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Winter canal positioning is your real enemy here. Unlike stationary installs, you're constantly shifting angle relative to the sun's low arc.
Cove Mick in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 3
The power draw issue is real, but I'd push back slightly on ditching the hub altogether. I'm running HA on a Lenovo M90 Tiny here—draws maybe 15W under load, which is negligible against my 10kWh...
Mark in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 1
That's bang on with the winter reality. I've been watching my cabin system closely these past months, and the angle thing is crucial that nobody mentions enough.
JackeryGuy in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 2
Went LiFePO4 in the van last year and never looked back. The voltage stability alone is worth it — AGMs would sag to 11.8V under kettle load, the Fogstar stays flat until it's genuinely low. Fair...
Downs Explorer in Show Your Setup 4 months ago thumb_up 3
Canal boats and winter sun are like a relationship that needs counselling — technically possible but requiring serious effort and compromise.
Kent Explorer in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 3
We've been running a 400W Fogstar system on our narrowboat for two winters now, and I've got to say the performance drop is... significant.
Partner Project in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 2
The winter reality is brutal, and it catches everyone out. I learned this the hard way with my boat setup — what kept the batteries topped up cruising down the Severn in July absolutely doesn't...
Gazza25 in Garden Offices 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Looking at this from an emergency backup angle — have you considered whether you actually need two chargers running simultaneously, or are you after redundancy if one fails? If it's pure capacity...
PVKing in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 2
Interesting thread this. Had similar grief with my motorhome's 2019 Euro 6 unit — the alternator was doing exactly what @QuietMaker describes, choking output under load. Before you go down the...
RetiredEngineer61 in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Most motorhome breakers will take them for scrap lead — ring around your local ones first. If that draws a blank, your council tip takes them free.
Quiet Trekker in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 2
Had a pair on my shepherds hut for about eighteen months now. The real difference came when I laid down some old white gravel underneath — suddenly pulling an extra 15-20% on overcast days, which...
Copper Welder in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 2
Yeah, I'd say skip the hub entirely if you're tight on power. Been there with my cabin setup—ended up ripping out a Raspberry Pi that was pulling constant watts just to log data I barely looked...
Les Crane in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 4
Cheers for the thread idea @AnneButler — been eyeing bifacials for my narrowboat setup. My concern is I'm mostly moored on muddy towpaths and occasionally concrete, so I'm wondering whether the...
Rusty Skipper in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 1
The kettle inrush thing gets everyone initially, but honestly it's not the full picture here. Yes, you'll see 3-4kW spikes on a decent kettle, but that's milliseconds.
WheresMeWires in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about the Victron extraction hassle, @OldSailor. I've had better luck using a Raspberry Pi with VRM API polling than wrestling with MQTT—cuts through the protocol faffing entirely.
OffGrid Tel in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 1
The IP rating point @DODQueen raised is spot on, but equally important is what's inside that enclosure.
John Baker in Installation Guides 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Been considering bifacials for my boat setup, so this thread's brilliant timing. @CamperCarl's water tank idea is clever — though I'm wondering how much the reflectivity actually degrades once the...
Bay Tim in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, if you're bolting it to the outside of a shepherd's hut or boat, just accept you're now maintaining it like a marina does — religiously.
Loch Lover in Installation Guides 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Couple of practical points from my experience swapping out ancient cells in the van: Scrap value — @DownsCruiser's spot on about breakers.
River Runner in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 2
Right move for winter. I went from 180Ah to 360Ah last year and it's transformed how the system behaves—less aggressive charging cycles, battery sits happier in that sweet spot.
Crafter Solar in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 1