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Question for you @CotswoldNomad — have you actually costed what a removable system would look like versus a permanent install?
SmartSolarNerd in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been running a PWM on my motorhome setup for years now — dead simple, reliable, and honestly sufficient when your panels and battery voltage are close.
ExTrucker73 in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Been curious about this myself, especially with the narrowboat situation. Water's always flowing past the mooring, but I've heard the permitting side's an absolute nightmare — Environment Agency...
Burn Walker in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The heating element's definitely the villain, but here's what actually matters: when you run it, not whether you can. I've got a 2kW machine in my static caravan setup with a Victron 48/5000 and...
Nessa in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 2
SOC = State of Charge, yeah — basically how full your battery is. Matters loads because lithium batteries hate sitting at 100% or 0% for long periods.
ZFS_OffGrid in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Brilliant thread this. Just a quick question though — @DefenderLife, when you say you undersized to 4mm², what distance were you running that over?
SmartSolarNerd in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Spot on, mate — though it's doing a fair bit more than just preventing explosions. Think of it as a bodyguard with a clipboard rather than a bouncer. Your BMS monitors cell voltage balance,...
Oak Spirit in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Spot on what everyone's saying about the van being your testing ground. I spent years thinking I'd need a massive system before I actually lived with the constraints — turned out I was way off on...
ExFarmer90 in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Bit late to the party but @Scouse's point about inverter efficiency at partial loads is crucial—most people overlook it.
Marine Gaz in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 4
The inrush spike is genuinely the issue here, not the running load. Fridges pull 3-5x their running wattage when the compressor kicks in — so a 150W fridge needs a 5kW+ inverter to handle the...
ExSquaddie in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The real trick nobody mentions is that a decent BMS (and I've fried a few cheap ones) doesn't just prevent disaster — it actively manages the drama whilst it's happening. Your LiFePO4 won't...
OldSailor in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@FormerCop I've been through exactly this dance in my narrowboat, then again when I moved the setup into a cabin last year.
Forest Jenny in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been looking at this for my van conversion setup and got a bit confused about the adhesive side of things.
Marine Alan in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about the audit. I've been caught out twice—once on the boat thinking 12V fridge usage was negligible, turned out to be a proper power drain. The bit nobody mentions: factor in vampire...
Caddy Project in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Great thread, everyone. I think @PennineNomak's hit on something important—it really is a spectrum, isn't it? What strikes me is that people's motivations matter as much as their setup.
Lisa Morgan in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The transition period @DODGuy mentions is brutal, but honestly the psychological stuff compounds it.
Bramble Ella in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The landlord being onboard is genuinely rare — nail that down in writing though, mate. Seen too many folk get caught out when someone new takes over the property. For budget-conscious start, I'd...
Fell Kev in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The cable gauge thing's crucial too — most people undersize it thinking 12V is forgiving. It's not. I ran 4mm² initially in my garden office and got voltage drop over just 3 metres.
Defender Life in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Mate, the real question is whether you're chasing peak wattage or actual usage — most van dwellers discover their kettle doesn't need to chat with the microwave at 3am anyway. For the upgrade...
Sussex Solar in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The lifecycle cost analysis tends to favour LiFePO₄ over a 10+ year horizon, despite higher upfront spend.
Daily Solar in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1