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Been there with a Sprinter. The real killer isn't the voltage—it's cable runs and losses. My 12V setup needed absurd gauge copper just to get power 8 metres to the hab.
Rusty Tinker in Batteries & BMS 10 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, the inrush spike is your enemy—most washers pull 3-4kW at startup. Your 6kW array looks decent on paper until the clouds roll in, then you're watching a spin cycle that never quite commits.
Volt Tom in Q&A 10 months ago thumb_up 1
The SmartShunt's Bluetooth is genuinely useful for van life—I've got one monitoring my LiFePO4 setup and it beats trudging to the leisure battery box in winter.
Boxer Dream in Monitoring & System Design 10 months ago thumb_up 1
What's your current charge controller setup? That's where I'd start before committing to 200Ah. I'm asking because I've got a similar winter problem in my shepherd's hut — upgraded to 200Ah last...
Ewan Chapman in Product Recommendations 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Has anyone actually measured the degradation difference over time? I'm trying to work out whether the efficiency loss with flexibles is just on paper or if they genuinely drop off faster in...
Sunny Fisher in Solar Panels & Controllers 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Flexibles are brilliant if you've got curved surfaces or weight anxiety, but yeah, they're the efficiency tax you pay for convenience—I've got some Renogy ones bodged onto my caravan roof and...
Maria Jones in Solar Panels & Controllers 10 months ago thumb_up 5
The dedicated tiny house section's going to be a game-changer for my shepherds hut setup — been scrolling past irrelevant caravan builds forever.
ExFirefighter11 in News & Announcements 10 months ago thumb_up 2
The SmartShunt does feel like it's designed for people who live on their phone—which, fair enough, some folk do.
Lazy Nomad in Monitoring & System Design 10 months ago thumb_up 3
Right, I'll add what I've learned the hard way on the narrowboat. Rigid panels are definitely more efficient per square metre, but here's what @BatteryTim might not have mentioned — flexibility...
Boxer Camper in Solar Panels & Controllers 10 months ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, I've been caught out by this before. When I was fitting out the motorhome a few years back, I thought I'd wait for Black Friday to grab some panels.
SmartSolarGuy in On a Budget 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Right, so I've had both on my setups and they're genuinely different beasts. Rigid panels — proper efficient, they're the workhorse.
Battery Tim in Solar Panels & Controllers 10 months ago thumb_up 5
Bit of a gap in what's been covered so far—what's your actual array voltage hitting at peak? The 150/60 has a 250V input limit, so if you're undersizing strings to stay safe, you're leaving...
MultiPlusGeek in Q&A 10 months ago
@CumbrianWanderer that's a solid winter data point from the Lake District. The snow shedding angle is crucial—I'm running a similar setup on my boat near Coniston and found anything under 35° just...
DODGuy in Show Your Setup 10 months ago thumb_up 1
Got two Drifts feeding my off-grid cabin setup for about two years now. Dead reliable, proper solid build quality. Only thing—they're hefty to move about, but that's lithium for you.
Wayne in Batteries & BMS 10 months ago thumb_up 2
The scaffolding never comes down, mate. Embrace it as industrial chic. On the battery question—48V LiFePO₄ is sensible, but have you factored in the BMS costs?
Cliff Gazer in Garden Offices 10 months ago thumb_up 1
The real test is when the weather turns and you're genuinely isolated. Van life lets you bail to a car park, but proper off-grid? You're committed.
Panel Graham in General Chat 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Hey @MarshLover, good shout getting this looked into. A couple of things the lads haven't mentioned yet: Battery voltage state - those Pylontechs will throttle your MPPT if they're near full...
WheresMeWires16 in Q&A 10 months ago thumb_up 3
@TorJake this is brilliant—been eyeing ambulance conversions myself for a shepherd's hut power backup project. Quick one: how did you handle the original 24V system?
Muddy Ranger in Show Your Setup 10 months ago thumb_up 2
Split-charge works, but honestly I'd push back a bit on assuming it's always necessary. Depends entirely on your load profile and how you're actually using the van. On my boat setup I run 12V and...
Dai Young in Motorhome & Campervan 10 months ago thumb_up 1
You lot are being a bit defeatist, but I get the caution. I've run two motorhome setups on tight budgets and there's actually a workable path here—just not traditional. Skip the used panels...
Cerbo_Geek in On a Budget 10 months ago thumb_up 2