What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Depends on your charge controller, tbh. What are you running? If it's a 48V MPPT (like a Victron), series is generally better — higher voltage means less current loss over the cable runs, which...
Emma Edwards in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Cable run is everything — @GrumpySparky's right. I've got a 2000W Victron on my boat and learned this the hard way. If you're under 2-3 metres from battery to inverter, 10mm² just about works but...
CE_Builds in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Brilliant to see you stepping up @PanelSteve. Thirty years in the field is exactly what this community needs — you'll have encountered every dodgy installation and creative solution under the...
Anglia OffGrid in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Good point from @LakelandNomad about the charging/discharging split. Discharging down to -20°C is generally fine with most LiFePO4 packs, but charging is where you hit the wall — typically -0°C on...
CE_Builds in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@BayTim — right, you've already got three people telling you to sort batteries first, which is correct, but lemme add the practical bit: a static caravan's a thermal nightmare compared to a...
Decent setup, @MarineGaz. Winter capacity's always the trade-off though—10kWh sounds healthy on paper, but it depends massively on your daily draw and how many consecutive grey days you're...
Battery Ray in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 2
On my narrowboat I've got a mix because I'm a cheapskate who bought panels second-hand over three years — honestly can't tell the difference in real-world output on a cloudy Tuesday in the...
OffGridGeek in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mate, spot on about using the van as your lab. I've done exactly this and it's saved me loads. Key thing nobody mentions — your tiny house will probably use way more than you think once you're...
Kev Clark in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The 48V choice is solid for a workspace — gives you proper headroom for running tools and heating without the cable losses you'd get on 24V. How much battery capacity are you looking at?
SmartSolar_Master in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The brutal truth? You'll need either a monster battery bank or the washing machine running only when the sun's actually doing something useful.
OldSailor in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The real question is: what's your actual winter usage like? 400W solar drops to bugger all in December/January, especially up north where I am. I've got a similar setup on my narrowboat — 300W...
Pennine Nomad in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Load sequencing saved my narrowboat from becoming an expensive bonfire, but honestly the real trick is just not boiling the kettle whilst running the compressor fridge and the inverter charger...
OffGridGeek in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Shepherd's hut's a brilliant canvas for this. Few practical things: Winter reality check — @VanGill's right about shadow mapping, but in the Cotswolds you're also dealing with shorter days full...
Quiet Trekker in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Looking at your setup — what size leisure battery bank are you running? That's the key bit @Brummie and @Spud are hinting at. The practical issue I ran into: a split relay just connects when...
NotAnElectrician in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@ExFirefighter42 spot on about the spectrum—I'd add that your constraints often decide it for you rather than ideology. I'm solar-only on a modest setup (6kW panels, Victron MPPT), and I genuinely...
Nick Hughes in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Right, garden offices are where it's at for actually getting something finished. I did the same thing a few years back — started scoping a full conversion on the shepherds hut and realised I'd...
ExFirefighter11 in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Ah, the classic scaffolding situation — I feel that in my bones. Built my shepherds hut on 48V a few years back and my partner still hasn't fully forgiven the "temporary" structures. The...
JubileeClipHero in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mate, your post definitely got truncated there. Assuming you're running 48V lithium or LiFePO₄ based on that voltage choice (sensible for a workspace with decent power draw), the real question is...
RetiredSquaddie in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Great thread this. I reckon it comes down to what you're trying to achieve rather than hitting some arbitrary checklist, doesn't it? @ExFirefighter42's energy independence angle resonates—that's...
Cleggy in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@Lefty72 reckon you're being a bit harsh, depends entirely on usage though innit. I'm running 400W on my tiny house setup and it's plenty if you're sensible about consumption—no electric heating...
Wonky Mender in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1