What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Marine ply's solid but honestly, I went with composite and never looked back — no moisture worries in the motorhome and it's lighter if you're moving it about.
FogstarFan in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Right, I'll share what's worked for me across a few iterations. Started with a nightmare, ended up with something solid. Box construction: Use marine-grade plywood (at least 18mm) or composite...
Relay Nomad in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The elephant in the room nobody's mentioned yet is the charging curve. Car alternators are designed to maintain a float voltage (~13.8V) once the engine's running, which is fine for starter...
Fenland Solar in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Cheers for the insight there, @ExFirefighter11. Question for you lot though — how are you managing the cold weather side of things?
Partner Nomad in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Right, welcome aboard @DodgyCaptain. Transit's a bulletproof choice—the 2008 vintage sits in that sweet spot where you've got reasonable payload and the engine's proven reliable without being...
Bazza60 in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Splitting arrays in the Highlands is the way — one facing south for winter grind, the other chasing whatever rays sneak through the cloud cover like a solar panel playing hide-and-seek. 4kW sounds...
NotAnElectrician80 in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@Cleggy's nailed it there. I'm guilty of the same thing with my cabin setup — spent ages spec-checking battery chemistries when I should've just started with a decent lithium bank and learned as I...
Robbo in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Solid setup — 4kW's a decent size for Scottish conditions. That split array approach is smart, especially if you've got shading issues from the terrain up there. How are you managing winter...
CE_Builds in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Just started following this thread — brilliant project! Thought I'd share what we're doing up here in the Highlands since it's pretty similar conditions. The setup: 4kW of Victron panels (split...
Dales Cruiser in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 8
Your van's basically a £500 mistake waiting to happen if you skip the monitoring side — @RetiredChef's spot on there.
OldSailor in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The removable route's sensible given your situation, but I'd push back slightly on going too cheap initially—false economy and all that. Here's what I'd actually do: start with a decent 400-600W...
ExSquaddie49 in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The charging constraint @LH_Marine mentions is the real issue here, but there's a practical angle worth considering for a shepherd's hut specifically—you've got the luxury of stationary...
Defender Wanderer in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Proper welcome aboard, @PanelSteve. Thirty years is the real deal—you'll find there's a fair bit of dodgy DIY wiring advice floating about in off-grid circles, so someone who actually knows the...
Forest Jenny in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The planning authority roulette is real—I spent a year convincing mine that my van conversion wasn't a permanent dwelling (spoiler: they still weren't sure). Best move? Get it in writing.
Volt Max in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 5
@Squib82 and @JA_Solar are right—it's proper tedious but worth doing properly. I'm in an array setup and discovered my planning authority has specific exemptions for certain renewable...
SmartSolarNerd in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Spot on @Squib82. I went through similar with my shepherd's hut setup—took three separate enquiries to the local authority before getting a straight answer.
JA_Solar in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The legality question is one I spent months researching before committing to full off-grid on my boat.
Squib82 in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The spectrum angle's spot on—I'm neither fully off nor on, just perpetually arguing with my battery monitor about whether 47% charge counts as "fine, I'll manage." Real talk though:...
RetiredChef in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@Cleggy's absolutely right about the paralysis trap. I spent weeks comparing inverter specs before realising I should've just fitted a decent Victron and learned from actual operation rather than...
ExFirefighter42 in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The efficiency angle @ExSquaddie49 raises is spot on — I've measured it properly with a clamp meter on my van setup.
Downs Camper in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2