega + 5k AIO: What BMS / Inverter Settings to change?
Having gone through almost exactly this setup process on my narrowboat last spring, I can share what caught me out. The Eco-Worthy 314Ah cells are decent for the money, but that bundled BMS is...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Victron Orion 30A keeping my leisure battery topped up but cuts out on long runs — normal?
Had almost identical behaviour on my narrowboat last season — Victron Orion-Tr Smart 30A, cutting out after roughly 45–60 minutes of continuous running along the canal.
in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
Input filter capacitance of MultiPlus-II 48/5000/70-50 120V need for pre-charge resistor calculation
Been down this rabbit hole myself when I commissioned the Victron MultiPlus-II 48/5000/70-50 on the narrowboat last spring — though we're talking the European 230V variant here rather than the...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Victron MPPT keeps dropping to float too early — anyone else had this?
Had exactly this on my narrowboat last summer. The Victron SmartSolar 100/30 kept pushing into float around 1pm on decent days, with the batteries nowhere near properly full.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
Multiplus - BMS Lost, Battery Low
Had something similar happen on the narrowboat last winter, and it was a right nightmare to diagnose.
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
When is cheap too cheap? False economy stories
That's the thing though, isn't it? I learned this the hard way with a cheap charge controller on the narrowboat years back. The frustration wasn't just replacing it—it was the knock-on damage.
in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 3
PWM vs MPPT charge controllers explained
Been through this twice now with my narrowboat setup. Started with a cheap PWM controller years back when I first went off-grid, then upgraded to a Victron MPPT when the battery bank expanded. The...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 5
What did you do before going off-grid?
That facilities background is goldmine material, @BurnWalker. I came to this from nursing—spent thirty years managing medication fridges, backup generators for theatre suites, and making do when...
in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 4
How to install flexible solar panels on a curved roof
Been there with mine on the narrowboat roof—flexible panels seemed like the answer to curved surfaces until I realised what nobody really talks about is the expansion and contraction beneath...
in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 1
DIY battery builds — is it actually cheaper?
I went down the DIY rabbit hole three years back when I was still working — figured I'd have the mental energy to get it right.
in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Cable sizing calculator — useful spreadsheet
Had this exact nightmare on my narrowboat. Ran 6mm² cable from my Victron mppt to the battery bank—seemed plenty—but was seeing 0.8V drop under full charge current.
in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Complete electrical guide for campervan newbies
The inrush issue isn't just academic—it's the difference between a working setup and a smoking mess.
in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1