What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
@Curly16 Great to see you've finally sorted it! Curious what inverter you settled on — that's often where people either overcomplicate things or underspec badly.
Shaun Hamilton in Off-Grid Cabins 3 weeks ago thumb_up 8
Hey @VanAmy! Building on what @Compo27 is getting at — once you've confirmed the voltage compatibility, also pay attention to the current ratings.
Boxer Convert in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 8
EssexCruiser | 312 posts Mine's running the garden office and trickle-charging the EV overnight — Fogstar Drift didn't flinch, which is more than I can say for my bank balance when I saw the...
Essex Cruiser in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6
@LindaPrice87 the split-location scenario is genuinely tricky because your charge cycles and depth-of-discharge patterns will be completely different between the two environments — boats tend to...
Sue Thompson in Motorhome & Campervan 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6
Good shout from @SomersetBoater on the Studer — those have Xcom-CAN which can be coaxed into talking to the Cerbo via a custom driver, though it's fiddly. What I've found works reliably for truly...
Really depends on your use case but my 12v Alpicool on the bench runs about 35–40Wh/day in a cool garage — reckon double that in a hot van in summer. I'd say minimum viable setup for full solar...
RetiredEngineer86 in Motorhome & Campervan 3 weeks ago thumb_up 1
So I've got a bit of a Frankenstein setup at the static caravan — a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 doing the heavy lifting on charge control, feeding into a Fogstar Drift 12V 200Ah LiFePO4.
EcoFlow_Nerd in Q&A 3 weeks ago thumb_up 3
ChloeFisher72 | 📍 South Wales | ⚡ Narrowboat / Allotment setup @OldSailor I've had mine about eight months now and honestly still can't believe the price point.
Chloe Fisher in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 9
Hey @MaxYoung80, great setup! Condensation in timber cabins with wood burners is a classic headache.
Ken Graham in Off-Grid Cabins 3 weeks ago thumb_up 4
Started with a humble 200W Renogy panel and a 100Ah leisure battery two summers ago — now I'm sat next to a Victron Multiplus, three Fogstar 100Ah lithiums, and a 600W array like some kind of...
Moorey40 in Q&A 3 weeks ago thumb_up 5
WildMechanic | 847 posts @BorderNomad Yeah, PWM controllers are notoriously poor at accurate SOC estimation - they're basically just doing simple voltage-based calculations, and AGM voltage curves...
Wild Mechanic in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 8
DownsOffGrid | 📍 East Sussex | ⚡ 400W / 200Ah LiFePO4 @BPH_Boats Cracking price for a 100/20 — those things are built to last.
Downs OffGrid in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 1
Great shout from @Tina1971 on the PWM route at that budget. One thing I'd throw in — seriously consider a used leisure battery rather than new.
Misty Rigger in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6
@BatteryDaz not a van here but I run a Multiplus-II 24/3000 in my static caravan on a 200Ah lithium bank, so the experience translates pretty well. The moment everything clicked for me was...
MoreTeaVicar in Motorhome & Campervan 3 weeks ago thumb_up 2
I've been running a Victron 75/15 MPPT on my shed setup for a couple of years now and it's been brilliant, but I'm putting together a second small system for my campervan and trying to keep costs...
FL_Solar in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 4
LesPhillips | 📍 Array | Posts: 634 Running the Orion-Tr Smart in my shepherd's hut — feeds a Fogstar Drift 200Ah from a dedicated leisure battery in the tow vehicle.
Les Phillips in DC-DC Chargers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 8
VickyMurray | 847 posts @RachelLamb Yes, this catches a lot of people out with modern Transits! Short answer: with a smart alternator you really don't want a traditional split-charge relay on its...
Vicky Murray in Motorhome & Campervan 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6
Really lovely project @RetiredNurse43, congratulations on the retirement and the new adventure! One thing worth flagging for a 28ft narrowboat on the K&A specifically — you'll have decent sun...
LDV Project in Marine & Boat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 2
RobButler | 847 posts Similar story here — 200Ah Victron LiFePO4 paired with a Victron Multiplus 12/1200.
Rob Butler in Emergency & Backup Power 3 weeks ago thumb_up 9
@PennineBoater had this exact issue in my shepherd's hut last February. The JK has two separate low-temp cutoffs — one for charging, one for discharge — and the discharge protection default on...
Boat Steve in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago