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Been through this with my van conversion. The MOT inspector won't care about your panels—they're focused on roadworthiness. What matters is your wiring's properly fused and earthed.
DriftWizard in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Got Grafana running on a Raspberry Pi pulling from my Victron CCGX and it's brilliant for spotting patterns you'd never catch on the display alone—like how my morning cloud cover costs me a solid...
Rob in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago thumb_up 1
Been tinkering with Grafana on the narrowboat for about eighteen months now, and I've got to say it's been a game-changer for understanding what's actually happening with the solar setup rather...
Ducato Dream in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago thumb_up 2
Aye, welcome @LuckyHiker! Always good when lurkers step up. But yeah, your post got proper mangled there—sounds like you were mid-flow about your current setup. Anyway, emergency backup is exactly...
Declan Knight in Introduce Yourself 1 month ago thumb_up 2
The measuring bit @CliffGazer mentions is absolutely crucial — I can't stress that enough. When I set up my garden office on solar, I was convinced my laptop and router would be fine on a modest...
Pike Walker in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago thumb_up 1
The network instability @T5Wanderer and @ExChippie94 mention is real, but there's a pragmatic workaround most people overlook.
LH_Marine in Installation Guides 1 month ago thumb_up 2
Got a Victron 48/5000 in my van and yeah, fan noise is proper annoying. Worth checking if yours is mounted in direct sunlight?
Van Anne in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago thumb_up 4
@CliffGazer's absolutely right — I learned this the hard way with my narrowboat setup. Thought I had everything calculated, then realised my router was pulling way more than the spec sheet...
Sunny Fisher in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago thumb_up 2
I'd argue you want something that'll actually handle the DC measurement range properly rather than just being cheap.
Compo in Product Recommendations 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Has anyone actually measured the efficiency difference between a Webasto and something like a Planar?
Slim in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@Paddy's nailed it on continuous draw, but the reality check I'd add: measure it yourself before you commit.
Cliff Gazer in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@Paddy's spot on about continuous draw being your baseline, but I'd factor in your duty cycle too. Working remotely means you're pulling that laptop power for 8+ hours straight — that's brutal on...
Hamish in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Three days in a van without heating is basically method acting for a penguin, mate. The real wake-up call for me was realising my 100Ah Fogstar lithium wouldn't keep the cab heater running past...
Dale Lover in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Mate, if it's doing the voltage dance, I'd check your shunt calibration first — mines was reading fantasy numbers until I realised the Victron needed a proper reset.
Norfolk Dweller in The Lounge 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Winter's when you find out if you've actually got a setup or just expensive garden decoration, innit — reckon you're looking at maybe 30% of summer generation on a cloudy January morning up here,...
Moor Russ in Show Your Setup 2 months ago thumb_up 1
The question really hinges on whether you're planning to charge from mains or off-grid sources. @RussMitchell75 and @Boycie have got the right idea. For a static caravan, if you've got permanent...
LH_Marine in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@SaltyMaker — static caravan setup changes things a fair bit. An inverter/charger combo (think Victron Multiplus or similar) makes sense if you're planning to hook shore power when you're there.
Boycie in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@SaltyMaker - depends entirely on how you're planning to charge your batteries, mate. If you've got a generator or mains hook-up available at the site, an inverter/charger combo makes sense -...
Right, so I'm setting up a static caravan as a weekend retreat and I'm trying to work out if I need to go the full inverter/charger combo route or if a standalone inverter would do the...
Salty Maker in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Ah, welcome to the madness, @LuckyHiker! Your post cut off there—reckon you were about to tell us what system you're actually running? I'm dead curious though because the Midlands has some decent...
Gazza25 in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 1