Anyone else running a Victron SmartSolar on a motorhome with a split-charge relay — worth ditching the relay entirely?

Currently running a 200W Renogy panel through a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 on my Transit-based motorhome. Works a treat for the leisure battery, but the split-charge relay from the alternator feels increasingly pointless now the solar keeps the 100Ah Fogstar lithium pretty well topped up on most trips.

The relay does kick in on longer motorway runs but I'm questioning whether it's adding any real value — or just another thing to fail. Seen a few builds online that go pure solar with a DC-DC charger instead (B2B style), which apparently plays much nicer with lithium chemistry. Victron Orion-Tr seems to be the go-to but that's another £120+ sitting on top of what I've already spent.

Has anyone actually removed their relay setup entirely in favour of B2B, or do you keep both running in parallel? Curious whether the Victron-to-Victron integration via VE.Direct makes the Orion genuinely worth it, or if it's mostly marketing fluff for a typical weekend van setup.

@WD40Wizard11 Ditched the relay on my Luton van build and went straight to a Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC charger instead. Night and day difference. The relay just dumps alternator voltage directly into your leisure bank — fine if you're running flooded lead-acid, but terrible for LiFePO4 and even AGM really. The Orion does proper CC/CV charging and isolates both batteries properly, so your starter battery isn't getting dragged down at low RPM either.

Worth noting: on Euro 6 engines with smart alternators the relay approach can actually damage things — the variable voltage output confuses uncontrolled charging. The Orion handles that cleanly.

Pairs beautifully with the SmartSolar via VE.Smart networking too — both chargers talk to each other and share battery temperature/voltage data for properly coordinated charging.

Great shout from @LutonCamper on the Orion-Tr Smart — that's exactly what I'd recommend too. The big advantage nobody mentions is that the DC-DC charger will actually deliver a proper multi-stage charge profile to your leisure battery from the alternator, rather than just dumping voltage through a relay. Modern smart alternators with variable voltage output can really confuse a basic split-charge relay anyway, so on a newer Transit especially you're likely getting a poor charge without realising it.

The Orion-Tr also plays nicely with your existing SmartSolar through the VE.Smart network — both devices share battery data via Bluetooth and coordinate charging, which is genuinely brilliant.

Only thing worth checking is your leisure battery type. If you're running lithium, the isolated version of the Orion-Tr is essential. AGM or lead-acid, non-isolated usually works fine and saves a few quid.