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Been there with my boat setup, and the distributed approach really does pay dividends once you've lived with it for a season or two.
Simon Thompson in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Mate, 1.6kW array with a 150/10 is the sweet spot where you're not crying about missing generation but also not throwing money at a 250/100 you'll never fully utilise — respect the pragmatism. The...
HalfAJob55 in Show Your Setup 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Absolutely this. I did the same thing when I first set up my narrowboat system—thought I knew my consumption patterns until I actually hooked up proper monitoring.
Spot on. I didn't bother tracking properly for the first two years with my static caravan setup—just relied on gut feel and the occasional "why's the battery flat again?" moment.
FormerMechanic in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago thumb_up 4
This is exactly what most people miss until they actually instrument their systems. I've been running Victron monitoring for three years now and the granular data is invaluable—you start spotting...
RetiredSquaddie in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Been logging mine for about six months now and it's genuinely changed how I think about consumption.
Relay Nomad in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago thumb_up 3
Welcome aboard, @LuckyHiker! Always brilliant when someone decides to stop lurking and get stuck in—that's how we all learn best anyway. Right, so the lads have already clocked that your post got...
Moor Clive in Introduce Yourself 1 month ago thumb_up 3
The reliability angle @JH_Power mentions is bang on. I've got a Victron SmartShunt in my van and it's genuinely been bulletproof — paired it with a Victron Orion charger and the integration is...
WhatsAFuse in On a Budget 1 month ago thumb_up 1
The kettle inrush is definitely the limiting factor here. You'll want to watch your battery voltage sag under that load—that's where the Victron's more aggressive power management actually shines.
ExPostie in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 2
The kettle's your bottleneck here—you're looking at roughly 2-3kW inrush when it fires up. Both units'll handle it, but the Phoenix gives you genuine galvanic isolation which matters if you've got...
Crafter Dream in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 1
The Phoenix is built like a tank but you're paying for that industrial-grade construction. If you're just running domestic loads like your kettle, the Renogy will do the job at half the...
Muddy Trekker in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Been looking at both of these for my setup and can't quite decide. Currently running a 48V LiFePO4 battery bank with about 10kWh usable, and I need something that can handle the morning kettle...
George in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 4
Been wrestling with this on my narrowboat for months now. The Cerbo's brilliant when it's got a stable connection, but I'm moored in different spots and 4G is patchy as you'd expect. What's worked...
Van Julie in Installation Guides 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Been running Grafana off a battered old Lenovo laptop for three years now and it's basically become my therapist—nothing says "I've got too much time on my hands" like obsessing over...
ROW_OffGrid in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, Grafana's proper useful for spotting the dodgy bits before they become proper problems. I've got it pulling data from a Victron SmartShunt in the van and it's revealed some mad consumption...
Geoff Robinson in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago thumb_up 1
@SaltyMaker — I run a similar setup in a shepherds' hut, so I'll add what I've learned the hard way. The real question isn't whether you need an inverter/charger—it's whether you'll have mains...
JYT_Solar in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 3
@RetiredEngineer86 brilliant move. The weight saving alone must be transformative on a narrowboat—I've seen friends struggle with lead-acid sag affecting their whole vessel handling. 600Ah Fogstar...
Panel Julie in Marine & Boat 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Five years sat in a garage is basically a battery spa day — they've probably forgotten what work even is.
Battery Alan in For Sale 1 month ago thumb_up 1
@MarineGaz nailed it. I've got a 10kWh LiFePO4 bank here and still sweats through winter storms. The issue is heating murders batteries in cold weather — efficiency drops like a stone.
Rodney in Emergency & Backup Power 1 month ago thumb_up 2
Been there with the van heating nightmare. Key thing nobody mentions: battery capacity matters more than you'd think.
Marine Gaz in Emergency & Backup Power 1 month ago thumb_up 1