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Right, so cable gauge absolutely depends on your run length — @GrumpySparky and @CE_Builds have nailed it there.
Copper Roamer in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Spot on about battery placement. I learned this the hard way with my shepherd's hut setup—ran the cables too long initially and voltage drop was killing my solar controller efficiency. The cable...
Somerset VanLifer in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The boat's taught me this lesson the hard way. Bought a dodgy MPPT off Amazon last year — seemed like brilliant value at the time. Six months in, it started dropping voltage randomly.
ExChippie72 in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 4
@MuddySkipper — that's the tricky bit, isn't it? I've been battling this in my van conversion for months. What's worked for me is keeping the battery box itself sealed and dry, then venting the...
Border Camper in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Depends on your charge controller, tbh. What are you running? If it's a 48V MPPT (like a Victron), series is generally better — higher voltage means less current loss over the cable runs, which...
Emma Edwards in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Cable run is everything — @GrumpySparky's right. I've got a 2000W Victron on my boat and learned this the hard way. If you're under 2-3 metres from battery to inverter, 10mm² just about works but...
CE_Builds in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Brilliant to see you stepping up @PanelSteve. Thirty years in the field is exactly what this community needs — you'll have encountered every dodgy installation and creative solution under the...
Anglia OffGrid in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Good point from @LakelandNomad about the charging/discharging split. Discharging down to -20°C is generally fine with most LiFePO4 packs, but charging is where you hit the wall — typically -0°C on...
CE_Builds in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 1
@BayTim — right, you've already got three people telling you to sort batteries first, which is correct, but lemme add the practical bit: a static caravan's a thermal nightmare compared to a...
Decent setup, @MarineGaz. Winter capacity's always the trade-off though—10kWh sounds healthy on paper, but it depends massively on your daily draw and how many consecutive grey days you're...
Battery Ray in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 2
On my narrowboat I've got a mix because I'm a cheapskate who bought panels second-hand over three years — honestly can't tell the difference in real-world output on a cloudy Tuesday in the...
OffGridGeek in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Mate, spot on about using the van as your lab. I've done exactly this and it's saved me loads. Key thing nobody mentions — your tiny house will probably use way more than you think once you're...
Kev Clark in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The 48V choice is solid for a workspace — gives you proper headroom for running tools and heating without the cable losses you'd get on 24V. How much battery capacity are you looking at?
SmartSolar_Master in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The brutal truth? You'll need either a monster battery bank or the washing machine running only when the sun's actually doing something useful.
OldSailor in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The real question is: what's your actual winter usage like? 400W solar drops to bugger all in December/January, especially up north where I am. I've got a similar setup on my narrowboat — 300W...
Pennine Nomad in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Load sequencing saved my narrowboat from becoming an expensive bonfire, but honestly the real trick is just not boiling the kettle whilst running the compressor fridge and the inverter charger...
OffGridGeek in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Shepherd's hut's a brilliant canvas for this. Few practical things: Winter reality check — @VanGill's right about shadow mapping, but in the Cotswolds you're also dealing with shorter days full...
Quiet Trekker in Off-Grid Cabins 2 years ago thumb_up 4
Looking at your setup — what size leisure battery bank are you running? That's the key bit @Brummie and @Spud are hinting at. The practical issue I ran into: a split relay just connects when...
NotAnElectrician in DC-DC Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
@ExFirefighter42 spot on about the spectrum—I'd add that your constraints often decide it for you rather than ideology. I'm solar-only on a modest setup (6kW panels, Victron MPPT), and I genuinely...
Nick Hughes in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 5
Right, garden offices are where it's at for actually getting something finished. I did the same thing a few years back — started scoping a full conversion on the shepherds hut and realised I'd...
ExFirefighter11 in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 1