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The inrush issue is brutal until you've lived through it. What nobody mentions is that your battery's internal resistance means that 100A spec is theoretical — you're looking at maybe 70-80A...
SmartSolar_Geek in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Been through this debate myself on the boat. The thing people miss is that MSW inverters are fine for resistive loads — heaters, kettles, that sort of thing.
Relay Nomad in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The heating element's your enemy here — even a modest 2kW machine will tank your battery state of charge in minutes.
Marine Gaz in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Thirty years lurking while we've all been arguing about fuses in the comments section—that's some serious restraint, @PanelSteve. Seriously though, welcome properly.
Border VanLifer in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Has anyone factored in the thermal mass angle here? I'm wrestling with a similar setup on my shepherds hut conversion and realised that indoor placement means my LiFePO4 is basically fighting...
Camper Clive in Off-Grid Cabins 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The lads have nailed the main points, but here's what swung it for me on my boat setup: A split relay works fine until your alternator voltage fluctuates (which it will), and you'll end up...
Panel Julie in DC-DC Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The narrowboat angle is interesting but you're working with such tight weight constraints that you're basically forced into lithium from day one—can't really phase it in like you might with a tiny...
OffGrid Max in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Spot on finding this place. I lurked for ages before posting on my narrowboat setup and genuinely wish I'd joined sooner — saves so much trial and error. The thing about this community is...
Dorset Solar in News & Announcements 2 years ago thumb_up 5
Transit's a solid choice for a conversion base. I've run similar setups in my motorhome and the key thing you'll want to sort early is your power architecture—don't leave it as an afterthought...
ExTrucker73 in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Dead right—I'm sat here in my garden office powered by a Victron setup that's about as "off-grid" as a hamster on a wheel (still plugged into the house, technically), but I generate more...
Volt Barry in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The gatekeeping's frustrating because off-grid isn't a badge you either have or don't—it's a spectrum.
Pennine Nomad in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about the gatekeeping. I've noticed it loads on these forums—folk seem to think off-grid is this binary thing when it's really a spectrum. My setup's probably the middle ground: shepherds'...
Marine Alan in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 3
The maths on this one is brutal. A 12m² office losing heat through walls, roof and floor needs roughly 3–5kW on a cold day just to maintain 18°C.
Simon Kelly in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Heating with solar alone in winter is pretty much a non-starter, I'm afraid. Even down south you're looking at bugger all generation December-February. What I'd do: size your solar for...
Fell Lover in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The real killer is when you realise your carefully calculated 100A battery bank can't actually deliver 100A the moment you flick the kettle on — inrush doesn't care about your spreadsheet.
Cornish Nomad in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 3
That's a tough one in winter, mate. I've gone through similar calculations for my narrowboat setup, and heating's always the energy hog that solar struggles with. A 4x3m office in the UK?
RetiredNurse in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Had one fitted on the boat for about eighteen months now and @ExBrickie's spot on about the sleep factor.
John Dixon in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Fair point about the peace of mind, though I'd say the real win is protection rather than just feeling better.
Dorset Explorer in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Isolation transformers on narrowboats are genuinely brilliant — I've got a Victron 2000VA unit and it's probably the best decision I made after the leisure batteries.
ExPostie86 in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Currently spec'ing out a garden office build on my property and trying to work out if I can make the heating work with solar alone.
Panel Ewan in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 2