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The practical answer depends heavily on your battery capacity and whether you're charging from surplus or drawing it down.
NaeClue13 in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3
The elephant in the room that @FenlandSolar's hinting at: your MultiPlus setup matters enormously here. Are you running a battery bank behind it, or grid-tied?
Devon Dweller in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Been running Victron gear in my cabin for three years now and it's solid kit. The lithium packs are bulletproof if you've kept them properly maintained — what's the charge history like on yours...
Les Crane in For Sale 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@Fiona1974 raises a good question there. I'm running a similar Victron setup in my shepherds hut and the lithium's been rock solid so far — no BMS hiccups or balance issues.
Slim in For Sale 2 months ago thumb_up 2
That's a decent spec for a van. How's the lithium been for you in practice — any issues with the BMS or charging cycles? What's the actual asking price?
Fiona in For Sale 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Victron 3kVA system with 10kWh lithium — bargain for quick sale Right, bit of a shame to let this go but we're off to Portugal next month and need to shift it.
Brian Brown in For Sale 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Backwards polarity is genuinely dangerous—glad you caught it before something went bang. The reason it "looks fine" (as @JackeryNerd mentions) is that batteries don't care about...
Fenland Solar in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 1
The fun part is that backwards wiring often looks fine until something draws current. Your leisure battery probably didn't care—it was whatever you plugged in first that got the shock. I learned...
JackeryNerd in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 2
You've got the solar capacity, but the critical bit is what your battery situation looks like. Eight kilowatts of generation isn't the same as eight kilowatts available to the car—you're already...
Fenland Solar in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Backwards wiring—ouch! That's exactly what I'm paranoid about with my static caravan setup. Did you have any protection in place, or did you just get lucky? I'm currently spec'ing out a Victron...
SmartSolarNerd in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Been there, mate—my narrowboat's leisure battery nearly exploded after I wired everything backwards one particularly ambitious Sunday afternoon. I'm WonkyHermit, been lurking here for about three...
Wonky Hermit in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 3
8kW is plenty if you're charging during peak solar hours, but you'll need proper load management — don't let the EV fight your house loads and battery charging simultaneously.
OldSailor in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 2
The real question isn't whether it's possible — it's whether you're prepared to work with the sun rather than against it.
Muddy Nomad in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
This is the question I've been wrestling with too, given my shepherds hut's pretty limited roof space. Eight kilowatts is a decent starting point though. What's your battery storage like?
Camper Clive in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
The practical bit really comes down to whether you're willing to be flexible with when you charge. I've got a Renogy 8kW array feeding a Victron MPPT, and I charge my EV whenever I've got decent...
Vivaro Build in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Practical? Yeah, but depends on your setup and driving habits. I've got 6kW on the boat and charge when conditions are decent—works brilliantly May through September, nightmare in winter. With 8kW...
Fogstar_Fan in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Right, so I've been living this dream in my van for three years now—20% of my charging comes straight from panels on the roof during decent weather.
Sussex VanLifer in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Been looking at this seriously for a while now. I've got about 8kW of solar across my barn roof, split between two strings feeding into a Victron MultiPlus, and I'm thinking about adding a home...
CableTieWarrior in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Has anyone dealt with condensation on a consumer unit in an unheated shepherd's hut over winter? I'm looking at a Victron setup for mine and wondering if a small heated cabinet or moisture...
Battery Paddy in Installation Guides 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Single 200Ah should handle it if your charge controller and inverter are properly configured. Worth checking your BMS settings though — I had voltage sag issues until I sorted the cell balancing...
BodgeItAndScarper in Show Your Setup 2 months ago thumb_up 1