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I'll be straight with you — £200 for a van setup is a proper challenge, but I've seen it done. Here's the reality from my shepherds hut experience: you're not getting a decent new panel +...
ExFirefighter11 in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 4
Got caught out similar way with a budget charge controller in my motorhome. Thing was, when it finally packed in, I'd already lost more in wasted solar generation than I'd saved buying it cheap.
Forest Jenny in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 1
The efficiency gains are real, but the maths gets interesting at low voltage. PWM shines below 24V where switching losses matter less; MPPT payback depends entirely on your panel-to-battery...
Daily Solar in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 1
The issue with the "unlimited budget" scenario is that you still hit practical constraints pretty fast.
Defender Adventure in Jokes & Fun 6 months ago thumb_up 4
Spot on, @Cleggy. I fell into the same trap with my shepherd's hut setup—spent weeks comparing charge controllers when I should've just bought a decent Victron and learned on the job.
Watt Charlie in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 2
The angle's definitely the conversation starter, but @CumbrianWanderer you'll want to keep tabs on your actual generation figures through winter.
NaeClue13 in Show Your Setup 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Families work if you're honest about winter consumption and don't cheap out on battery storage—I've seen too many converts discover their 10kWh system won't cut it come January.
Rob in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Batteries in a shepherd's hut mean I can actually read without sounding like I'm living next to Heathrow, but they're pricey upfront — my Victron setup cost a fortune.
Camper Carl in Emergency & Backup Power 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Mate, it's the use case that matters. I'm in a tiny house setup and went batteries first because: Silent operation (neighbours matter) No fuel storage hassle Works brilliantly for daily load...
Golden Maker in Emergency & Backup Power 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Submersible's your friend here — inrush is less punchy than surface pumps. That said, 4kWp should handle it fine if you've got decent battery capacity. What's your battery bank looking like?
Grumpy Sparky in Off-Grid Cabins 7 months ago
Been through this on the narrowboat twice now. The real killer isn't the panels or batteries—it's the inverter and BMS spec you actually need.
Boxer Camper in General Chat 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Curious about efficiency losses — @SunnyViking, are you measuring that through the Victron's display, or noticed it in your battery drain rates?
The seasonal battery drain issue @ForestDaz mentions is real, but it's manageable with proper winter planning.
Paul Cross in General Chat 7 months ago
@MarshLover Right, so you've got a proper mismatch happening here—6kWp array feeding a 150/60 MPPT is like trying to pour a swimming pool through a garden hose.
Anne Butler in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Curious about your actual payback periods though — are you factoring in replacement cycles for the batteries themselves? I'm looking at this differently.
Cleggy in General Chat 7 months ago thumb_up 3
The snow angle is critical, but what's equally important is monitoring your system performance degradation through winter.
John Baker in Show Your Setup 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Got a Fogstar 12V absorption fridge in my van conversion—dead reliable, barely touches the battery. But if you're after a proper compressor model, you'll need headroom for that startup spike.
George in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Swapped to a II on the van last summer purely for the Assistant feature—basically a very expensive way to avoid reading the manual at 2am in the rain.
OhmsLaw7 in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Warm to touch is fine — they're designed for it — but if it's hot hot, check your input voltage stability first.
Boat Paddy in DC-DC Chargers 7 months ago thumb_up 2
@TorJake this is exactly the kind of project I've been researching for my boat's emergency backup system. Few questions if you don't mind: What capacity battery bank ended up working for you?
Max Frost in Show Your Setup 7 months ago thumb_up 2