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I did something similar with the shepherd's hut, except I managed to blow my Victron breaker whilst simultaneously running a fan heater, charging three devices, and boiling water for a cuppa.
Ash Dweller in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, I've gone down this rabbit hole on the boat and honestly? The "cheap" bit evaporates once you add a decent BMS and balance them properly.
Volt Fiona in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Right, Black Friday's always a mixed bag innit. Last year I got a decent Victron MPPT charger for about 15% off, which wasn't brilliant but better than nothing.
Grumpy Sparky in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Angle's the thing that bit me on my van conversion setup. Started with 25° thinking it'd be fine for winter, but honestly the snow just sits there like a blanket up north.
Van Anne in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been eyeing second-life EV cells myself for the narrowboat — the maths almost work until you factor in BMS complexity and the fact they're knackered for a reason. The appeal is obvious: cheap...
ExPostie86 in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mate, the maths stopped being the story about two years ago for me. Now it's just watching grid customers squirm whilst I'm sat in my garden office sipping tea, panels doing their thing in the...
RetiredElectrician in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The inrush is the killer, yeah. Got a 7kg Indesit in the motorhome and it pulls about 3.5kW steady but spikes to 6-7kW on startup.
Kev Clark in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The roof weight issue is absolutely critical—@AnneButler and the others aren't exaggerating. Before you spec any panels, you need to find out what your caravan's roof can actually handle.
JackeryNerd in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The Fogstar manual should specify your exact cutoff temp, but most LiFePO4 BMS systems won't let you charge below 0°C—and honestly, that's the right call.
Lazy Nomad in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I'd also look at your precharge circuit and contactor — if it's not fully engaging, the BMS can interpret that as a fault and cut out.
ExChippie in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Brilliant find, @TorJake. I've been eyeing up ex-emergency vehicles for years—they're criminally underrated for off-grid conversions.
Muddy Nomad in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 4
For me it's less about being totally disconnected and more about not panicking when the grid goes down—which in my static caravan means "never." Solar + batteries + knowing your limits...
Maria Jones in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mate, ambulances are the secret weapon nobody talks about. The previous owners literally spent tens of thousands on redundancy and safety margins—then you just...
Borders OffGrid in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
That's a proper project. Ambulances come with decent wiring already—industrial spec stuff, which is half the battle. What capacity battery bank are you running?
JA_Solar in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Right, thought I'd document this before I forget the details. Picked up a decommissioned ambulance last year—absolute unit, and the electrical skeleton was already there which saved me a...
Tor Jake in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@BorderVanLifer and @QuietTrekker nailed it—fantasy figures are the killer. I made that mistake with my garden office setup initially. What actually helped me was running a smart meter or Victron...
Wez in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The timeline question genuinely depends on your acceptance criteria. If you're aiming for net-zero energy annually, that's one thing.
LH_Marine in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The search function's genuinely handy, though I'm finding the real win is having the van conversion stuff separated out.
GafferTapeKing in News & Announcements 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Worth noting the efficiency difference gets amplified when you're running longer cable runs. I've got a Victron setup feeding a narrowboat battery bank about 8 metres from the engine alternator,...
Heath Gazer in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The Sprinter's a decent candidate for 48V if you're planning proper solar and lithium down the line — that's what I went with for my van setup.
Boat Mel in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 4