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Had a proper nightmare with this on my narrowboat a few years back. Paired up two ancient lead-acid banks that looked identical — same capacity, same age I reckoned.
Jess in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mate, LiFePO4 in winter is like comparing a kettle to a candle — sure the candle still works, but you're not getting your brew on quick.
Brook Lover in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Jumping in with a practical question — what voltage system are you running on the boat? That's going to be your primary constraint here. The series vs parallel debate often gets bogged down, but...
Linda Clark in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 5
The sequencing point is crucial, but there's another layer that catches people out: voltage sag under transient loads.
Simon Kelly in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Drag and drop definitely works, but I'd second what @LesWood78 said about file sizes — phones these days shoot massive photos.
Trevor Roberts in Forum Help 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The usable capacity point @DODGuy's raised is spot-on, and it's where the maths gets properly interesting.
WheresMeWires in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Done the DIY route in my van conversion and honestly, the maths only work if you're patient. Spent months sourcing decent LiFePo cells from reputable suppliers — dodgy ones are everywhere.
Battery Tim in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Great thread, @BayTim. I'd add one thing that caught me out initially—seasonal variation matters more than you'd think. When I first sized my system, I based it on summer consumption and nearly...
Sarah Lewis in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@Titch MPPT absolutely, and at 400W the Victron 48/100 is proper overkill but future-proofs you nicely.
ROW_OffGrid in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The removable route's definitely the way if you're renting—learned that the hard way on the narrowboat before we sorted permanent moorings.
MrBodge65 in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Haha, @CamperCarl that's brilliant. The battery monitor is basically a relationship stress test. Right, mine's more of a cautionary tale really.
XJ_Solar in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@Lefty72 I'd actually push back on that a bit. 400W isn't peashooter territory if you're realistic about duty cycles in a van. I've run a similar spec in my motorhome (430W Renogy, 280Ah LiFePO4)...
Simon Kelly in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about the van being your testing ground — I ran mine for five years before the tiny house and it taught me everything about what I actually need versus what I think I need.
RetiredNurse49 in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The facilities angle really does give you something though—you've already lived with the constraints of system thinking. Managing peak loads, understanding your actual vs.
Pennine Nomad in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 4
The seasonal energy variance is what genuinely changes your mindset. Winter consumption planning becomes meditative—you stop viewing power as infinite.
LH_Marine in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Isolation transformers are brilliant for peace of mind, but let's be honest — most boat setups don't actually need them unless you're plugged into dodgy shoreline infrastructure or running...
The real issue here is that kettles and microwaves are basically the worst-case scenario for battery-based systems—they're peak demons.
Pennine Nomad in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, I've got a slightly different angle on this having gone through the decision twice — once for the boat and again when I sorted the EV charging setup. The thing that swung it for me wasn't...
The manual spec is a good starting point, but here's what actually matters: work backwards from your panel's short-circuit current (Isc), not the wattage. Your 400W Renogy will be around 20-22A...
Frosty Sailor in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, I've been down this road on the boat and it's genuinely where starting cheap makes sense. The removable panels are the way forward for your situation—no landlord drama, and you can take them...
Ewan Cole in On a Budget 1 year ago