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Thank you @crossy , that looks great, but looking at its description it says: "... Fire Retardant: No Fire Rating: No ..."

Hi! To clear confusion, blue sea sells two type of link bus bars: one for M series switches rated at 250A and one for ML series switches rated at 500A.

We can revive this thread and see what they say: Victron Community Page. I thought the Multiplus II 8000 is heavy, I can't imagine the quattro 15k. 😅

Zero load in worst case scenario for M II 8000 is rated at 29W. In winter I keep it in AES, which lowers it to 19W

I'm getting there... What would be the recommended order of components? Option 1: 2 x PV strings -> Fuse on Positive + Fuse on Negative -> Dinkle combiner -> SPD -> DC Isolator switch-> MPPT . OR Option 2: 2 x PV strings -> Fuse on Positive + Fuse on Negative -> SPD -> Dinkle combiner -> DC...

That's what I thought it is as well, @Joeyhza . Thanks for confirming. And thank you for the link as well, that looks about right.

It would be possible to move earth rod#2 so that I bring the grounding of the PV to it as well, and then it'll be one ground point for the entire system. :)

Thank you all. Everyone's patient and I'm grateful... The example above does explain the matter even better.

Well said, that's what I'm trying to do

What would folks prefer when it comes to choosing the cable type for their system? - single insulated battery cable - double insulated battery cable - welding cable - any other suggestions? Cheers!

Brilliant, lots to do indeed. I was going to research and add grounding a bit later - surely before mounting the system, but I'm doing baby steps, little by little. Initial thought is grounding to be added to the frames of the panels, and then I'll check if the inverted needs it too. I'll start...

That video is very good, and I'll use the power in that way certainly. Thank you very much!

Hello folks, Anyone out there from the UK know a reliable source of good quality wire? Google returns a lot of results, but I'd like a proper trustful website. The wires are an essential part of the solar system: (Will's video) Cheers!

I've used a fuse anyways, even for two strings. Made in the end my own combiner box, within an empty consumer unit box that has 20A fuses, a DC mcb and a surge protectoion unit. Then on top of the box, there's a disconnector. All turned out nice and working perfectly!

Hi @bikerchris ! Welcome to the forum! I'm a relatively new member as well, and I'm based in Scotland! :) Best heating with electricity would be a heat pump, but you could have some electric underfloor heating that may do the job pretty well, given everything is well insulated. 6kwh a day for...

Thank you all, I love a good discussion on this forum... almost like a pub evening, except we're missing the beer and burger. Summer's over here in the UK :ROFLMAO:, the rain came back and did a much better job than I did trying to reach those panels on the house.

Brilliant, thank you everyone so much. I'll be using the long bolts on the sides to mount them on a custom panel. I've already un-bolted the current mechanical lug and it looks like an m8 bolt fits there, so I can put a proper compression lug there.

I've been advised to combine all the earthing into one point, but this seems to be like an ongoing debate for a long time...

You're a gentleman, thank you!

Yes you did, it makes much more sense now, thank you very much. I will redo the schematics with the wire sizes you suggested and fuses as well - the sizes are jumping from 50 to 50 as you said, it's not easy or better said it is impossible having a mega fuse of 320. Thanks again you were most...

I have not seen best reviews for voltacon solar, hence why I didn't feel confident to use them... I tried calling to discuss with them, never had someone answering either.

Hi there, I am currently designing a system for offgrid use. I already bought the solar panels, and am discussing with a cell provider. I would like to order the Victron components as well, but before that, could anyone with more experience please have a look at my schematics and give me...

That's what I just mentioned before I even saw your reply. Spot on!!! And I want to do something like that, replacing the inline fuses with fuse holders instead of connectors. However, I'd like to know that connector name and type from the BMS, if anyone knows...

That's brilliant, very good! Glad you can do that! do you also manually calibrate the SoC of the SmartShunt from time to time? I've setup mine such that when it is at 55.2V for 5 minutes it'll be 100%

If it is still of interest, I heard that updating the multiplus II 48/8000 to version 508 would make it work in parallel with another one of the same. I haven't yet gotten confirmation from anyone at Victron yet, but hoping to get it.

