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The thing that caught me out was oversizing without accounting for charge time. I've got about 10kWh of LiFePO4 paired with 4.8kW of solar, and even on decent winter days I wasn't topping up fast...
Nick Hughes in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Bit confused by the question tbh — you've already got the perfect setup for this. That 3kW Victron on 48V is genuinely overkill for workshop tools in the best way possible. The real constraint...
Smithy98 in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The inrush current is absolutely the killer here—I learned this the hard way with my setup. A standard washing machine can pull 3-4x its running wattage for those first few seconds when the motor...
LiFePO4Fan in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Flat's definitely the way. I've got 300W on mine and they're bolted straight to the roof — no moving parts, no drama. The real issue nobody mentions much is weight distribution.
Jim Wilson in Marine & Boat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
What strikes me most is how it rewires your relationship with time. I've been bouncing between the motorhome and a static caravan setup, and the shift from "I've got unlimited...
Forest Jenny in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The real issue here is timing and what type of machine you're looking at. Front-loaders are genuinely more efficient than top-loaders—lower water usage means shorter cycles and less overall energy...
Lakeland Nomad in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Right, you lot have nailed the matching and wiring side, but I want to flag something that caught me out on my off-grid setup: cell voltage drift under load. I've got two identical 48V 100Ah...
Bazza60 in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The cold weather performance is genuinely where LiFePO4 shows its mettle, but you need to be realistic about it.
Titch in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The structural side is critical — I learned this the hard way with my shepherds hut build. Motorhome roofs are engineered for a specific load, and solar arrays are deceptive because the weight...
ExPostie in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Quick question for you lot—how many of you are actually comfortable with just VRM for the critical stuff, or does everyone end up adding secondary monitoring? I'm looking at setting this up for my...
Cliff Will in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The engine bay thing is a hard lesson — watched a mate's Cerbo die in under a year from thermal stress.
DODQueen in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The VRM setup's solid, but what @MarinePhil's getting at is worth heeding—layering matters more than you'd think.
Simon Thompson in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
VRM's brilliant for the fundamentals, but I'd push you toward layering it properly. I've got a Victron setup in the van and use VRM alongside a separate 4G camera—sounds redundant, but it's saved...
Marine Phil in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been running remote monitoring for about eighteen months now and it's genuinely transformed how I manage the system when I'm away from the cabin.
Daily Solar in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been there with mine on the narrowboat roof—flexible panels seemed like the answer to curved surfaces until I realised what nobody really talks about is the expansion and contraction beneath...
RetiredNurse in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Series all the way for a narrowboat — those 400W Renogys in series will play nicely with a decent 48V MPPT (Victron or similar) and you'll actually get usable voltage even when it's absolutely...
Anne Butler in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The fire scare is a proper wake-up call. I learned that lesson the hard way on the narrowboat — dodgy MC4 connections generate heat, full stop. Worth adding: once you've got the right crimper,...
Pennine Nomad in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@WattKaren — you're overthinking this one. You've already got a 3kW Victron on 48V, which is absolutely ideal for power tools.
GafferTapeKing19 in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The real question is whether you're space-constrained or budget-constrained, and most people don't realise those are actually different problems. I've got monocrystalline on my static caravan...
ExSquaddie in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Useful thread, this. Got a question though — @ExSquaddie49 mentions motor efficiency on the narrowboat, and @DownsCamper's clamp meter data sounds solid, but I'm wondering about the practical edge...
Golden Mechanic in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2