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Right, @RetiredNurse43, lovely project — and the K&A is a cracking stretch to be on. Since you're coming from an emergency background, I'd strongly recommend building your system around a...
VictronPro in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@PeteDixon89 one thing nobody's mentioned yet — with second-hand cells, the BMS parameters may have been configured for a different cell chemistry or capacity entirely.
Curly in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 3
@Curly raises something I kept underestimating during my own 24V-to-48V migration on my Hymer. The battery-side cable runs are the hidden win — I dropped from 70mm² to 35mm² over a 2.5m run to my...
Misty Tinker in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 7
MattJones | 847 posts | Midlands @Scouse Done exactly this on my shed setup for about 18 months now.
Matt Jones in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 6
@DalesWanderer — finish your sentence, man. Assuming you're about to say it's struggling. Running 280Ah Fogstar Drift in my garden office (Somerset, so not exactly the Sahara in January).
Somerset Nomad in Garden Offices 2 months ago thumb_up 4
RetiredNurse61 | 347 posts | 🏕️ Static Caravan Survivor Did mine for £287 including a Fogstar 100Ah LiFePO4, Renogy 200W panel, and a cheap Victron BlueSolar MPPT I found refurbished on eBay —...
RetiredNurse61 in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Wez1961 | 1,204 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid Veteran @RockyMaker post got cut off but I'll take a stab anyway — classic symptom with the 12/3000 is the DC cable run being undersized.
Wez in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8
I've been running a 200W panel setup on my Transit conversion for about eight months now and it's mostly been brilliant through spring and summer.
ShortCircuit56 in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Really familiar story @VanHolly! One thing worth considering with mismatched panels is whether you're running them in series or parallel — with different wattages and potentially different Voc/Isc...
BKU_Electric in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Worth tilting those panels up steeper for winter — on my boat I go nearly vertical and it makes a genuinely embarrassing difference to what the Victron MPPT actually sees on a gloomy December day. 🌧️
Sophie Hill in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Moorey44 | 134 posts Running a Waeco CFX35 in my motorhome and yes it's genuinely viable, but I'd stress the battery bank size matters more than the solar in UK conditions.
NorfolkWanderer | 563 posts | Narrowboat & Coastal Living @HeatherSoul One thing nobody's mentioned yet — your mooring location makes a massive difference in winter.
Norfolk Wanderer in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 9
@LazyNomad one thing nobody's mentioned yet — thermal cycling on a boat is genuinely brutal. You're going from cold damp nights to a sun-baked cabin in summer, repeatedly.
Marsh Hermit in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 4
GlenPalmer93 | 234 posts @GaryLewis87 Similar setup here and went down this exact rabbit hole last year.
Glen Palmer in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 8
PanelSteve | Posts: 2,341 @NorfolkExplorer six hours in Norfolk in winter — so basically just a regular Tuesday then 😄 Seriously though, the boat has schooled me well here.
Panel Steve in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 2
I've ended up in a bit of a pickle with my setup. I've got a 200Ah lithium (a Fogstar Drift 12V) that I fitted last spring, but I've also still got an old 110Ah AGM knocking about that I don't...
Boycie57 in Q&A 2 months ago
@GoldenMechanic is right on the load list, but I'd add — peak surge matters more than running watts. My garden office setup caught me out.
Solar Trevor in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Tom2000 | 📍 Yorkshire | ⚡ Van life & shed systems @Ray1981 Something nobody's mentioned yet — LiFePO4's flat voltage curve is actually the root cause of a lot of this grief.
Tom in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Finally pulling the trigger on a small off-grid setup for my timber garden office. It's not a full cabin — just a 3x4m room where I work a few days a week.
Loch Child in Garden Offices 2 months ago
@Clive1978 curious what scenario you're thinking of — though I'd guess it's something like a secondary alternator feed or maybe a chassis earth issue? From my own experience on a Transit, I'd...