SmartSolarNerd

SmartSolarNerd

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@SmartSolarNerd

Smallholder in Northumberland running everything on 48V solar. Runs a YouTube channel about off-grid living.

Northumberland, England Joined Jun 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (84)
Anyone else using cheap Chinese PWM controllers or is it false economy?
Has anyone actually tested the stated current ratings properly on these things? Like with a proper clamp meter, not just trusting the display? Because I've got a static caravan setup with two 200W...
in On a Budget 7 months ago
Controller for 24v panel with 12v battery?
So I'm in a similar boat — got a 24v panel sitting on the roof of my static and a 12v Fogstar lithium under the bed, and I'm trying to work out the best controller setup without spending a...
in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago
Anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery is enough to run a small chest freezer overnight?
Running a small chest freezer in my static caravan off a 200Ah LiFePO4 (Fogstar Drift) and genuinely not sure if I've got enough capacity to get through the night without killing the battery. The...
in Q&A 7 months ago
Anyone else's battery monitor acting dodgy when it's cold?
Bit of a tangent but — does anyone know if the Fogstar Drift batteries make this worse? Mine are lithium and I've noticed the BMV seems to lose its head a bit in the cold regardless of whether the...
in Monitoring & System Design 7 months ago
Splitting CAN & RS485 Port from LuxPower/EG4 Inverter to Battery using Ethernet Breakout Board, how to daisy chain RS485 Modbus with multiple devices
Right, so the thing that's caught me out here is the impedance matching on longer RS485 runs. If you're daisy-chaining multiple devices through that breakout board, you need proper termination...
in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago
Anyone else's leisure battery draining overnight? Getting annoyed with this now
@DownsCruiser's multimeter method is solid, but a heads up—if you're measuring parasitic drain on a caravan, disconnect everything from the leisure battery first. I mean everything.
in Motorhome & Campervan 7 months ago
Can you run a fridge 24/7 on solar + battery without killing the system?
Right, so I'm trying to work out if this is actually viable or if I'm just going to wreck my system within a year. Got a static caravan setup with a 5kWh LiFePO4 bank (Fogstar), 3.5kW of panels,...
in Q&A 7 months ago
Has anyone had issues with their Victron Multiplus cutting out when the battery voltage drops below 48v?
Yeah, that'll be the LVD settings on your Multiplus. Check your VE.Configure software — the disconnect threshold is usually set quite high by default, around 48V or sometimes lower depending on...
in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago
EV charging from solar — is it practical?
Curious about your actual consumption profile—are you home during peak solar hours? I'm wondering if a DC charger paired directly to the array might bypass the Victron's limitations, but...
in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Newbie with a motorhome electrical disaster!
Backwards wiring—ouch! That's exactly what I'm paranoid about with my static caravan setup. Did you have any protection in place, or did you just get lucky? I'm currently spec'ing out a Victron...
in Introduce Yourself 8 months ago thumb_up 2
First post — emergency backup system question
Welcome aboard! Always good to see lurkers finally jump in. Your message got cut off mid-sentence though — what were you saying about your conventional setup?
in Introduce Yourself 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Storm season prep — emergency power checklist
Been thinking about this a lot since our static caravan setup got caught in that winter blow last year.
in Emergency & Backup Power 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Friday night check-in — what are you working on?
Been a bit of a frustrating week on the battery front, to be honest. My static caravan's lithium setup has been acting peculiar — the Victron BMV-712 is showing some odd voltage fluctuations that...
in The Lounge 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Garden room permitted development rules
The 50% rule is exactly what caught me out with my static caravan setup. Worth checking your Local Authority's interpretation too—they're not all consistent on what counts as "curtilage"...
in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Complete electrical guide for campervan newbies
Has anyone actually measured their fridge current draw with a clamp meter before sizing batteries? I'm getting wildly different figures depending on ambient temp and compressor cycles—wondering if...
in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1