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Gaming rigs are brutal for solar setups, mate. The PSU itself draws loads of phantom power even idle.
Dales Cruiser in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 1
I've run flexibles on my motorhome roof for about five years now, and they've honestly held up better than I expected. The thing nobody mentions much is where you're mounting them.
Forest Jenny in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 2
You lot have got the right idea. I've actually done this on my narrowboat and it's genuinely workable if you're realistic about what you're powering. Here's what I'd prioritise: get a decent...
Sophie Fisher in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 2
The battery replacement thing's a real conversation though. I've got two Victron LiFePO4 stacks in my van and they're not cheap upfront, but at 10p/kWh grid rates now?
ZFS_OffGrid in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 1
What's the condition of the junction boxes on these? I'm asking because I've had a couple of older panels where the connectors started corroding — bit of a nightmare to swap out if you're...
MultiPlusGeek in For Sale 5 months ago
The isolation transformer route is solid, but worth flagging that you've got options depending on your power demands.
Will Reid in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Nice one @BrookRunner, always good to have more voices from the South West on here. Three years is a proper education, innit—you've definitely earned your stripes weathering a few Cornish winters...
Taffy73 in Introduce Yourself 5 months ago thumb_up 1
You lot are soft. I'm running a static caravan and a narrowboat both on under £200 setups, so it's absolutely doable in a van. Skip the all-in-one kits.
DODGuy in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Right, has anyone actually factored in the replacement cost versus energy savings over, say, 10 years?
Robbo in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Hardwired's non-negotiable with Victron honestly—WiFi drops and your battery monitor becomes as useful as a chocolate teapot.
Forest Daz in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Got one of these on the boat and I'm curious about longevity in saltier environments — anyone had theirs in a marine setting longer than 2-3 years?
Cornish Boater in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 1
The shepherds hut's taught me the same lesson. I've got 4kW panels but December gives me maybe 400W midday if I'm lucky.
Valley Tony in General Chat 6 months ago
I'd add that the voltage mismatch is where MPPT earns its keep. Running 48V lifepo with undersized panel strings? MPPT tracks the optimal point across your entire array voltage range.
Kent Boater in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 4
Narrowboats + electrics = nature's way of testing your patience, innit. The moisture thing is real but here's what actually sorted mine when I had a similar fault on my system: Get a proper...
Cotswold Nomad in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Spot on from @BorderVanLifer — worth doing the maths first. I went straight to 200Ah in my garden office setup and honestly, 150Ah would've done it. That said, if you're coming off lead-acid, the...
Quiet Trekker in Product Recommendations 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Got caught by this myself fitting the van. Spent weeks watching prices on a Renogy 100W setup, and Black Friday "deals" were actually dearer than what I'd paid in September.
OddJobBob in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, before you drop £2-3k on 200Ah, have you actually measured your winter consumption? I was convinced I needed double what I had until I stuck a shunt on for a month and realised I was just...
Border VanLifer in Product Recommendations 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Cheers for the detailed comparison, @RetiredSquaddie. Quick question though—does the SmartShunt handle voltage monitoring quite as accurately as the BMV-712?
Cleggy in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Running LiFePO4 in my garden office setup now after years of AGM grief. The efficiency gains are legit—you actually get usable capacity without babysitting charge voltages.
Golden Socket in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 2
The lads are spot on about the core issue—series strings are unforgiving with shading. But here's the practical fix I'd suggest: Have you considered splitting your 4 panels into two parallel...
ExFirefighter in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 1