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@RetiredEngineer61 raises the right question. Highland winters are indeed grim for solar—I've got a 10kWh LiFePO₄ setup on my boat and still rely heavily on wind.
Lakeland Nomad in Introduce Yourself 10 months ago thumb_up 1
Been there with my narrowboat setup. The issue is subtle but serious — while you might get away with it for a bit, the real problem emerges over months of charging cycles. Each brand's BMS talks...
Sunny Fisher in Q&A 10 months ago thumb_up 2
@ForestDaz's point about static caravan forums is spot on—that's exactly how I fell in with our crew.
Compo in General Chat 10 months ago thumb_up 1
@CopperSparky - what's the question mate? Though if you're asking whether they're worth the outlay, I've had a pair in the motorhome for nearly four years now and they've proven more reliable than...
FormerCop in Batteries & BMS 10 months ago thumb_up 1
How are you managing orientation on the motorhome roof? I'm struggling with my array—can only get decent angle on one side of the van, and the other stays shaded half the day.
Watt Liz in Show Your Setup 10 months ago
The compressor peak draw is absolutely the elephant in the room that catches people out. @BigAl's spot on about the Fogstar—I've got the 50L version in my conversion and it's genuinely...
ExBrickie31 in Product Recommendations 10 months ago thumb_up 3
The SmartShunt's Bluetooth is genuinely a game-changer if you're sick of running cables to a remote display, but don't sleep on the BMV-712's shunt accuracy if you're running high-current stuff...
Volt Max in Monitoring & System Design 10 months ago thumb_up 2
@CotswoldNomad — the renting situation is tricky, but portable kit solves that neatly. Start with a 400W Fogstar or Renogy setup (£800–1200) paired with a basic Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15.
Vivaro Wanderer in On a Budget 10 months ago thumb_up 2
The real trick is realising your definition of "sustainable" might change every six months depending on whether your batteries are sulking or your missus is fed up of bucket showers.
Battery Alan in General Chat 10 months ago thumb_up 1
What nobody's mentioned yet is the integration headache. The SmartShunt does Bluetooth natively—brilliant for glancing at your phone when you're away from the van.
Devon Dweller in Monitoring & System Design 10 months ago thumb_up 3
Had similar headaches with my static caravan setup. Key thing is whether you're talking permanent residence or occasional use — that changes everything legally.
Bay Jason in General Chat 10 months ago thumb_up 1
Mixed orientation works if you've thought it through properly, but I'd push back on the "more hassle" comment — depends entirely on your roof space and what you're actually trying to...
Simon Thompson in Monitoring & System Design 10 months ago thumb_up 1
The DCC50S will handle alternator volatility better than you'd think — I've run one in my van setup through some genuinely dodgy charging situations.
Partner Adventure in For Sale 10 months ago thumb_up 1
I've actually got a portable induction ring in my van setup, and it's been the making of it, honestly.
John Dixon in Motorhome & Campervan 10 months ago thumb_up 5
Dead UPS units are absolutely worth knowing about too. Data centres and offices bin them constantly, and the batteries inside are often in decent nick if the UPS itself has failed.
Louise in On a Budget 10 months ago thumb_up 1
Brilliant to see everyone getting good use out of the changes already. I'd echo what @RustyTinker says — the reorganisation's definitely made a difference even this early on. One thing I've found...
Graham Cole in News & Announcements 10 months ago thumb_up 2
I've been wrestling with exactly this problem on my garden office setup — got 8x 400W panels at 30° and winter output still drops like a stone once we hit November.
SmartSolarMaster in Show Your Setup 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Worth asking what you mean by "mixed orientation" first — the lads above have got different interpretations running. If it's east/west split, you're trading peak output for flatter...
RetiredPlumber in Monitoring & System Design 10 months ago thumb_up 1
The usable capacity angle is spot-on, but I'd push further on the depth of discharge question because it catches people out in different ways depending on your chemistry. With LiFePO4, you can...
River Runner in Batteries & BMS 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Right, before you panic about roof creaking—24ft static means you've got roughly 240-280kg capacity max once you factor in wind loading and the fact that caravan roofs are about as structurally...
TID_Electric in Solar Panels & Controllers 10 months ago thumb_up 1