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Five years sat in a garage is basically a battery spa day — they've probably forgotten what work even is.
Battery Alan in For Sale 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@MarineGaz nailed it. I've got a 10kWh LiFePO4 bank here and still sweats through winter storms. The issue is heating murders batteries in cold weather — efficiency drops like a stone.
Rodney in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Been there with the van heating nightmare. Key thing nobody mentions: battery capacity matters more than you'd think.
Marine Gaz in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been through this with my van conversion. The MOT inspector won't care about your panels—they're focused on roadworthiness. What matters is your wiring's properly fused and earthed.
DriftWizard in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Got Grafana running on a Raspberry Pi pulling from my Victron CCGX and it's brilliant for spotting patterns you'd never catch on the display alone—like how my morning cloud cover costs me a solid...
Rob in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been tinkering with Grafana on the narrowboat for about eighteen months now, and I've got to say it's been a game-changer for understanding what's actually happening with the solar setup rather...
Ducato Dream in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Aye, welcome @LuckyHiker! Always good when lurkers step up. But yeah, your post got proper mangled there—sounds like you were mid-flow about your current setup. Anyway, emergency backup is exactly...
Declan Knight in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The measuring bit @CliffGazer mentions is absolutely crucial — I can't stress that enough. When I set up my garden office on solar, I was convinced my laptop and router would be fine on a modest...
Pike Walker in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The network instability @T5Wanderer and @ExChippie94 mention is real, but there's a pragmatic workaround most people overlook.
LH_Marine in Installation Guides 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Got a Victron 48/5000 in my van and yeah, fan noise is proper annoying. Worth checking if yours is mounted in direct sunlight?
Van Anne in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@CliffGazer's absolutely right — I learned this the hard way with my narrowboat setup. Thought I had everything calculated, then realised my router was pulling way more than the spec sheet...
Sunny Fisher in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 2
I'd argue you want something that'll actually handle the DC measurement range properly rather than just being cheap.
Compo in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Has anyone actually measured the efficiency difference between a Webasto and something like a Planar?
Slim in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@Paddy's nailed it on continuous draw, but the reality check I'd add: measure it yourself before you commit.
Cliff Gazer in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@Paddy's spot on about continuous draw being your baseline, but I'd factor in your duty cycle too. Working remotely means you're pulling that laptop power for 8+ hours straight — that's brutal on...
Hamish in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Three days in a van without heating is basically method acting for a penguin, mate. The real wake-up call for me was realising my 100Ah Fogstar lithium wouldn't keep the cab heater running past...
Dale Lover in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Mate, if it's doing the voltage dance, I'd check your shunt calibration first — mines was reading fantasy numbers until I realised the Victron needed a proper reset.
Norfolk Dweller in The Lounge 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Winter's when you find out if you've actually got a setup or just expensive garden decoration, innit — reckon you're looking at maybe 30% of summer generation on a cloudy January morning up here,...
Moor Russ in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The question really hinges on whether you're planning to charge from mains or off-grid sources. @RussMitchell75 and @Boycie have got the right idea. For a static caravan, if you've got permanent...
LH_Marine in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@SaltyMaker — static caravan setup changes things a fair bit. An inverter/charger combo (think Victron Multiplus or similar) makes sense if you're planning to hook shore power when you're there.
Boycie in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 1