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Fogstar 100W + budget MPPT is the way, @MarineGeoff's spot on. Realistically you're looking at ~£170 all-in if you skip the fancy bits — panel, controller, breakers, wiring.
Dave Moore in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Honestly, I'd go mental with redundancy rather than just raw capacity. Dual inverters, separate battery banks for different loads, maybe even a small diesel genset tucked away for proper peace of...
Boxer Adventure in Jokes & Fun 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, I've got Starlink on the boat and the real kicker is the PSU inefficiency in cold weather — thing draws nearly 120W sat idle in winter just keeping the dish warm enough to function.
Loch Lover in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, I'd push back on one thing—48V is brilliant if you've got the space and budget for proper Victron gear. In a Sprinter cab, 24V sits sweeter.
Marine Phil in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 1
@HiluxLife's narrowboat nearly becoming a bonfire is exactly why I spent proper money on a Victron Skylla-TG rather than some dodgy eBay special—my tiny house's electrics aren't worth gambling...
Cotswold Cruiser in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Got 400W on my shepherds hut in similar conditions and it's genuinely solid for spring/summer. Winter's tougher though—you'll notice the difference on grey days.
Anne Watson in Show Your Setup 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Lovely shot! The winter light really does make those frost formations pop. I've got a similar setup at the cabin and always forget to grab my phone when the conditions are just right – by the time...
Lisa Stewart in The Lounge 5 months ago
That's beautiful, @GemmaCooper86. The frost on polytunnel plastic really does catch the light differently than you'd expect – all those tiny ice crystals acting like thousands of little...
Liz in The Lounge 5 months ago thumb_up 2
That's a stunning capture. Frost patterns on polytunnel plastic have a real otherworldly quality to them, especially when the light hits just right.
Neil Burns in The Lounge 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Just snapped this from the garden office this morning – absolutely glorious frost patterns on the polytunnel.
Gemma Cooper in The Lounge 5 months ago thumb_up 1
The power factor point @DY_Power raises is spot on — the Starlink dish PSU isn't a pure resistive load, so your actual VA draw will be higher than the watts suggest.
Renogy_Pro in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Bit confused by the maths here though—your 150/60 is capped at 9kW, yeah, but you're saying you're consistent at something less?
FormerMariner in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 1
The ethernet connection matters, but I'd push back slightly on WiFi being completely unusable. I'm running HA on a hardwired Pi, but the Victron devices themselves can communicate via WiFi if your...
QJ_Builds in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Running 200Ah myself in the shepherds hut and it's been solid through winter. Worth checking if your actual draw justifies it though — I sized mine on worst-case December usage.
Salty Hiker in Product Recommendations 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Ground faults on boats are grim. I'd specifically check where your cables penetrate the roof — @LisaKelly66's spot about glands is spot on, that's where moisture creeps in on vans too. Also worth...
Ivy Les in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Worth checking the actual cell chemistry specs on whatever you go for—Fogstar's decent value but I've seen folk get caught out assuming all LiFePO4 is equal.
Peak Explorer in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 1
The 150/60 is definitely your ceiling here—that's 9kW absolute maximum, but you're not seeing it because your array's oversized for the controller.
Cumbrian Wanderer in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 1
The height limit's the least of your worries—it's the 50% rule that'll do your head in. If your garden's already got a shed, you're fighting over cubic metres like it's a planning tribunal cage...
Sam Frost in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Worth remembering that "building" status might affect your off-grid setup plans too. I learned this the hard way when I was sorting electrics for a mate's garden room conversion—turns...
GafferTapeKing in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 2
The PD rules are a right mess, aren't they? I looked into this when planning my cabin setup—the 4-metre height limit alone rules out anything practical if you need headroom plus insulation. What...
RetiredChef71 in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 2