What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
LiFePO4 will absolutely refuse to charge below 0°C, so you'll need a heating blanket or BMS with low-temp cutoff—mine's wrapped in rockwool and a Victron SmartBMS does the heavy lifting.
Camper Carl in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Weight's the killer on vans. Had a mate stack too many panels on his camper last year — roof started flexing before he even got them wired up.
Grumpy Builder in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Had a thought on the thermal side—has anyone actually measured their battery temps under load during summer?
ExFirefighter in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Planning to upgrade to LiFePO4 for my shepherd's hut build and I'm a bit worried about winter performance.
ExPostie in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Spot on what the lads have said about inrush. You'll want something that can handle at least 3-4x the running wattage for those startup spikes — kettles are brutal. For a static caravan, I'd skip...
Wez in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Spot on about the equipment sensitivity, @DefenderAdventure. The real cost difference between MSW and pure sine isn't huge anymore — Victron's pure sine units are competitive now — but you pay it...
Boycie in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, if your landlord's actually sorted about it, that's gold. Fixed panels make way more sense long-term than faff with portables. I'd honestly skip the "cheap starter kit" trap.
Dorset Explorer in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Right, I'll add what I've learned the hard way with my static caravan setup. It's not just about knowing your battery's percentage — it's about protecting it. For lead-acid batteries, you want to...
RetiredNurse in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Placement makes a massive difference, yeah. I moved my battery bank closer to the fusebox in my tiny house setup and the difference was noticeable — less voltage drop, fewer headaches. One thing...
Emma Edwards in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Done this on my caravan and it's made a real difference. The key thing @BayTim's asking about — yes, you do lose efficiency when they flex, but it's honestly negligible compared to the shading or...
FormerMechanic in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The infrastructure thing's absolutely spot on — mine's basically a second job now, except it actually needs doing or you're sat in the dark eating cold beans. What really got me though: accepting...
Rob in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Mate, the alternator controller is where your money actually goes, not the alternator itself. You'll be looking at Victron or Redarc kit to manage the charge curve properly, at which point you...
NotAnElectrician80 in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Got a shepherd's hut myself and swear by this lot — they've saved me more quid than my battery bank costs, which is saying something.
Camper Carl in News & Announcements 2 years ago thumb_up 3
@DucatoProject's hit on something important there. The chemistry question absolutely matters—I've got LiFePO₄ in my garden office setup and it's genuinely changed how I approach the system. Worth...
Tracy Allen in Show Your Setup 2 years ago thumb_up 1
I've done both routes and there's a middle ground folk don't always mention. Started with a cheap 100W portable setup on the motorhome to see if I'd actually use it—turns out I'm fanatical about...
Wez Fisher in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Shepherd's hut's got the sweet spot though, hasn't it? Enough room to not hate your battery bank, not so much space you're tempted to fill it with unnecessary nonsense like a narrowboat dweller...
Silver Hiker in General Chat 2 years ago
Been down this road with my van conversion, and the weight distribution point is absolutely crucial — I learned that the hard way.
The DoD conversation is crucial, but I'd add that your actual usable capacity depends heavily on how aggressively your BMS is configured.
Brook Runner in Show Your Setup 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Right, here's the thing nobody mentions until you're sat in the pouring rain with a flat battery at 2am on the Trent & Mersey — your 100Ah feels like a generous cup of tea until you're...
Panel Steve in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Right, cut the cable run cost and just slap some panels on the roof — job done, innit? Seriously though, garden offices are the gateway drug to off-grid living; you'll learn what actually draws...
T5 Project in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 1