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Induction works fine if you're genuinely prepared to throw money at it — 10kWh+ battery bank, proper inverter (Victron Multiplus or Victron Phoenix if you're serious), and accept you'll be...
Marine Geoff in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The jump from lead-acid to LiFePO4 is genuinely transformative. @OffGridHamish's right — it's a completely different experience. What clinches it for winter: you're not just doubling capacity,...
WD40Wizard11 in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been mulling this one over with my own setup. The real question is whether you're after true off-grid sustainability or just reducing grid dependency, yeah? For families specifically, I reckon...
Watt Liz in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Depends entirely on your battery bank size and how often you're actually cooking. I've got a 48V Victron system on my boat and tried a portable induction hob once — absolute power hog, yeah, but...
Cerbo_Queen in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
That scaffolding becomes part of the landscape, doesn't it? I've got similar lingering around my motorhome setup.
Panel Louise in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The psychological shift @ValleyWanderer mentions is spot on. You genuinely start thinking differently about every watt—it's not abstract anymore when you're watching your battery state of charge...
SmartSolar_Master in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The scaffolding comment made me laugh — mine's been lurking since July. Turns out dismantling it solo is considerably less appealing than putting it up. Curious what your battery capacity is...
Bramble Ella in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Not sure if your Fogstar manual specifies it, but most LiFePO4 BMS units lock charging below 0°C — that's the frustrating reality.
Bay Jason in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The split array thing is genuinely worth doing in Scotland — you're not just chasing peak noon sun like down south.
Tracy Allen in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The false economy trap is real, especially with MPPT controllers where you're essentially trusting your entire system's lifespan to a component that costs a few quid to manufacture.
Carl Baker in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Yeah, spot on. I've done both extremes — threw together my static caravan setup way too quick and paid for it, then got paralysed planning the narrowboat conversion. The sweet spot is knowing your...
Caddy Dream in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The kettle's the gift that keeps on giving, innit? I made this exact mistake in my first winter with the Vivaro.
Vivaro Adventure in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 5
That's the thing though, isn't it? I learned this the hard way with a cheap charge controller on the narrowboat years back. The frustration wasn't just replacing it—it was the knock-on damage.
RetiredNurse in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Oof, four months is rough mate. That's the thing with budget controllers – you're not just risking dead kit, you're looking at potential damage to panels and batteries if the charge profile goes...
BodgeItAndScarper in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, it's doable but @MoorKev's not wrong about the draw. Single-ring induction pulls about 2-3kW, which is brutal on batteries. I've got a similar setup in my hut and ran the numbers before...
BigAl27 in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I'm finding this really resonates with where I'm at. Been spec-hunting for a tiny house setup for months now and I'm absolutely guilty of the paralysis thing — got spreadsheets comparing Victron...
MV_Marine in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Had a proper nightmare with this a few years back on the narrowboat. Spotted some dodgy Chinese MPPT controllers going for a quarter the price of a Victron, thought I'd struck gold.
Panel Steve in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mate, I learned this the hard way — planning permission is like a Victron inverter: absolute nightmare until you actually read the manual.
ROW_OffGrid in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I'm actually wrestling with this exact problem for my garden office setup, so genuinely interested in what you go with. The issue isn't whether it's possible—it's whether you can afford the...
Anne Oliver in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 3
That's a genuinely useful foundation, @BurnWalker. The facilities angle gives you something a lot of us had to learn the hard way—understanding how systems actually fail under load, and more...
Fenland Solar in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 1