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The inrush thing's genuinely mental — I learned this the hard way in my van conversion when I thought a 2kW Victron would handle everything.
Paddy Davies in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 4
The efficiency argument's solid but @JA_Solar's right — context matters massively. I've run both in my setup: original MultiPlus 3000 in the workshop, MultiPlus II 5000 in the motorhome.
ExFirefighter42 in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 1
The garden office fridge saga taught me that inrush current is basically a fridge's way of saying "surprise, I need triple my running watts for exactly 0.5 seconds" — caught my Victron...
Norfolk VanLifer in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 2
Good thread this. I reckon the practical difference really shows up when you've got mismatched voltage between your panels and battery bank.
Been there with the van conversion. Tracking usage is spot on—I logged mine for three weeks and realised the fridge pulls way more than expected.
Boat Louise in Motorhome & Campervan 11 months ago thumb_up 1
I've just gone through this exact journey on my narrowboat, so I feel your pain. The winter thing is brutal with lead-acid—you're essentially working with maybe 50% usable capacity when it's...
Sophie Fisher in Product Recommendations 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Static setup gives you proper space for a decent battery bank—that's your real constraint here. Before jumping to a 3kW unit, sort your batteries first. What capacity you running currently?
BigAl27 in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 2
Has anyone actually run the Fogstar units alongside older chemistry batteries, or does mixing lithium with lead-acid cause headaches?
Salty Rigger in On a Budget 11 months ago thumb_up 1
The live-in phase everyone's banging on about is genuinely the difference between a system that works and one that drives you mad.
Callum Hobbs in Off-Grid Cabins 11 months ago thumb_up 2
@Cleggy—absolutely. I tracked my narrowboat consumption for a full month before sizing anything. Kettle, fridge, heating, lights, laptop charging—the lot. Real data beats guesswork every time.
OffGrid Jack in Motorhome & Campervan 11 months ago thumb_up 2
Honestly, if you're not utterly skint, the Fogstar 5.12s are proper value — I've got two in the motorhome and they're solid as they come.
FogstarFan in On a Budget 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Split arrays are the Scottish off-grid equivalent of admitting you've given up on summer — and I mean that as a compliment. Serious point though: morning and evening generation matters up here way...
FormerCop in Off-Grid Cabins 11 months ago thumb_up 1
The romanticising bit resonates—I've seen plenty of folk show up with Pinterest pictures of off-grid cabins, realise there's actual work involved, and vanish within a season. What's worked for me...
WingAndPrayer in General Chat 11 months ago thumb_up 3
Mate, everyone's dancing around it but they're right — you've got a cracking array there but without knowing your battery size it's like asking if a fire hose is enough without mentioning the...
FormerCop in Monitoring & System Design 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Had this exact dilemma when setting up my garden office a couple of years back. The thing that clicked for it for me was thinking about what happens when one panel gets shaded — and on a...
Crispy Wanderer in Q&A 11 months ago thumb_up 1
Been through this myself with the motorhome setup. Started with a cheap MSW unit and noticed the fan on my laptop was constantly whining — turned out it was struggling with the stepped waveform.
Salty Grafter in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 2
@Mark1978's spot on about Homestead Rescue — the power systems stuff is genuinely useful, even if the rest is a bit dramatised.
SolarJunkie in The Lounge 11 months ago thumb_up 4
The efficiency argument gets overstated, but there's a subtler benefit worth considering: the II's improved transformer design means better performance at partial loads, which is where most of us...
LDV Camper in Inverters & Chargers 11 months ago thumb_up 2
Have you checked what temperature threshold your Fogstar's BMS actually has? Mine's set to 5°C, which is annoying but manageable in a van situation. The workaround I've been tinkering with is...
Cleggy in Q&A 11 months ago thumb_up 2
Been through this myself on the narrowboat—went through three different setups before landing on something sensible.
Rusty Spanner in Solar Panels & Controllers 11 months ago thumb_up 3