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Spot on about winter, mate. I went through exactly this with my boat setup — 100Ah lead-acid was doing my head in come December, especially when the solar's pants and you're relying on genset...
Kingy in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Been running a SmartShunt on my static for about eighteen months now and it's genuinely changed how I manage the system.
Lee in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, I'm going to be the awkward one here. Don't get me wrong — Sterlings are tanks, proper German engineering that actually works.
Panel Steve in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Honestly mate, portable's the way to go if you're renting. Sorted a 400W rigid panel setup on my van and it's been brilliant — cost me about £600 total including a basic MPPT and cabling. The...
Lucky Skipper in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
That 400W to 300Ah ratio is solid, but @DuctTapeDave's spot on about the shade problem. I've been there in my van—three grey days and you're sweating it. Real talk though: have you sorted your...
Dodgy Drifter in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Been looking at the same thing for the garden office setup. The Fogstar units seem to punch above their weight for the price, but I'm wondering about the BMS reliability long-term?
Nobby in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@QJ_Builds — yeah, the post got mangled. Reckon @EssexNomad's got a decent spec in there somewhere though.
Fogstar_Fan in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mixed orientation definitely makes sense for a static setup – you're not tilting panels seasonally like we boat folk do, so spread works better. What's your battery capacity though?
Battery Ray in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Depends on your charge controller and battery voltage, really. What've you got? Series pushes voltage, parallel pushes current.
Wonky Mender in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Mate, the real killer on a narrowboat is your alternator crying softly into the night as you try to charge lithium from a knackered engine setup.
FETFan in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Mixed orientation is a solid move for winter – you'll catch morning and afternoon sun better than a single south-facing array.
Emma Edwards in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The portable angle is spot on, but I'd push back slightly on the "cheapest" framing here. I've learned the hard way that budget solar on a rental becomes expensive solar when you're...
Callum Hobbs in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mixed orientation sounds like you're hedging your bets, but 16x 330W in a caravan setup is decent – just make sure your roof can handle the wind loading without turning into a sail.
Salty Trekker in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Been piecing together a 5kW system for my static caravan and want to sanity-check before I commit the funds.
Ed Hamilton in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 3
For a Sprinter, honestly? Go 24V. Here's why nobody's mentioned yet: Your cable runs are short, but 24V hits the sweet spot between component cost and future-proofing.
Marine Gaz in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Had a mate ignore voltage drop once on his narrowboat. Ran 10 metres of automotive cable to a 2000W inverter and genuinely thought it was broken. It wasn't — it just couldn't feed itself properly.
Panel Steve in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been wondering the same thing myself, @MuddySkipper. I've got a narrowboat setup and the cable run from my roof panels to the charge controller in the cabin is about 8 metres — nightmare routing...
Sunny Fisher in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Yeah, the renting bit's definitely the trap door here. If you're moving in a year or two, you'll want something portable rather than bolted down. I'd look at a small expandable setup...
Moor Camper in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The reality is it works brilliantly for some families and absolutely doesn't for others — there's no middle ground, really. What I've found with my shepherds hut setup is that it's sustainable if...
Salty Hiker in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@AZY_Marine nailed it there. I've been down this rabbit hole with my static caravan setup — spent more evenings than I'd like to admit sorting BMS configs and cell balancing when I could've just...
Birch Lover in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1