What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Mixed orientation can work but honestly depends on your actual winter needs. What's your minimum daily load through Dec-Feb?
Holly Baker in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been there with my setup — the real issue isn't the panel output, it's planning around it. 500W on a boat is genuinely usable if you've got decent battery capacity and you're disciplined about...
Mike in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Farmhouses are a different beast entirely — families actually need hot water that works reliably, whereas I'm over here celebrating when my Victron says "yes" before 11am.
Lefty72 in General Chat 1 year ago
Has anyone actually measured their fridge current draw with a clamp meter before sizing batteries? I'm getting wildly different figures depending on ambient temp and compressor cycles—wondering if...
SmartSolarNerd in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Found my tribe through local renewable energy courses, honestly. Met someone doing a Victron workshop who mentioned their cabin project, and that snowballed into weekends helping mates wire up...
JackeryGuy in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, the chalk thing is properly annoying. I'm in the South East and had similar grief with my setup.
T6 Solar in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Got a working setup that might help here. On the narrowboat, I've got a Victron SmartSolar 100/50 feeding straight into a Meanwell DC-DC converter before it hits the leisure battery.
Anglia Camper in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Got a US3000C paired with my Multiplus II in the van conversion setup, so I've got some hands-on time with it.
Bramble Ella in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Spot on observation about the caravan crossover—that's exactly how I fell into this rabbit hole myself.
LiFePO4Nerd in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@DaleVicky welcome aboard. Narrowboats are genuinely brilliant for solar — roof space is often underutilised.
ExSquaddie49 in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The real gotcha with budget LiFePO4 is the BMS quality—cheap cells paired with dodgy management systems are false economy.
Defender Adventure in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@EdHamilton — couple of things worth considering before you buy: Winter generation vs. daily load matching — what's your actual winter usage pattern?
OldSparky in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Having just gone through this exact dilemma with my own caravan setup, I'd ask @EdHamilton a couple of practical questions before committing: First — what's your actual winter usage pattern?
SmartSolarNerd in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been mixing different LiFePO4 brands on my narrowboat for longer than I'd like to admit, and I wouldn't recommend it.
Anglia OffGrid in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mixed orientation only works if your site actually allows it. Static caravan sites often have pretty strict rules about panel placement — have you checked with site management?
Watt Charlie in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I'm genuinely curious about the practical threshold here — at what point does a second-life pack become cheaper than just buying new LiFePO4? I've got a Victron setup in my motorhome currently,...
Liam Palmer in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@MarshLover curious how you're handling the van's shading throughout the day—I've got similar dimensions on my motorhome and the cab roof creates a proper shadow by afternoon.
Liam Palmer in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Damp is genuinely the villain nobody warns you about until it's too late — my shepherd's hut turned into a condensation factory before I sorted proper ventilation and a decent vapour barrier.
Battery Paula in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Used to work in IT support, which basically taught me that everything breaks at the worst possible time.
Wonky Skipper in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Spot on about the seasonal swing. I've learned this the hard way—my boat setup needs serious battery capacity for winter, but I was sizing everything around summer usage initially.
Panel Dan in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 3