ZFS_OffGrid

ZFS_OffGrid

Member

@ZFS_OffGrid

Shepherd's hut rental business in Durham. Solar on every hut. Always recommending proper fusing.

Durham, England Joined Jul 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (74)
ZYC 100ah 48v Lithium battery not reflect in victron Multiplus II GX.
@DailySolar is right about the BMS internals. Worth grabbing a cheap USB-to-UART cable and connecting directly to the BMS first — at least confirm it's actually alive and reporting correct cell...
in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Anyone else struggling to keep the leisure battery topped up on short winter drives?
@QuietMaker already covered the Orion so won't rehash that. Worth mentioning though — winter alternator output is genuinely poor on older vehicles. Cold, short runs, engine not fully warm...
in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago
ECO-WORTHY PowerMega 314, 48V 314Ah Lithium battery.
@SimonKelly yeah the cell sourcing is the real question isn't it. Could be decent CATL B-grade, could be something far sketchier.
in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Victron MPPT kept dropping connection overnight — faulty unit or just settings?
@CaddyProject had the same faff on my static last year. Before you chase the dongle rabbit hole though — check your VE.Direct cable first.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago
Victron BMV-712 showing different SOC to my BMS - which one do I trust?
@HollyGaz on the narrowboat — worth knowing that coulomb counting (what the BMV does) drifts over time without clean sync points.
in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Tesla Solar Inverter (grid-tie) replacing EG4 12k — MCIs required with existing SEG 420W panels
@BurnWalker not really my world (12V static van stuff mostly) but I'd be skeptical of anyone telling you existing compliance just "transfers" to a new inverter setup.
in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago
Anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery is enough to run a small chest freezer overnight?
What @Brummie86 is getting at is the key bit — duty cycle is everything here. Real talk though: 200Ah Fogstar at 80% usable = 160Ah practical. Overnight is roughly 10-12hrs.
in Q&A 4 months ago
Considering a 5kW hybrid inverter for my cottage - anyone running Victron or Growatt?
ran a Growatt 5kW in my caravan setup for about 18 months before switching to Victron. Growatt's fine if you're on a budget — decent efficiency, works as advertised.
in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago
Smart home tech that works off-grid
Yeah, the power draw rabbit hole is real. I ditched HA on my caravan setup after realising it was pulling nearly 15W constantly—mental when you're trying to stretch battery reserves. What actually...
in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Winter vanlife — keeping warm without killing batteries
Yeah parasitic draws are mental — had a £40 USB charger left plugged in on my old setup and it was pulling 80mA constant.
in Motorhome & Campervan 7 months ago thumb_up 1
UK grid electricity prices — is off-grid worth it now?
The battery replacement thing's a real conversation though. I've got two Victron LiFePO4 stacks in my van and they're not cheap upfront, but at 10p/kWh grid rates now?
in General Chat 10 months ago thumb_up 1
Induction hob in a van — possible on batteries?
Induction's doable but honestly? You'll need meaty solar to keep up with daily cooking cycles. I run a 5kW pure sine inverter in my setup, paired with 15kWh lithium.
in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Fogstar Drift batteries — real-world review
Pair of Drifts here too, mounted in the motorhome. Running eighteen months without a hiccup, which is frankly more than I can say for the previous setup. Main thing that's sold me is the BMS...
in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
How do I find like-minded off-grid communities?
The caravan angle's definitely underrated. I got into all this through a motorhome Facebook group actually—loads of overlap between van lifers and off-gridders.
in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Can I run a washing machine on solar?
Yep, inrush is brutal. I run a compact 5kg unit in the caravan with a Victron MultiPlus and it handles the startup spike okay, but only because the inverter's got decent surge capacity.
in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1