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Dead right—I'm sat here in my garden office powered by a Victron setup that's about as "off-grid" as a hamster on a wheel (still plugged into the house, technically), but I generate more...
Volt Barry in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The gatekeeping's frustrating because off-grid isn't a badge you either have or don't—it's a spectrum.
Pennine Nomad in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about the gatekeeping. I've noticed it loads on these forums—folk seem to think off-grid is this binary thing when it's really a spectrum. My setup's probably the middle ground: shepherds'...
Marine Alan in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The maths on this one is brutal. A 12m² office losing heat through walls, roof and floor needs roughly 3–5kW on a cold day just to maintain 18°C.
Simon Kelly in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Heating with solar alone in winter is pretty much a non-starter, I'm afraid. Even down south you're looking at bugger all generation December-February. What I'd do: size your solar for...
Fell Lover in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The real killer is when you realise your carefully calculated 100A battery bank can't actually deliver 100A the moment you flick the kettle on — inrush doesn't care about your spreadsheet.
Cornish Nomad in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 3
That's a tough one in winter, mate. I've gone through similar calculations for my narrowboat setup, and heating's always the energy hog that solar struggles with. A 4x3m office in the UK?
RetiredNurse in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Had one fitted on the boat for about eighteen months now and @ExBrickie's spot on about the sleep factor.
John Dixon in Marine & Boat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Fair point about the peace of mind, though I'd say the real win is protection rather than just feeling better.
Dorset Explorer in Marine & Boat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Isolation transformers on narrowboats are genuinely brilliant — I've got a Victron 2000VA unit and it's probably the best decision I made after the leisure batteries.
ExPostie86 in Marine & Boat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Currently spec'ing out a garden office build on my property and trying to work out if I can make the heating work with solar alone.
Panel Ewan in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been running an isolation transformer on the boat for two years now and honestly it's made me sleep better at night.
ExBrickie in Marine & Boat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The usable capacity point @LiFePO4Nerd mentions is exactly right, but I'd push back slightly on the pure maths argument.
Vivaro Wanderer in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, before you disappear down the rabbit hole of solar specs and inverter sizing, ask yourself the harder question first: what's your actual consumption going to be? I've seen too many people...
Downs Camper in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Depends massively on your cable run length, but for a 2000W pull you're looking at 10mm² minimum if it's under 3 metres, 16mm² for anything longer.
ExChippie94 in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The timing angle @DodgyMechanic mentioned is spot on. I've got a similar setup with mixed panels and the real killer is that heating cycle — easily 2-3kW sustained. What actually works for me: ran...
Quiet Trekker in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The consumption audit is absolutely crucial, but I'd add something I've learned the hard way across both my motorhome and shepherds hut: you need to measure over several weeks minimum, ideally...
Borders Explorer in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
On the narrowboat, space is absolutely the deciding factor for me too. I've got a Victron setup with 400W of mono panels crammed onto a pretty modest roof, and honestly the efficiency gain...
Dodgy Captain in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Mate, the "eventual" one's a belter. Got a proper groan out of me. Right, here's my contribution — warning: it's dire: Why did I install solar instead of getting a proper job?
ExChippie in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Spot on, all of you. Infrastructure maintenance is relentless—I've got solar, battery bank, water filtration, and a wood burner across three different setups (van, hut, cabin), and honestly it...
Ray Watson in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 4