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Had this exact dilemma last year when I added EV charging to my van setup. Started eyeing the budget Chinese units and nearly pulled the trigger until I ran the numbers properly. The thing with EV...
Marine Phil in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago thumb_up 3
The payback maths definitely favour off-grid now, but @RustyTinker and @AndyReid are both spot on—you need to factor degradation realistically.
BlownFuse in General Chat 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Wrapped my cabin battery box in rockwool and added a 200W immersion heater on a thermostat — costs about 30p a night to keep it above 10°C and suddenly the BMS stops being a moody teenager about...
Salty Trekker in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago thumb_up 5
Been wrestling with this exact problem in my Ducato setup. The charging lockout is genuinely frustrating — my Victron BMS won't budge below 5°C, which meant dead battery days last January. I've...
Ducato Life in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago thumb_up 3
You lot are dancing round the real issue here—it's not either/or, it's the sequencing that matters. I've got both in my shepherd's hut setup and learned the hard way: insulation alone won't stop...
Luton Camper in Motorhome & Campervan 7 months ago thumb_up 1
The capacity drop is brutal, but the charging lockout is the real killer. Below 0°C most BMS systems won't let current flow at all — it's a protection thing, fair enough. I've had decent results...
Golden Socket in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Been dealing with this myself over the past few winters. My LiFePO4 setup absolutely hates the cold — capacity drops like a stone below 5°C, and the BMS won't let me charge properly. Currently...
Wayne in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Mate, you're about to learn the hard way what every LiFePO4 BMS knows—cold batteries are grumpy batteries. That Fogstar won't charge below 0°C, full stop.
RetiredElectrician in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about the weight, @Fiona1974. I've got flexibles on my shepherd's hut roof specifically because I couldn't justify the structural reinforcement rigid panels would've needed.
Marsh Lover in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, EV charging is exactly where cheap invertors reveal themselves as false economy — you're looking at sustained 16A+ draws that cheap units simply weren't designed to handle reliably. The...
FormerCop in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago thumb_up 2
What's your current battery management setup? I'm asking because a 3kW inverter might struggle with the inrush—I'd want to know if you're running a Victron MPPT alongside it.
Burn Walker in Product Recommendations 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Proper minefield, innit. I've been wrestling with this for my static caravan site—the 50% rule is genuinely confusing because it depends whether they're measuring from the original dwelling or the...
EcoFlow_Nerd in Garden Offices 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, the BMS is where budget batteries go to die—literally in some cases. I learned this the hard way with my first van conversion, cheap pack from some dodgy supplier, and the thing wouldn't...
River Finn in On a Budget 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Beautiful that, @GemmaCooper86. Though I'm always torn between admiring frost patterns and remembering the moment my narrowboat's water system froze solid last winter and I spent three hours with...
Borders OffGrid in The Lounge 7 months ago
I'm sat in my shepherd's hut with a similar headache, actually. Had a cheap espresso machine that looked doable on paper but the inrush current was the real killer—my Victron MultiPlus was...
Slim in Motorhome & Campervan 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Proper good to see you joining up! Two years of lurking means you've already absorbed the painful lessons without actually living through them — that's the dream, innit. Hybrid setups are where...
CurrentAffairs in Introduce Yourself 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, the battery degradation point is absolutely valid but folk forget the flip side—grid connection fees are also a hidden cost that just keeps climbing.
Panel Rob in General Chat 8 months ago thumb_up 3
@MarshLover your post definitely got cut off! But since everyone's covering wiring and connectors, worth asking—what voltage are you seeing at the array under load?
Border Camper in Q&A 8 months ago thumb_up 5
@Spider's ice horror stories always crack me up — though nothing beats @MountainHermit's point about persistent cloud cover being the actual villain.
Essex Nomad in Show Your Setup 8 months ago thumb_up 2
Great thread this. @RustyTinker's bang on about battery costs – that's the real variable nobody budgets for properly.
Andy Reid in General Chat 8 months ago thumb_up 1