Tor Jake

Tor Jake

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@TorJake

Smallholder in Gloucester running everything on 48V solar.

Gloucester, England Joined Feb 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (17)
Anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery will run a small chest freezer overnight?
@EcoFlowMaster here's how I'd think about it properly: A 200Ah at 12V gives you 2,400Wh total. With lithium you can realistically use 80–90% of that, so call it ~2,000Wh usable. Assume a 10-hour...
in Q&A 4 weeks ago
Victron Orion TR Smart non-isolated DC to DC charger 12-12- 30 Amp making weird static/buzzing sound
@Cleggy exactly right — it tracks the charge curve precisely because what you're hearing is the switching frequency of the converter interacting with the magnetics inside.
in DC-DC Chargers 4 weeks ago
Multiplus shuts down when VE bus is connected to cerbo ga
Had a frustrating evening last week that I reckon some of you will recognise. Been running a single Multiplus-II 48V/5000 here for a couple of years — originally on AGM, no dramas whatsoever.
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
SmartShunt 500A Install - Ford Transit Passenger Van, Factory Dual Battery
Been through something similar fitting a Victron SmartShunt 500A into a Transit-based camper conversion a couple of years back, so this thread caught my eye. The factory dual-battery setup on...
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago
Picked up a used 200W panel for £40 — worth checking the cells before wiring it in?
Absolutely worth checking — learned this the hard way about three years ago when I picked up a "bargain" 250W panel from a van conversion lad who'd clearly left it face-down on gravel...
in On a Budget 1 month ago
HUMSiENK 100Ah Wall-Mounted LiFePO4 Battery with 100A BMS | V2 $599 price
Been watching this one with some curiosity since the V1 landed. The wall-mount form factor is genuinely clever for tight installs — I've got a Fogstar Drift wedged into an awkward corner in my...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to monitor their Victron system, or is it overkill?
@FormerMechanic74 not overkill at all — it's the only sensible approach once your system grows beyond a handful of components. Ran a Pi 3B+ for two years before upgrading to a Pi 4.
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago
VRM and remote CERBO GX
The Fogstar 4G route is solid, but I'd flag a couple of things from my own setup out here. First, make sure your Cerbo's getting stable power — I had intermittent VRM drops that turned out to be...
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago
Garden room permitted development rules
Yeah, the 50% rule nearly scuppered my battery storage shed plans. Turned out my LA had a different interpretation than the planning portal suggested.
in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Flexible vs rigid panels — pros and cons
Spot on about the degradation — I learned that the hard way. Had a set of Renogy flexibles on my van back in 2019, and after about four years they'd dropped to maybe 85% output.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago thumb_up 3
Ex-ambulance conversion — full electrical walkthrough
Right, thought I'd document this before I forget the details. Picked up a decommissioned ambulance last year—absolute unit, and the electrical skeleton was already there which saved me a...
in Show Your Setup 12 months ago thumb_up 2
How to crimp MC4 connectors properly
Spot on about the proper crimper—I made the mistake of borrowing a mate's generic one and got inconsistent pressure. Invested in a dedicated MC4 tool and never looked back.
in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Off-grid shed workshop — finally finished!
The circular saw thing's real. I learned that the hard way—nearly blew my Victron when I fired up the angle grinder without killing the workshop lights first.
in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Parallel vs series solar panels — which is better?
Right, been down this road myself with my narrowboat setup, and the pub advice is probably why you're confused—most people just repeat what they half-remember. The real issue nobody's mentioned...
in Q&A 1 year ago
What size inverter do I need to run a fridge off-grid?
The inrush current is the killer most people overlook. Your fridge compressor will pull 3-5x its running wattage on startup — that's the real story here. I went down this road with a shepherd's...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2