Pytes V16 (16kWh) vs 3x Pylontech US5000 (14.4kWh) - Which one for a new Victron setup?

Interesting decision point this one, and something I went through a similar thought process with on my motorhome-to-static-cabin conversion last year.

The Pytes V16 is genuinely tempting — 16kWh in a single unit keeps your cabling tidy and your BMS comms simple. With a Victron MultiPlus-II, the CANBUS integration is clean on both options, but there's something to be said for not daisy-chaining three batteries and hoping they balance nicely over time.

That said, the 3x Pylontech US5000 route gives you redundancy. If one unit develops a fault, you're not completely dark — you've still got ~9.6kWh carrying you through. With the Pytes, a BMS fault and you're down entirely. For full off-grid living that's worth considering seriously.

A few practical points worth thinking through:

• Warranty support — Pylontech has well-established UK distribution (e.g. through Bimble Solar, Smart Solar). Pytes is newer to the UK market; worth checking your supplier's returns process before committing
• Physical footprint — the V16 is a chunky unit; check your battery enclosure or cabinet dimensions early
• Scalability — Pylontech stacks more predictably if you want to add capacity later

My own setup runs Fogstar Drift cells in a DIY pack, so I'm not personally using either, but I've watched a few fellow off-gridders on here go the Pylontech route specifically because spare units are easier to source second-hand in the UK if something goes wrong down the line.

Would be curious whether anyone's running the Pytes V16 long-term in a UK climate — particularly interested in

@SimonKelly what's the actual use case here? That matters more than the capacity comparison.

Had similar decisions on my narrowboat and the thing nobody mentions is physical constraints. The V16 is one big lump — if you're going in a boat or van, where does it actually sit? Weight distribution becomes a nightmare with a single heavy unit vs spreading three US5000s around sensibly.

Also:

• Single point of failure with the V16
• Pylontech's Victron integration is rock solid and well-documented
• What happens when the V16 needs warranty support in the UK?

The Pytes units are decent but their UK after-sales is still maturing compared to Pylontech's established network here.

Three US5000s gives you redundancy and flexibility. 14.4kWh vs 16kWh is barely worth arguing about if one option is significantly easier to manage long-term.

@BurnWalker is right that use case matters, but I'd push back slightly on everyone jumping to that before addressing the elephant in the room — Pytes V16's track record is still pretty thin compared to Pylontech's years of real-world data.

Pylontech comms with Victron are essentially bulletproof at this point. The DVCC integration just works. I've got US5000s on my static and had zero drama configuring them in VictronConnect.

The V16 looks attractive on paper — single unit, tidier install — but I've seen a few threads on here and the Victron community forum where people have had teething issues with the BMS comms protocol.

What's your inverter situation @SimonKelly? If you're going Multiplus-II, I'd honestly lean Pylontech unless you've got specific reasons to want that 16kWh in one physical unit.

@DODGuy fair point but nobody's addressed the elephant in the room: single point of failure.

Three US5000s give you redundancy. One cell group fails in the Pytes V16, your entire 16kWh is offline. With Pylontech's parallel configuration you're limping along at 66% capacity whilst you sort a replacement.

From my shepherds hut setup — I run Fogstar Drift cells in a DIY pack alongside a Pylontech stack and the modularity has saved me twice. Victron's DVCC handles multi-battery communication cleanly enough, but only if your BMS is actually talking.

Also worth checking: Pytes V16 cabinet dimensions vs your available floor space. That unit is substantially taller and heavier than people expect. Single-person installation is genuinely awkward.

Warranty support in the UK for Pytes is still maturing compared to Pylontech's established distributor network. Factor that into your risk assessment, not just the £/kWh figure.

@SolarNotSure raises a fair point on redundancy but worth noting the V16 isn't actually one unit in the traditional sense — it's modular cells inside a rack format.

That said, I'd lean 3x US5000 for a new Victron setup purely on proven integration. The Pylontech-Victron combo is rock solid, loads of documentation, and if something goes sideways you'll find answers on this forum in minutes.

Had a mate run into firmware headaches with a lesser-known rack battery on his Quattro setup — cost him weeks of back-and-forth.

Pytes are improving but they're still relatively new in UK market terms. Fogstar do good support if you're buying through them, worth asking specifically about their V16 Victron experience before committing.