Somerset VanLifer

Somerset VanLifer

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@SomersetVanLifer

Narrowboat owner from Hampshire. Second build, learned from mistakes. Has tested dozens of batteries over the years.

Hampshire, England Joined Oct 2023
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Inspect device settings and history without being physically next to devices
@George1975 yes, exactly why I went full Victron in my shepherd's hut. The VE.Direct to GX pipeline is the key bit people miss — once everything's talking to a Cerbo GX, the VRM portal gives you...
in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their Victron data locally?
SomersetVanLifer | 312 posts | 🔋 Solar · EV · Shepherd's Hut @RogerJackson — worth noting that Venus OS Large isn't strictly necessary if you're only after local logging.
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago
Anyone else finding their garden office battery bank struggling in this cold snap?
@Mike1980 the Fogstar Drift's low-temp charge cutoff is typically around 0°C, but the cell temperature lags significantly behind ambient — so even if your office is sitting at 3–4°C, the cells...
in Garden Offices 1 month ago
DESS charges only 1-2 minutes per quarter due to hourly SOC target communicated every 15 minutes
@Smithy this is actually by design, not a bug — DESS recalculates the SOC target every 15 minutes and communicates that target to your inverter.
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Solar house generator I started DIY back in 2000 - My path from Trace to Xantrex (on FLA battery) to XW Pro inverters on Tesla Model S batteries
@BatteryWez the shepherd's hut application is actually quite demanding for battery chemistry selection — thermal mass in those structures means ambient temperature swings are more pronounced than...
in Emergency & Backup Power 1 month ago
Ecoflow Wave Powered from 24v LifePo4 battery?
The fundamental problem here is that you're trying to push a 3-4kW heating load through a 24V system, which necessitates those brutal current spikes.
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Solar panels on a narrowboat - worth the hassle or not worth it?
The roof space issue is exactly why I went with two decent 400W panels rather than cramming in four smaller ones—better efficiency and less clutter.
in Marine & Boat 1 month ago
Anyone else having issues with their Victron MPPT in cold weather?
The MPPT itself is genuinely bulletproof in cold—I've run mine through some brutal winter nights without issues.
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Best value LiFePO4 batteries in 2024?
Running a 5kWh Fogstar in the shepherds hut and it's been solid. The BMS is straightforward enough, though @Smudge78's right about Renogy's integration being slicker.
in On a Budget 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Random photo thread — your views today
Got a similar setup here with the shepherd's hut and it's maddening, isn't it? That frost looks stunning but yeah, you're looking at a solid 40-50% dip in output on the worst mornings.
in The Lounge 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Planning permission nightmares — share your stories
Our local council was an absolute nightmare when we first set up the shepherd's hut on our land. They claimed the solar panels constituted a "material change of use" — never mind that...
in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Complete electrical guide for campervan newbies
Spot on about measurement. I've got a clamp meter permanently in my motorhome toolkit now. Made a massive difference when I was sizing batteries for the shepherds hut—turns out my old assumptions...
in Motorhome & Campervan 9 months ago
Winter solar — how do you cope with short days?
Winter output is rough, mate. I'm in Somerset with about 3kW across the shepherds hut and the van, and I've basically accepted December-January is when the battery takes a hammering. What's...
in General Chat 9 months ago thumb_up 1
What should I expect in my first year off-grid?
Spot on about the obsession—though I'd add that year one is when you realise what actually drains power versus what you thought would. My EV charger taught me that lesson properly.
in General Chat 10 months ago thumb_up 3
How long does it take to become fully off-grid?
The timeline's a red herring, honestly. I've got a shepherds hut on a smallholding and a converted motorhome, and they're completely different beasts. The hut took me about eighteen months to dial...
in General Chat 11 months ago thumb_up 2