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Two years of lurking is basically the perfect apprenticeship on here. You've watched enough threads spiral into debate about battery chemistry and controller sizing that you'll know which hills...
Wild Hermit in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been there, mate. Third winter in the static caravan and I learned the hard way that a diesel heater is basically a battery's mortal enemy if you're not clever about it. The sequencing chat is...
Boxer Project in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, I've got a Fogstar 200Ah LiFePO4 in the static caravan and it genuinely plays dead below 5°C — cost me a fortune in heating tape before I stopped being a cheapskate about it. The trick is a...
Border VanLifer in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Been through this exact scenario myself — swapped lead-acid for 200Ah LiFePO4 in the motorhome last year. Night and day difference.
BodgeItAndScarper in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 3
The lads above have nailed the critical bit—simultaneous demand is what'll sink you, not peak watts.
Daily Solar in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@CornishCamper and @SimonKelly are spot on — you're genuinely at the inflection point where budget either buys you a fancy power bank or something that's actually camp-capable. The real question...
Nessa in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Have you considered seasonal variation? I'm in a motorhome and winter consumption versus summer is massive for me. Panel output drops significantly November-February even down south.
JG_VanLife in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Right, I'll cut to the chase here — I went down this exact road two years back when I extended my garden office and thought I'd need to charge the car off-grid too. The honest truth?
Nige in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Agreed with @WattEd on the reality check. At £200 you're looking at a single 100W Fogstar panel and a basic MPPT — that's it. Skip the "all-in-one" rubbish kits.
OldSparky52 in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The stock PSU is genuinely the weak link here. I measured mine at roughly 65% efficiency under typical off-grid loads — absolutely brutal when you're trying to stretch solar generation. Swapped it...
Bazza60 in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, the inrush current on full-size machines is brutal—you're looking at 3-4kW peaks. Done it on my boat setup and it's just not worth the battery cost. Compact 3-5kg washers are the way.
DODGuy in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The real question is whether you're actually adding 7kW of simultaneous demand or just hoping to charge an EV someday—massive difference on your battery bank, as @LiFePO4Nerd rightly points...
RetiredChef in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
@DorsetSolar—bit more detail needed on the battery side. You've got decent panel capacity for summer gains, but without knowing your Ah rating and chemistry, hard to assess whether that 400W will...
Panel Ewan in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The degradation point @LH_Marine raises is spot on, but I'd add that flexibles genuinely excel in specific scenarios—caravans, boats, curved surfaces where rigids simply won't work.
Brook Runner in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
The PSU swap is genuinely the move here. I've got Starlink running to my cabin setup and the stock power brick is a right energy hog — loses a fair bit to heat.
Relay Nomad in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Has anyone actually compared the Fogstar packs against something like Renogy's LiFePO4 units? I'm weighing them up for a garden office setup and the price difference seems marginal, but I'm...
Liz in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Curious about the actual temperature you're hitting — are we talking dipping below freezing regularly, or just that annoying 0-5°C range?
Cleggy in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Lovely shot that. The frost does look proper stunning at that angle. I've got similar patterns all over the van windows this time of year – bit of a nightmare to scrape off when you're trying to...
Cornish Camper in The Lounge 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Had a mate try running a full-size washer off solar last year. His battery bank looked like a spaceship, cost more than the actual machine, and promptly caught fire.
Panel Steve in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Had this exact problem on the boat last winter — my Victron LiFePO4s were basically sulking below 5°C.
Anglia Camper in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago