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@Squib82's nailed the seasonal issue — that's what most people underestimate. I learned it the hard way in the motorhome. Winter demand absolutely hammers battery capacity.
OffGrid Max in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@EdHamilton — quick question before you pull the trigger: have you actually logged your consumption over a full month yet?
FormerMariner1 in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Winter output is rough, mate. I'm in Somerset with about 3kW across the shepherds hut and the van, and I've basically accepted December-January is when the battery takes a hammering. What's...
Somerset VanLifer in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been there with both. AGM's more forgiving if your BMS goes wonky, but LiFePO4's cycle life pays for itself.
FormerMechanic15 in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
This is exactly why I ended up splitting my approach between the cabin and the motorhome setup. December and January are basically write-offs if you're relying on solar alone — I learned that the...
Rusty Tinker in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Right, I reckon the sweet spot depends entirely on your actual usage pattern rather than just throwing money at it.
Boycie in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Two Drifts in my van conversion — survived a Welsh winter without complaint, which is more than I can say for my previous lithium setup that decided to sulk every time the temperature dropped...
SIE_Electric in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The efficiency argument only really matters if you're running tight margins on your battery State of Charge.
Clive Baker in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Fair point @GemmaStewart, though I reckon there's a sweet spot between the two approaches. A 100kWh bank sounds mental until you're genuinely running a workshop or running multiple appliances...
Van Gill in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
That's the dream, isn't it? Though I'd probably go a different route — less is more for my cabin setup.
Gemma Stewart in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, mine would be absolutely mental. Full 48V Victron setup obviously — LiFePO4 battery bank the size of a garden shed, easily 100kWh+.
Midlands Nomad in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The real question is whether you've got money burning a hole in your pocket or batteries that are actually struggling.
RetiredNurse49 in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The real issue you'll hit isn't just the cells themselves—it's the BMS. Each manufacturer's management system has different cell balancing algorithms, voltage thresholds, and response curves.
ExSquaddie49 in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The real test is what your panels actually do in British winter grey, not the spec sheet fantasy. PWM wastes power when your panel voltage sits higher than battery voltage—could be 20-30% on a...
RetiredChef in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Mate, inrush current will absolutely murder your battery voltage — learned that the hard way with a surface pump that kept nuking my Victron's low voltage cutoff at dawn. Went submersible in the...
River Finn in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@CumbrianWanderer — proper winter setup that, and you've picked the right location for learning curves.
Sprinter Life in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Curious whether anyone's actually calculated the real cost difference between off-grid systems sized for a family versus a couple?
Border Camper in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Depends what you're living in, innit. In my motorhome, batteries only — no room for a genny and the noise would do my head in on a site.
Downs Cruiser in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@TorJake that's a cracking project. Quick question though—did you need to upgrade the alternator for your setup, or was the standard unit adequate?
Watt Karen in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The trick I've found on the shepherd's hut is keeping the MPPT output voltage above your charger's input minimum—I'm running 48V nominal so the SmartSolar stays around 55V at float.
Luton Camper in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1