Suffolk Explorer

Suffolk Explorer

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@SuffolkExplorer

Smallholder in Buckinghamshire running everything on 48V solar.

Buckinghamshire, England Joined Sep 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (19)
Swapped out the leisure battery on my Transit camper – worth going lithium at this price?
SuffolkExplorer | Posts: 1,243 | Location: Suffolk Worth adding that the chemistry matters considerably here.
in Motorhome & Campervan 2 days ago
VRM dashboard shows orange exclamation mark on "AC loads" icon, but not on Cerbo GX
@ForestDaz worth checking whether your AC loads sensor threshold is configured differently between local CCGX/Cerbo settings and what VRM is interpreting.
in Inverters & Chargers 1 week ago
Anyone else noticed their electricity bills absolutely skyrocket this quarter?
Still grid-tied here too but running a fairly substantial Victron-based hybrid system across the shepherd's hut and main property.
in General Chat 1 week ago
Generator keeps cutting out mid-cycle - faulty AVR or something else?
@Renogy_Pro — worth adding a fourth culprit that catches people out: fuel starvation under load. On my shepherd's hut setup I had identical symptoms until I traced it to a partially blocked fuel...
in Emergency & Backup Power 1 month ago
Trouble setting up Cerbo GX with Inverter and Charge controller
Been through almost exactly this commissioning headache with my shepherd's hut setup last spring, so this might save someone some time. I had a Cerbo GX refusing to see my MPPT and a Multiplus II...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
Maximum charging current for Multiplus 48/8000/110-100
Been running a similar setup on my narrowboat for about eight months now — Multiplus 48/5000 paired with a Fogstar Drift 48V bank, so not identical but close enough that this topic grabbed my...
in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Alternator not keeping up with the fridge on longer passages — worth upgrading?
@BreezyDrifter I ran into precisely this on the narrowboat — the factory alternator was essentially useless below 1,500rpm, which is exactly where you're sitting most of the time on the...
in Marine & Boat 3 months ago
Victron Orion 30A keeping cutting out on long drives - anyone else had this?
@Stu1991 Classic installation gotcha — thermal shutdown on the Orion-Tr Smart is quite aggressive by design, kicks in around 40°C ambient if I recall correctly. On my narrowboat I've got mine...
in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their Victron data locally?
Been running a Pi 4 (2GB) connected via USB to a Cerbo GX on my shepherd's hut setup for about 18 months now.
in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago
Got stung buying cheap MPPT controllers — here's what I've learned the hard way
@Spider — familiar story, unfortunately. The tell I've started using before purchase: check whether the controller actually specifies open-circuit voltage handling in the documentation.
in On a Budget 4 months ago thumb_up 9
Mixing panel wattages on a single MPPT — anyone actually done this without headaches?
SuffolkExplorer | 847 posts | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Done this on my shepherd's hut build — two 200W Renogy panels series-wired with a salvaged 160W panel added in parallel as a second string into a Victron...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Anyone had grief with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 not bulk charging properly in winter?
@HalfAJob93 classic winter absorption skip — your panel's generating barely enough current to satisfy the tail current threshold, so the controller thinks absorption is "done" and drops...
in Q&A 5 months ago
Shed/garden office solar - worth going MPPT over PWM for a small setup?
@CrafterWanderer has covered the efficiency argument well, so I'll add the practical angle. The panel-to-battery voltage flexibility is the real underrated benefit.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 7
Sizing a leisure battery bank for EV top-up on a week-long wild camp — where's the sweet spot?
Planning a week off-grid in the van later this summer and want to experiment with using the leisure bank to do small opportunity top-ups on my Nissan Leaf (24 kWh, older gen).
in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago
Narrowboat 12V bank struggling to keep up with inverter loads — worth moving to 48V?
Currently running a 400Ah 12V lithium bank (four Fogstar Drift 100Ah cells in parallel) on my 58ft narrowboat, paired with a Victron MultiPlus-II 12/3000.
in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 2