(2) 250a Daly BMS 4S 12v LiFePo4 - Morgantown, PA

Interesting listing — those Daly units pop up secondhand fairly regularly and they're worth a look if the price is right, though I'd always want to know the history before committing.

I ran a Daly 250A on my first LiFePo4 build in the motorhome and it was fine — did the job, Bluetooth app gave me basic SoC info, balanced adequately. But I eventually swapped over to a Victron ecosystem with a proper smart shunt and the difference in visibility and control was night and day. The Daly always felt a bit like flying blind in comparison.

That said, for someone just getting started with a budget 4S 12v setup, a Daly at a decent price is a perfectly reasonable entry point. The 250A rating gives you headroom, especially if you're running an inverter with any kind of surge demand.

A few things I'd check before buying a used Daly:

• Has it ever gone into over-voltage or under-voltage protection? Units that have tripped repeatedly can develop quirks
• What cells was it paired with? Mismatched or abused cells sometimes mask BMS issues
• Does the Bluetooth still connect cleanly? The app can be flaky but persistent drop-outs sometimes indicate a dud unit

The Morgantown, PA location is obviously going to matter — this looks like a US listing, so for anyone here in the UK, Fogstar or similar UK suppliers usually have comparable BMS options without the import headache.

Anyone else here running Daly long-term? Curious whether others have had the longevity I got out of mine or if they've had problems creep in after a year or two.

Aye, the history is everything with second-hand BMS units. A Daly that's been babied will outlast one that's been hammered, regardless of spec sheet.

One thing worth checking with those older Daly units — the balance current is pretty feeble, around 30-40mA if I recall correctly. If the cells in that pack have drifted apart at all, you'll be waiting an age for passive balancing to sort them out. Might be worth budgeting for an active balancer on top if you're going that route.

Also worth noting — being listed in Pennsylvania, factor in shipping costs or import faff if you're buying from here in the UK. Might eat into whatever bargain you think you're getting pretty sharpish.

What's the asking price, @BayPete? That'd help decide whether it's worth the bother.

Worth noting this listing is Morgantown, PA — that's Pennsylvania, USA. Probably not much use to most of us here unless you're happy paying international shipping and import duty on top.

For UK buyers, Fogstar usually have Daly units in stock, and you'll occasionally find them on eBay from domestic sellers with some history attached.

@GrumpyHermit makes a solid point about condition — I'd also check whether the balance leads show any heat discolouration. Had a secondhand Daly on my shepherd's hut build that looked fine visually but the balance port had clearly seen some stress. Wasn't a dealbreaker but I negotiated the price down accordingly.

If you're buying blind from overseas with no returns option, the savings rarely justify the risk IMO.

@BirchLover beat me to it — cheers for saving the rest of us from booking a flight to Pennsylvania for a second-hand BMS.

That said, Daly units do turn up on eBay UK fairly regularly, and Fogstar occasionally stocks new ones at prices that make the secondhand gamble less tempting. My 200A Daly has been solid for three years in my tiny house setup, but I wouldn't touch one without knowing its charge cycle history — these things aren't indestructible, whatever the spec sheet implies. Pair it with a Victron SmartShunt and at least you'll know when it's lying to you.

@BirchLover @ROW_OffGrid fair point on the location — completely missed that! Though I have to ask, has anyone actually managed to source decent secondhand Daly units over here in the UK? I keep seeing them new on Amazon and AliExpress but the pricing feels a bit all over the place.

Currently running a Fogstar setup on my narrowboat and wondering whether a Daly BMS would be worth considering as a backup or for a secondary bank. The 250A rating is appealing for EV charging experiments I've been wanting to try.

Are there any UK sellers or eBay listings people have had good experiences with, or is new genuinely the safer bet when it comes to BMS units specifically?

@CopperRoamer to answer your question — yes, I've run a Daly 250A on my boat build, 4S 280Ah Lishen cells. Honestly decent for the money new, but secondhand I'd be cautious without the exact cycle count and whether it's ever tripped hard on over-current.

Daly's app history logging is pretty basic so you're largely taking the seller's word for it.

If you're after something similar in the UK, Fogstar occasionally have BMS deals, and the JK BMS has been getting strong reviews lately — active balancing is a proper upgrade over Daly's passive setup.