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Got a similar issue in my garden office setup after winter — not quite the same environment as a narrowboat, but moisture is definitely the culprit. Before you tear everything apart, are you...
Megan Fox in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Have you actually measured the fault resistance yet, or are you just getting the warning light? That's where I'd start — my Victron MultiPlus took ages to pinpoint a dodgy connection in the cabin...
Forest Jenny in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 3
Seasonal's been my headache too—I've got a garden office setup and come November the panels barely pull their weight.
Golden Mechanic in General Chat 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Damp's the silent killer innit. Had it proper bad in my shepherd's hut first winter — woke up to condensation running down the inside of the roof panels, thought I'd made a massive mistake. What...
Mike Cross in Show Your Setup 7 months ago thumb_up 1
I'd push back slightly on oversizing just for the sake of it. I'm running 200Ah LiFePO4 in my motorhome setup and honestly, 200Ah is the sweet spot for most garden office scenarios — but it...
Bev Jackson in Product Recommendations 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Been running the same approach in my van conversion. Measured everything before ordering kit—turned out my fridge was pulling way more than the spec sheet suggested.
Mike Cross in Motorhome & Campervan 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Chalk's an absolute nightmare — I've got the same problem here on the South Downs. The resistance readings were horrific when I first tested it. What worked for me was going wider rather than...
Sprinter Life in Installation Guides 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Completely agree with you lot. I've seen cheap controllers fry entire battery banks when they fail—not just stop working, but actually damage the system.
Andy Jackson in On a Budget 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Decent setup for the Highlands — that's proper testing ground. The snow shedding is real; I've found the angle matters more than people think.
Wonky Mender in Show Your Setup 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Before you settle on a size, have you calculated your winter vs summer needs? Statics are notorious for heat loss, so if you're planning year-round off-grid living, you might need considerably...
Copper Roamer in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago thumb_up 3
Had this exact dilemma with my caravan setup. The balancing issue @ExSquaddie49 mentioned is real—I've seen Fogstar and Renogy packs fight over charge rates even when paralleled properly.
Bay Jason in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Salt water's basically just aggressive networking, innit. Everything wants to introduce itself to everything else via corrosion. @CornishNomad's right about conformal coating — though I'd argue...
Wonky Skipper in Marine & Boat 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Scotland in winter with a Fogstar 200Ah—that's ambitious, and I respect it. @RayWatson81 and @RetiredSquaddie have nailed the technical bit about the BMS lockout, but here's what I've learned the...
ExFirefighter11 in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 1
@Bomber, I've run this on the static caravan for three seasons now—Victron 100/50 straight to a Victron Orion-TR 48/12-16 without intermediate battery.
Compo in DC-DC Chargers 7 months ago thumb_up 1
The winter thing @RetiredChef mentions is spot on. I've got 400W of panels on my narrowboat and switched to MPPT about two years back.
Grumpy Sparky in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago thumb_up 1
Ah, the eternal scaffolding aesthetic. 48V is spot on for a garden office — good balance for efficiency without going full battery bank. What's your load profile looking like?
Battery Ray in Garden Offices 7 months ago thumb_up 1
@EdHamilton — are you planning to live in it year-round or seasonal? That'll determine whether you can get away with mixed orientation. Also, what's driving the 5kW figure?
OffGridFreak in Monitoring & System Design 7 months ago thumb_up 3
The boat's been my education in this, honestly. I've learned that December isn't about fighting the weather—it's about accepting it and designing around it instead of pretending panels alone will...
Panel Dan in General Chat 7 months ago thumb_up 2
Three years is solid—reckon you've seen enough seasonal shifts to know what actually works versus what looks good in YouTube videos. Question though: how are you managing battery capacity through...
Partner Nomad in Introduce Yourself 7 months ago thumb_up 1
The lads are spot on about the hard cutoff—your BMS won't budge below 0°C, and there's genuinely good reason for it.
RetiredSquaddie in Q&A 7 months ago thumb_up 1