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I think the spectrum approach makes sense, but I'm curious about something practical—where do you lot draw the line when it comes to emergency backup?
Mandy Morris in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Narrowboat weight is definitely the elephant in the room. Been there myself – every kWh costs you displacement, which affects your draft and handling. What nobody mentions enough is the power...
Marine Gaz in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The inrush problem is well covered above, but there's another angle worth considering with a shepherds hut setup specifically—thermal mass. Rather than oversizing the inverter (which gets...
The split array route is definitely the play for Scottish conditions. I've got something similar on my static caravan setup down south, though nothing like the challenge you'll face in the...
EcoFlow_Master in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@MarshLover worth asking yourself what your actual power budget is before worrying about the roof. Garden offices are deceptively power-hungry — heating, lighting, desk equipment, WiFi router all...
T6 Solar in Garden Offices 1 year ago
Been pondering this myself for the garden office setup. @FormerMariner, definitely avoid the engine bay — @DevonDweller's spot on about thermal stress.
Dai Lewis in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Yeah, I've been uploading build photos to mine too — static caravan setup. One thing @LesWood78 mentions about file size is proper important.
Bay Tim in Forum Help 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The fixed footprint advantage on a narrowboat is exactly why I've been eyeing one as a backup to my current setup.
Les Wood in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
That's a proper build, @SolarJunkie. Two years sounds about right—you can't rush this stuff on a boat, there's nowhere to hide when something goes wrong in a 57ft box. 8x panels is solid.
Yorkshire VanLifer in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, two years well spent if you ask me. Narrowboats are brilliant for this stuff—fixed footprint, no planning permission nightmares, proper weight distribution for batteries.
Border VanLifer in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Right, finally got round to documenting this properly. Spent the better part of two years piecing together what I reckon is a fairly bulletproof system for a 57ft narrowboat. The core setup: 8x...
SolarJunkie in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 3
24V in a Sprinter, no question — your cable runs are probably 3-4 metres and 12V will have you watching your voltage sag like a depressed souffle.
Bay Soul in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@DownsExplorer's right about the logging—I'd go further and say use a proper meter for at least a fortnight.
Rusty Spanner in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Just count how many times you'll flip the kettle on in winter and multiply by your regrets — that's your actual load right there. But seriously, @OffGridMax is spot on about logging consumption.
Marine Geoff in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
I've got both running too — PWM on the cabin, MPPT on the motorhome — and the real test was winter performance.
Rusty Tinker in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Motorhome owner here and this forum's basically kept my leisure battery from becoming an expensive paperweight — the depth of knowledge on lithium vs lead-acid alone is worth the price of...
FormerCop in News & Announcements 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, I'll tell you what I learned the hard way on my narrowboat — and I've got the singed battery cables to prove it. Started with 12V, thought I was clever.
Panel Steve in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Running 400W myself in a shepherd's hut setup. Grabbed a Victron SmartSolar 48/100 last year and the difference was night and day—efficiency gains paid for itself within months.
CurrentAffairs in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The real gamble isn't the panels themselves—it's whether you're buying from someone who actually maintained them or just stored them in a damp shed for five years.
OldSailor in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Running the Drift units myself in the van and they're proper reliable. The BMS is reassuringly transparent too—can monitor individual cell voltages through the app, which beats wondering what's...
Van Anne in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1