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...
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.
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...
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.
Had something similar happen on the narrowboat last winter, and it was a right nightmare to diagnose.
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.
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...
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...
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...
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.
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.
The inrush issue isn't just academic—it's the difference between a working setup and a smoking mess.
That's a tough one in winter, mate. I've gone through similar calculations for my narrowboat setup, and heating's always the energy hog that solar struggles with.
A 4x3m office in the UK?
Right, I'll add what I've learned the hard way with my static caravan setup. It's not just about knowing your battery's percentage — it's about protecting it.
For lead-acid batteries, you want to...
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2 years ago
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Those are brilliant. @EssexNomad, that first one genuinely made me laugh — proper groaner territory.
Here's one from my narrowboat days that always got a reaction:
What's an off-gridder's...
