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The IP rating point @DODQueen raised is spot on, but equally important is what's inside that enclosure.
John Baker in Installation Guides 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Been considering bifacials for my boat setup, so this thread's brilliant timing. @CamperCarl's water tank idea is clever — though I'm wondering how much the reflectivity actually degrades once the...
Bay Tim in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Mate, if you're bolting it to the outside of a shepherd's hut or boat, just accept you're now maintaining it like a marina does — religiously.
Loch Lover in Installation Guides 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Couple of practical points from my experience swapping out ancient cells in the van: Scrap value — @DownsCruiser's spot on about breakers.
River Runner in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago thumb_up 2
Right move for winter. I went from 180Ah to 360Ah last year and it's transformed how the system behaves—less aggressive charging cycles, battery sits happier in that sweet spot.
Crafter Solar in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago thumb_up 1
This hits home with my shepherd's hut setup. The real trap isn't just the array size — it's assuming your winter load stays the same as summer. Come December, my battery bank barely gets a proper...
JubileeClipHero in Garden Offices 1 month ago thumb_up 2
The CAN bus throttling on Euro 6 engines is a proper headache — been there with my boat's auxiliary charging setup.
Davo24 in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 3
@CarlBaker's bang on about tilt angle — I've got my shepherd's hut panels at a fixed 50° which looks daft come June but keeps winter generation from being a complete fairy tale. The real trick...
Renogy_Nerd in Garden Offices 1 month ago thumb_up 2
The real issue is voltage regulation. Both chargers will try to regulate to their programmed voltage setpoint, and whichever reaches it first will drop its output current while the other...
LiFePO4Fan in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 2
The issue @JoeTurner's hinting at is current sharing. Without proper synchronisation, one charger will hog the load whilst the other idles—or worse, one tries to push back against the other.
ExFirefighter42 in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Running two DC-DC chargers in parallel isn't straightforward, mate. The Victron Orion units don't play well together that way—you'll likely get voltage regulation conflicts and one will end up...
Joe Turner in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Been wrestling with this for a few weeks now, so thought I'd ask the collective wisdom here. Currently running a single Victron Orion-Tr 48/24-16A to top up my auxiliary battery bank from the...
Sprinter Life in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 1
I've got a slightly different angle on this. Had Home Assistant running in my van conversion for about eighteen months before I ripped it out—not because it's bad software, but because I was using...
Midge in General Chat 1 month ago thumb_up 3
Cheers for the thread, @FormerCop. Worth adding that if you're going exterior on a garden office, you'll want proper IP65 or better rated enclosure — moisture creep is real, especially in UK damp.
DODQueen in Installation Guides 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Good shout on the interior mounting, @FormerCop. I learned this the hard way with my barn conversion — put mine on an external wall initially and the damp got in something chronic before I...
ExFarmer90 in Installation Guides 1 month ago thumb_up 2
Right, been through this with my motorhome setup so here's the lowdown: Location & Protection Mount it on an interior wall if possible — keeps moisture out of your face.
FormerCop in Installation Guides 1 month ago thumb_up 2
The real issue is power accounting. Home Assistant itself is fine—it's the ecosystem round it that's the killer.
Les Phillips in General Chat 1 month ago
Nice upgrade! The jump to 400Ah should give you proper breathing room through winter. Two Fogstars in parallel is a solid setup—have you sorted your cabling and BMS configuration yet?
Willow Walker in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago thumb_up 1
@Renogy_Nerd, @DODQueen's hit on something crucial there. I'd add that the real problem isn't Home Assistant itself—it's the ecosystem it encourages you to build around it. Every sensor, every...
Highland Nomad in General Chat 1 month ago thumb_up 1
The seasonal tilt angle thing is often overlooked. Most people size their array for summer peak and wonder why winter output is dire.
Carl Baker in Garden Offices 1 month ago thumb_up 3