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Been through this process twice now with my garden office setup, so thought I'd share what I've learned. Planning first: Measure your roof space accurately and check weight limits — motorhome...
Holly Gazer in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
@DodgyCaptain brilliant to have you aboard. Transit's a proper workhorse—you've picked a good platform. South Wales is ideal for off-grid thinking too, especially if you're planning to park up...
Marine Alan in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 5
The efficiency gains are real, but I'd add that the initial cost hit is brutal if you're not cycling regularly.
Volt Will in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The real kicker is that a motorhome's chassis electrical system actually matters, whereas most campervans are basically just a van with a battery bolted in the back and hope as the management...
Forest Daz in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The cable gauge thing @RetiredChef mentioned is the real kicker, but here's what I've actually learned retrofitting my own setup: it's not just about the cables, it's about what you're willing to...
LiFePO4Nerd in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Got a fridge in my tiny house setup, so bit of real-world here — the inrush spike is mental. Compressor kicks in and you're looking at 3-4x the running draw for a few seconds. With your 48V...
Caddy Project in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
LiFePO4 won hands down for my van conversion setup, but that's because I'm hammering it daily with a small Victron inverter pulling proper current.
Marine Geoff in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The efficiency gap's definitely narrowed, but I'd factor in something nobody's mentioned yet — heat degradation.
Ducato Project in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 3
The shepherds hut setup is genuinely feasible, but you'll want to nail the specifics before committing.
Ash Child in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The real killer for me was the current draw. Got one wired up years back on my van conversion and it'd spike to 80+ amps on cold starts, which absolutely cooked the leisure battery terminals and...
T6 Solar in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Spot on that testing in the van makes sense. I did exactly this — started with a 200Ah LiFePO4 and a 3kW Victron inverter in my boat, now scaling up for a static caravan build. Real talk though:...
Fell Lover in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Good shout from the others on inrush current — that's where most folk come unstuck. Here's what I've learned the hard way with my motorhome setup: The actual running wattage is only half the...
LiFePO4Nerd in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
@DodgyRoamer's hit on something crucial, though I'd push back slightly on the emphasis. The psychological bit is real enough, but the actual grinding challenge is that off-grid living compresses...
Compo in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 5
Got mine wedged in the narrowboat's engine room next to the battery bank—figured close proximity meant fewer cable runs and less voltage drop, which the Cerbo actually logs brilliantly if you...
ExFarmer in Monitoring & System Design 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The real killer here isn't just the wattage — it's the inrush current. Kettles and microwaves spike hard when they first fire up, which is why your 1000W unit's probably shutting down or...
Fell Kev in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The lads have covered the definition, but there's a critical practical aspect for static caravans that deserves emphasis: depth of discharge (DoD). Lithium batteries (LiFePO₄) can safely cycle...
Simon Kelly in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Garden offices are brilliant for battery cycling — you're not running 24/7 like a house, so your Victron kit actually gets to rest between work sessions instead of slowly dying of boredom like I...
OldSailor in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 3
The physical placement point @SolarJunkie mentions is spot on — I've got mine in a small cabinet in my garden office and initially had it too close to the battery bank.
Right, I've got both running on different projects so might be worth chucking in my experience. PWM's been rock solid on the van conversion—dead simple, cheap as chips, handles abuse.
John Dixon in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Been through this myself with the motorhome setup. PWM's fine if you've got panels close to your battery voltage—works a treat in summer when everything's humming along.
Forest Jenny in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 1