MPPT charger: Error code: #119 - Settings data lost

Had this exact gremlin pop up on my Victron SmartSolar 100/30 last winter, right in the middle of a particularly gloomy Welsh layby — because of course it did.

The #119 error is basically the unit throwing its hands up and admitting it's forgotten everything, like your nan after a big Christmas dinner. Settings wiped, absorption voltage gone, the lot.

Few things worth trying before you panic-buy a replacement:

• Factory reset via VictronConnect — hold the reset, wait the full 3 minutes, don't rush it
• Check your firmware — I was running an outdated version and updating it via Bluetooth actually stopped mine recurring
• Look at your wiring — loose negative on the battery side can cause voltage drops that corrupt the memory registers apparently (learned that the hard way)
• Fogstar battery comms — if you're running a lithium with BMS communication enabled, disable it temporarily and see if the error clears

Mine turned out to be a dodgy Anderson connector causing micro-interruptions. Swapped it out, reprogrammed everything, and it's been solid for six months since.

Worth checking the Victron Community forum too — there's a massive thread on this specific error code with some proper nerdy deep-dives if you fancy a bedtime read.

Anyone else had this one come back repeatedly even after a reset? Curious whether it's a batch issue with certain production runs — I've seen a few people mentioning it on units bought around the same period.

Same thing hit my SmartSolar 75/15 parked up near Ribblehead last February — temperatures had dropped properly overnight and I woke up to that exact error staring back at me.

What saved me was keeping a VictronConnect export of my settings as a .rvms file on my phone. Two minutes and everything was restored exactly as I'd configured it — absorption voltage, float, the lot.

@RussHunt82 if you haven't already, the moment you get your settings dialled in, go to:

VictronConnect → Device → ⋮ menu → Save settings

Store it somewhere sensible — I keep mine in a Google Drive folder labelled van_electrics_backup.

Cold temperature cycling seems particularly brutal on the EEPROM where it stores those settings. Victron acknowledge it's a known issue on older firmware, so worth checking you're on the latest before winter bites again.

Seen this twice on my 100/50 — both times after a firmware update rather than cold temps. Worth checking if it coincides with an update via VictronConnect.

Fix is straightforward:

1. Go into VictronConnect
2. Navigate to settings
3. Just re-enter your battery/charge profile manually

Annoying but it doesn't mean the unit's dying. Mine's been solid since. The controller basically loses its non-volatile memory — usually a one-off thing.

If it keeps recurring that's a different story and worth logging with Victron support, they're actually pretty responsive.

Nothing like your Victron having an existential crisis mid-Wales and forgetting everything it ever knew — my SmartSolar 100/20 did the same somewhere near Builth Wells and I briefly considered just leaving it there with the sheep.

Quick fix that sorted mine: reconnect via VictronConnect, let it re-detect the unit, then manually re-enter your battery profile from scratch — don't trust the "restore defaults" option, it's optimistic at best.

Also worth noting: once you've got it reconfigured, export your settings profile in VictronConnect so next time it throws a wobbly you can just reimport rather than guessing your absorption voltage at 11pm in a dark layby.

Good timing on this thread — had #119 pop up on my SmartSolar 100/50 back in March, right as I was trying to squeeze every last amp into the batteries before heading home from the Downs. Rotten moment for it.

What I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet: if you're running a custom absorption/float profile for LiFePO4 cells (I'm using Fogstar Drift 100Ah packs), losing those settings isn't just an inconvenience — the controller reverts to a lead-acid default profile and can genuinely stress the cells if you don't catch it quickly.

I now keep a screenshot of every custom parameter in a folder on my phone. Takes thirty seconds to re-enter via the VictronConnect app once you've cleared the fault. Not elegant, but it's saved me twice since.

Worth exporting your settings file through the app too — it'll restore the whole profile in one go.