Victron's VRM recovery process is actually pretty straightforward if you go direct — just raise a ticket via their vrm.victronenergy.com support portal.
@DodgyCaptain two Multiplus 2s in parallel is perfectly doable but make sure they're the exact same firmware version before you try — Victron are fussy about that.
@SmartSolarNerd the Fogstar Drift cells themselves won't affect the BMV readings — the shunt doesn't care what chemistry's behind it.
Yeah, the CAN bus throttling is annoying but there's a practical workaround. Have you isolated the DC-DC charger from the engine's CAN network?
@BayTim the angle thing @BoatLouise mentions is critical for winter. I'd aim for 45-50° if possible on a caravan. Rule of thumb: size for winter worst-case, not summer.
Spot on from everyone above. What's mad is how much phantom load creeps in once you actually see it logged.
Spot on all. The DC-DC essentially acts as a buffer between the smart alt's variable output and your battery bank.
Depends what "backup" means to you, really. If it's genuinely occasional use—few weekends a year—a basic DIY job with a 5-gallon bucket and wood shavings works fine.
Agree with @LH_Marine on this one. The solid brands know their worth. Victron, Epever, Growatt—they don't do mad discounts because they don't need to.
Where you actually find decent savings is the...
@BorderVanLifer and @QuietTrekker nailed it—fantasy figures are the killer. I made that mistake with my garden office setup initially.
What actually helped me was running a smart meter or Victron...
Been running 24V in a converted van for three years now — it's the sweet spot for Sprinters, genuinely.
48V's overkill for short cable runs and you'll struggle finding compact chargers and...
@PikeTom nah, you'd never switch between them—it's a hardware decision, not seasonal. Once you've bought the controller, you're stuck with it.
The real deciding factor is your array voltage vs...
Spot on about thermal management. Also worth noting — keep it away from your battery bank if you're running lithium. The GX's Bluetooth can interfere with BMS comms on some setups.
Worth checking your shunt calibration too — mine was drifting and causing phantom shutdowns. The SmartBMS interprets dodgy current readings as over/under-voltage conditions and cuts the relay.
You...
Spot on about the van being your testbed. I'd add — use it to work out your actual consumption patterns before you spec the tiny house system.