Thank you very much @smoothJoey ! Now that is easier to understand, I appreciate your time to do this. In addition, doing some googling I realised what you have said in an earlier post. There are no fuses with the amperages I wanted and thus I'll have to go with the ones you suggested.. Cheers!

Yes, seems like nice prices, but can't really trust them to be fair ...

Hi @Zil , I'm a bit confused with your statement above, "#1 #1 fuses protect wires". While they do protect wires, are they not meant first of all to protect the attached devices? One could oversize their wire to minimise voltage drop, then the fuse will be bigger... But then that can result in...

I was wondering does anyone know what Nate (explorist life) uses in this video as a baker board?

Has anyone played with the heating port on a newer JK BMS?

Hello there! Just wondering if anyone knows a shop that sells off grid capable Growat inverters, like the SPF 5000 es, in the UK. The Growatt products I find on UK websites are all grid tied only. Thank you

What lever would you pull to disconnect the array, sir? Would the solar disconnect be enough to protect even when closed? And I'm not trying to be clever, I have just discovered the world of the "earth" debate, what you said above... You can see my post on off-grid grounding gathered no...

Planning to use Citel SPDs in my DIY combiner box, is this a reputable brand? Many thanks, T

Thanks for the tips, but especially for dinkle, that stuff is amazing. Haven't heard of this before. I really like this option ...

I haven't heard of solar assistant before, I'll look into that! Thanks for sharing!

Mega like to your above post! Thank you for taking your time to explain, very glad to hear this. Bravo Victron as well!

Hi fellow solar enthusiasts, The options here in the UK for off-grid solar parts is limited, to say the least, compared to the US. Looking for a combiner box, I found one that looks promising...

Hello, Planning on building a 16s 48v LifePo4 battery system with the Eve 280ah cells. I'm thinking of using a Daly 16s BMS 250A, but recently came across a 300A JBD BMS, but this is contactor based. I'm confident setting up the Daly BMS, there is nothing hard about it. However, I don't know...

Hi! Are you able to share the photo and maybe your schematics as well? I'm in a similar situation I think and I would appreciate knowing a bit more about grounding before installing it! :) Thank you!

Hello! I've been toying with the idea to use Victron equipment for an off grid solar system, but I heard quite unpopular stories how hard it is to configure them because of the very convoluted/confusing/buggy software. Most of the times it seems that there is a need for their engineer to come...

I like ordering locally if I can... Easier to have support from the seller, easier to return / replace if anything goes wrong and less postage fees and less import taxes... It all adds up in the end, but having them bought locally gives me peace of mind! :)

Hi there, Asking here for a friend who has a Solis inverter installed. What sort of plug is it required to connect the backup circuit? I'll search for the manual with regards to fusing and other requirements... Here's a photo of it:

Hello!! Is the search functionality broken on the forum or just my internet connection being slow and grumpy?...

Hi, There will be some panels mounted further away from the MPPT and inverter, about 20m away. The panel configuration is 3s3p (3 series, 3 parallel). Each panel is 41.2V VoC and 12.28A Isc. That means over 30A when all are combined. Victron says MC4 connections are rated to 30 A only, and...

I have found thick cable here (UK) as well, after hours of searching... I've got two options: tri-rated cable (here) vs welding cable (here). In my case, I will go forward with the tri-rated cable, since this has temperature limits of -30 to 105 C, while the welding cable can go up to 85 C. The...

I don't think the roof of my garage would take all the panels and ballast if I were to do it that way... It would collapse

Here's a final video from a relevant series that does all this research for us! Andy is great: I think this sums it up well, but you can check out the other videos for a full journey related to the discussion here.

I'm not sure that the Smart Shunt would communicate with MPPTs details regarding temperature and voltage, which are essential.

Hello DIYers! I've finalised my Victron order, have the solar panels and looking to get all the fuses, breakers, etc in place for the safety of the system. Can anyone with more experience have a look and tell me please if my fuse calculations and positions are good? Any other breakers, fuses...

Hi, I thought adding a Victron SmartShunt to my setup would provide accurate information regarding the battery, while having a smart battery sense would make sure that the voltage and temperature are ok and communicated to the SmartSolar MPPTs which would disconnect charging if something is off...