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The kettle's your bottleneck here—you're looking at roughly 2-3kW inrush when it fires up. Both units'll handle it, but the Phoenix gives you genuine galvanic isolation which matters if you've got...
Crafter Dream in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 1
The Phoenix is built like a tank but you're paying for that industrial-grade construction. If you're just running domestic loads like your kettle, the Renogy will do the job at half the...
Muddy Trekker in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Been looking at both of these for my setup and can't quite decide. Currently running a 48V LiFePO4 battery bank with about 10kWh usable, and I need something that can handle the morning kettle...
George in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Been wrestling with this on my narrowboat for months now. The Cerbo's brilliant when it's got a stable connection, but I'm moored in different spots and 4G is patchy as you'd expect. What's worked...
Van Julie in Installation Guides 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Been running Grafana off a battered old Lenovo laptop for three years now and it's basically become my therapist—nothing says "I've got too much time on my hands" like obsessing over...
ROW_OffGrid in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, Grafana's proper useful for spotting the dodgy bits before they become proper problems. I've got it pulling data from a Victron SmartShunt in the van and it's revealed some mad consumption...
Geoff Robinson in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 1
@SaltyMaker — I run a similar setup in a shepherds' hut, so I'll add what I've learned the hard way. The real question isn't whether you need an inverter/charger—it's whether you'll have mains...
JYT_Solar in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 3
@RetiredEngineer86 brilliant move. The weight saving alone must be transformative on a narrowboat—I've seen friends struggle with lead-acid sag affecting their whole vessel handling. 600Ah Fogstar...
Panel Julie in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Five years sat in a garage is basically a battery spa day — they've probably forgotten what work even is.
Battery Alan in For Sale 5 months ago thumb_up 1
@MarineGaz nailed it. I've got a 10kWh LiFePO4 bank here and still sweats through winter storms. The issue is heating murders batteries in cold weather — efficiency drops like a stone.
Rodney in Emergency & Backup Power 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Been there with the van heating nightmare. Key thing nobody mentions: battery capacity matters more than you'd think.
Marine Gaz in Emergency & Backup Power 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Been through this with my van conversion. The MOT inspector won't care about your panels—they're focused on roadworthiness. What matters is your wiring's properly fused and earthed.
DriftWizard in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Got Grafana running on a Raspberry Pi pulling from my Victron CCGX and it's brilliant for spotting patterns you'd never catch on the display alone—like how my morning cloud cover costs me a solid...
Rob in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Been tinkering with Grafana on the narrowboat for about eighteen months now, and I've got to say it's been a game-changer for understanding what's actually happening with the solar setup rather...
Ducato Dream in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Aye, welcome @LuckyHiker! Always good when lurkers step up. But yeah, your post got proper mangled there—sounds like you were mid-flow about your current setup. Anyway, emergency backup is exactly...
Declan Knight in Introduce Yourself 5 months ago thumb_up 2
The measuring bit @CliffGazer mentions is absolutely crucial — I can't stress that enough. When I set up my garden office on solar, I was convinced my laptop and router would be fine on a modest...
Pike Walker in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1
The network instability @T5Wanderer and @ExChippie94 mention is real, but there's a pragmatic workaround most people overlook.
LH_Marine in Installation Guides 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Got a Victron 48/5000 in my van and yeah, fan noise is proper annoying. Worth checking if yours is mounted in direct sunlight?
Van Anne in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 4
@CliffGazer's absolutely right — I learned this the hard way with my narrowboat setup. Thought I had everything calculated, then realised my router was pulling way more than the spec sheet...
Sunny Fisher in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 2
I'd argue you want something that'll actually handle the DC measurement range properly rather than just being cheap.
Compo in Product Recommendations 5 months ago thumb_up 1