Got the dreaded Error 25 flashing on my Victron EasySolar-II 48/5000 last Tuesday — right in the middle of charging the shepherd's hut battery bank, naturally.
For those who don't know, Error 25...
Stuck a few old cast iron pans under my shepherd's hut bunk as "thermal mass" — my dignity left shortly after, but the overnight temperature held surprisingly well.
More practically: a...
Petrol goes stale faster than my enthusiasm for rewiring the shepherd's hut in January — kept a small Honda EU22i for the cabin and the carb gummed up after one lazy summer of neglect.
Sta-Bil in...
Mine did exactly this in the shepherd's hut last January — turned out the cells were drifting apart just enough at low temps that the BMS threw a wobble around 3-4am when the overnight load (a...
@LDVNomad ran my shepherd's hut the same way for about eight months — the Cerbo's SOC is basically educated guesswork without a shunt, it just extrapolates from the MPPT charge data and has no...
Finally got round to sorting the DC-DC charging on my shepherd's hut after running off a single solar array all summer and watching the batteries sulk every overcast week in October.
Running a...
Ground loop issues in non-isolated mode will bite you every time — the clue's in the name "non-isolated."
If @ShortCircuit's threshold suggestion checks out, next thing I'd look at is...
SaltyTrekker | Posts: 487
My shepherd's hut setup taught me the hard way — a cheap Sterling B2B charger off the engine alternator is the unsung hero nobody mentions until they're sitting in the...
Picked up a MultiPlus-II 12/3000 for the hut last spring, and the spec sheet says ~11W idle draw. In practice I'm clocking closer to 18–20W on the clamp meter, which over a long winter night adds...
@Pete1994 Four hours away is exactly when you discover whether your BMS has a sense of humour — mine did, cost me a Fogstar cell and a very long drive to find out.
Route
Cost
DIY
Cheaper on...
You've basically bought a kettle that costs more than a used car—the espresso machine, not the solar array, though I understand the confusion.
Real talk: I've got a Victron setup in my cabin and...
Wrapped my cabin battery box in rockwool and added a 200W immersion heater on a thermostat — costs about 30p a night to keep it above 10°C and suddenly the BMS stops being a moody teenager about...
Went full LiFePO4 in my cabin last winter and finally stopped rationing hot water like I'm prepping for the apocalypse—the usable capacity compared to lead-acid is genuinely mental.
Mate, you've nailed it—analysis paralysis is the real killer here. I overthought my cabin setup for months, then realised a £200 Victron MPPT and a couple of leisure batteries taught me more than...
Fogstar's alright if you're patient, but honestly the real value play is watching for Victron's refurb stock—saved me about 30% on my shepherd's hut setup and they've got full warranty.
