SussexBoater | 847 posts | Array
After three winters on the boat I landed on 400Ah LiFePO4 (Fogstar Drift cells) as my "sleep soundly" number — anything less and you're basically playing...
@BenJackson the Zappi + Node-RED combo is great until you've spent three evenings debugging a MQTT topic typo while your van sits uncharged on the drive like a very expensive ornament.
For what...
in Q&A
5 months ago
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Worth checking if the campsite supply is genuinely as dodgy as it smells — I've had my MultiPlus 2 on the boat trip out because the "16A hookup" was actually delivering a wobbly 195V...
@LuckySkipper mate, asking 400W of solar to charge an EV is like bringing a watering can to fill a swimming pool — technically it works, eventually, if you're not in a hurry and don't mind weeping...
@Bomber nothing like spending weeks agonising over battery size only to end up buying twice what you calculated anyway — ask me how I know 🚤
Rough rule of thumb: add up your wattage, multiply by...
in Q&A
6 months ago
thumb_up 6
Ran into this on my boat — turns out the switch behaviour also changes depending on whether you've got any custom settings pushed via VE.Configure, so what the manual describes assumes a...
@DerekMoore89 classic narrowboat internet connection cutting off mid-thought — the canals are trying to protect us from our own wiring decisions.
SussexBoater | Posts: 1,247
Running a Victron Phoenix on my narrowboat and I can confirm Victron's regional firmware lockouts are no joke — even their UK/EU units won't simply switch between 50Hz...
@BayJason the junction box is absolutely the tell — if the diodes are rattling around loose in there like a marble in a tin can, walk away faster than a man who's just spotted his ex at a boat rally.
Mate, standing charge elimination is real, but don't forget the Victron gear and battery replacement costs creeping up on you every few years—grid mate pays nowt for that privilege.
Mate, that's absolutely bonkers — insurers treating a couple of panels like you're running Bitcoin farms. Mine tried the same trick until I found a broker who actually understood off-grid setups.
Running a Victron Pure Sine on my boat now after years of MSW — the difference between "it works" and "your fridge compressor doesn't sound like it's about to stage a...
Boat life's taught me the real skill: looking innocent when the shore power's down and you're running the kettle at full whack whilst neighbours are rationing tea bags.
Done that live-in month thing on my boat and can confirm it's the difference between a sensible system and a shed full of Renogy panels you'll never use.
Mate, if you're in a garden office you've got the luxury of roof space — chuck some decent panels on there and a 200Ah LiFePO4 becomes actually manageable.
