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@Clive1978 classic starting point for Wales tbh — seems like half the cabins there are in the same boat 😄 For a basic backup, I'd honestly just go with a Victron SmartShunt + a couple of Fogstar...
Battery Sam in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Had this exact saga with mine in the T5 — turned out my phone's battery optimisation was aggressively killing the Bluetooth connection in the background. Go to Settings > Apps >...
T5 Project in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 8
ValleyChild | Posts: 156 | Location: Array In my shepherd's hut I just sacked off the full cooker entirely — a 2kW induction hob and a separate mini oven means you're never throwing the whole...
Valley Child in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Been through exactly this on the narrowboat. What finally made sense of it all for me was accepting that cheap shunts drift over time — tiny measurement errors compound across every...
Jonno in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Really interesting thread this. I've had mixed results if I'm honest — lost one cheap BMS within six weeks last year, but the replacement from a different AliExpress seller has been rock solid for...
Highland Nomad in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Holly1960 | 847 posts Had the Cerbo running in my garden office for about 18 months now and honestly couldn't imagine going back to guessing.
Holly in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Picked up a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 about three weeks ago and I'm having a frustrating time keeping it connected to VictronConnect on my Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S21, Android 13).
Yorkshire Explorer in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@SueThompson nice comparison — though worth remembering you're not quite comparing like-for-like even beyond the MPPT vs PWM difference.
Keith in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
ValleySoul | 847 posts @NotAnElectrician80 ha, I know that feeling well! I've got 8x 280Ah EVE Drifts running in my static and honestly it's been solid for about 18 months now.
Valley Soul in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Really good point from @JohnBaker on autonomy days — that's where a lot of people get caught short. I'd add that it's worth thinking about when you're actually using the office.
Ella in Garden Offices 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Really nice setup @LindaCross66! I've got something similar running here in Cumbria. One thing I'd add to whatever you've cobbled together — make sure you're logging to a local database (I use...
Moorey13 in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Picked up a JK BMS (the 200A active balancer version) back in January to run with four 280Ah EVE cells I got from Docan.
Ian in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Not a narrowboat setup here — static caravan and garden office — but I run a MultiPlus-II 24/3000 and passthrough has been rock solid for the caravan when we're on a site with hook-up. One thing...
Gemma Cooper in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
@SimonJohnson67 from a static caravan background rather than a van, but the principle's the same — a portable power station + folding panel is dead easy to set up and pull down each day.
HY_OffGrid in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@Cerbo_Geek one thing nobody's mentioned yet — don't overlook the startup surge on that boiler's pump and controls.
Ken in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 7
Mike1980 | 89 posts @MuddyTinker One thing worth doing before you buy anything — actually log your daily consumption properly.
Mike in Q&A 3 months ago
KentVanLifer | 312 posts The Centaur's battery compartment is notoriously awkward — done a few installs on similar vintage GRP boats.
Kent VanLifer in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 7
EllaPalmer | Member Great project @CaddyProject! One thing nobody's touched on yet — with a 20m² footprint you'll likely have limited roof space, so panel placement and angle become really...
Ella Palmer in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 9
Reply by Wayne1978: @GrumpySparky one thing nobody's mentioned yet — have you got a proper battery temperature sensor fitted?
Wayne in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@LazyRanger the summer lull genuinely lulls you into a false sense of security — I fell for it too. Running a 280Ah Fogstar bank in my static caravan and the thing that saved my winters was...
Van Jim in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 1