What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Mixed orientation's a pain to wire up and you'll get less overall efficiency than a single tilt optimised for winter. Static caravan means you're not moving it about, yeah?
Grumpy Sparky in Monitoring & System Design 11 months ago thumb_up 2
The compressor kick-in issue @ThistleKen mentions is real—I've seen it tank a poorly-sized system in under a season.
Boycie in Product Recommendations 11 months ago thumb_up 3
Mate, you've got the Rolls-Royce setup — the real question is whether you're actually using it like one or just admiring it from the shed. 200Ah LiFePO4 with Victron is brilliant for consistent...
Boat Paddy in Emergency & Backup Power 11 months ago thumb_up 1
The narrowboat maths are brutal because you've got space and weight constraints that a fixed property just doesn't have.
MrBodge65 in General Chat 11 months ago thumb_up 2
The panel spec looks solid for a static setup, but I'd push back on the mixed orientation thing slightly — unless you're genuinely getting shaded differently across seasons, you might be spreading...
Liam Palmer in Monitoring & System Design 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Narrowboat here too—been wrestling with this. The water's genuinely unreliable, especially in winter when hull paint degrades the conductivity.
Partner Nomad in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 2
The cycle depth point @CliffGazer raises is massive. I've got a 10kWh Fogstar LiFePO4 setup running my tiny house, and I can genuinely use 80-90% of the capacity without worrying.
SOC_Nerd in Batteries & BMS 11 months ago thumb_up 5
Looking at your Sprinter situation — what's your actual power draw like? That's the real decider here. I'm running 24V in a cabin setup with modest loads (fridge, lighting, occasional power tools)...
Partner Nomad in Batteries & BMS 11 months ago thumb_up 2
Static caravans are brilliant for this. You'll want to size your battery bank properly first—a 3kW inverter won't help much if you're draining a small bank too fast.
Peak VanLifer in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 3
Four 400W panels on a narrowboat roof is basically asking for a game of solar Tetris with your headroom, so here's the practical bit: series gets you higher voltage (better for long cable runs to...
Marine Geoff in Q&A 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Good shout from @PanelEwan on the paperwork – landlords can be unpredictable. Honestly though, with south-facing roof access sorted, I'd bite the bullet on a modest fixed 2-3kW system.
Tony Ross in On a Budget 11 months ago thumb_up 5
The inrush is brutal, yeah, but I'm wondering if you've looked at the actual consumption curve on your machine?
OddJobBob22 in Q&A 11 months ago thumb_up 1
@CotswoldNomad — get that landlord agreement in writing, honestly. Renting changes fast. Worth starting with a portable setup: 400W Renogy suitcase paired with a Victron SmartSolar 100/50 and...
Panel Ewan in On a Budget 11 months ago thumb_up 1
@Robbo, @QuietTrekker, @AnneOliver — voltage drop's definitely the issue, but I've found the real difference is how each unit compensates for it. On my narrowboat, I've got the Orion-Tr about 6m...
MultiPlus_Queen in DC-DC Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Has anyone mentioned Rewild the Planet yet? Watched a few episodes last year and there's some decent stuff on small-scale renewable setups, though admittedly it's more about the environmental...
Nicola Taylor in The Lounge 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Reckon it depends on your tolerance for problem-solving at 2am. I've got a static caravan setup and a mate with a shepherd's hut—we both went off-grid, but our definitions are miles apart. For him...
Loch Child in General Chat 11 months ago thumb_up 1
The diffuse light angle is absolutely crucial—folks often overlook it because they're chasing peak wattage ratings. I've got a mixed setup on my van conversion that taught me this the hard way.
Marine Phil in Solar Panels & Controllers 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Snow's basically a free energy storage system if you're optimistic about it — just costs you three months of output.
ROW_OffGrid in Show Your Setup 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Nice one, welcome aboard. Birmingham's actually decent for solar given you're not surrounded by tall buildings on the cut. Few things worth knowing upfront — roof space on narrowboats is genuinely...
GafferTapeKing19 in Introduce Yourself 11 months ago thumb_up 1
The real differentiator for me was the GX integration — the II plays nicer with Cerbo/Venus setups if you're already invested in Victron's ecosystem.
RetiredChef in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 4