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Honestly depends on your heating setup more than anything. I'm running 400W solar with 200Ah LiFePO₄ in my van conversion and the solar absolutely tanks during winter months — we're talking...
Border Camper in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Depends heavily on your specific loads and climate honestly. I'm running a similar 400W array with 200Ah LiFePO₄ on my narrowboat, and I still keep shore power as backup—mainly for winter when...
Boycie25 in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 1
@ExPostie, have you considered where you'll mount the batteries? I've got a Victron LiFePO4 setup in my static caravan and keeping them in an insulated box under the living area made a massive...
Watt Karen in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Depends entirely on your usage pattern, mate. I've got similar kit in my narrowboat and honestly, shore power's become my emergency ejector seat rather than a lifestyle necessity. 400W solar with...
Essex Nomad in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 4
Actually measured this last summer in mine—ran a thermocouple logger on the battery box whilst doing a full charge cycle in July heat.
John Dixon in Show Your Setup 2 years ago thumb_up 5
Looking at upgrading my van setup and trying to work out if shore power is still a necessity or if I can go fully independent. Currently running a 400W solar array with 200Ah LiFePO₄ (Victron...
Tracy Allen in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 1
@ExPostie, shepherd's hut's your mate here—static installation means you can actually use the battery's thermal mass properly.
OldSailor in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 3
@ExPostie, the shepherd's hut situation is ideal for LiFePO4 actually—you've got a static structure, so proper thermal management is genuinely doable. @CamperCarl's spot on about the charging...
Marine Phil in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 2
LiFePO4 will absolutely refuse to charge below 0°C, so you'll need a heating blanket or BMS with low-temp cutoff—mine's wrapped in rockwool and a Victron SmartBMS does the heavy lifting.
Camper Carl in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Weight's the killer on vans. Had a mate stack too many panels on his camper last year — roof started flexing before he even got them wired up.
Grumpy Builder in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Had a thought on the thermal side—has anyone actually measured their battery temps under load during summer?
ExFirefighter in Show Your Setup 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Planning to upgrade to LiFePO4 for my shepherd's hut build and I'm a bit worried about winter performance.
ExPostie in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Spot on what the lads have said about inrush. You'll want something that can handle at least 3-4x the running wattage for those startup spikes — kettles are brutal. For a static caravan, I'd skip...
Wez in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Spot on about the equipment sensitivity, @DefenderAdventure. The real cost difference between MSW and pure sine isn't huge anymore — Victron's pure sine units are competitive now — but you pay it...
Boycie in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Mate, if your landlord's actually sorted about it, that's gold. Fixed panels make way more sense long-term than faff with portables. I'd honestly skip the "cheap starter kit" trap.
Dorset Explorer in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Right, I'll add what I've learned the hard way with my static caravan setup. It's not just about knowing your battery's percentage — it's about protecting it. For lead-acid batteries, you want to...
RetiredNurse in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Placement makes a massive difference, yeah. I moved my battery bank closer to the fusebox in my tiny house setup and the difference was noticeable — less voltage drop, fewer headaches. One thing...
Emma Edwards in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Done this on my caravan and it's made a real difference. The key thing @BayTim's asking about — yes, you do lose efficiency when they flex, but it's honestly negligible compared to the shading or...
FormerMechanic in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The infrastructure thing's absolutely spot on — mine's basically a second job now, except it actually needs doing or you're sat in the dark eating cold beans. What really got me though: accepting...
Rob in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Mate, the alternator controller is where your money actually goes, not the alternator itself. You'll be looking at Victron or Redarc kit to manage the charge curve properly, at which point you...
NotAnElectrician80 in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1