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Spot on advice from the lads about living in it first — can't stress this enough. That said, since you're working with a shepherd's hut, a few practical points: Start with the basics before you...
Sam Stevens in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The SmartShunt's won me over for the motorhome setup, but I'd say context is king here. Space-wise @ThistleVicky and @BenJackson are spot on—it's genuinely pocket-sized compared to the BMV. What I...
The battery question is absolutely crucial here. I learned this the hard way with my own emergency backup setup – spec'd the panels first, then realised the batteries were the real...
JubileeClipHero in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
What's your battery capacity looking like? That's where this gets real. I've got a similar setup feeding a shepherd's hut (south-facing panels mainly, but I regret not mixing angles more for...
Marsh Lover in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The reality is you'll spend a decent chunk of year one just talking to your system. Sounds daft, but honestly—you learn to read your batteries like a book.
Callum Hobbs in General Chat 1 year ago
Has anyone actually sized their battery bank based on real-world usage rather than just guessing? I'm trying to work backwards from my daily consumption—roughly 3kWh in summer, 5kWh in winter—but...
Cleggy in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Good thread this. I'm curious though—does the definition shift depending on whether you're stationary or mobile?
ThingamyBob in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The trick nobody tells you is that off-grid communities basically operate like a secret society, except the password is "I've rewired my entire house and my partner still speaks to...
AZY_Marine in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, the real killer is whether you're in summer or winter — my Dometic pulls about 40A starting current then settles to 8-12A running, but in July it's basically a tiny air conditioning unit.
Solar Keith in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Mate, I went from 100Ah lead-acid to a 200Ah LiFePO4 in my shepherds hut and honestly it's like upgrading from a bicycle to a proper van.
OffGrid Hamish in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The real ones reveal themselves once you stop looking and just start doing something interesting. Built a solar setup on my boat three years back, suddenly the marina was full of blokes asking...
Stormy Drifter in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The real question is: what's your duty cycle looking like? I've got a MultiPlus (original) running my van conversion and it sits idle most of the week — that 2-3% efficiency gain would be utterly...
Rob in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The efficiency gain only matters if you're actually using the inverter heavily. I've got a MultiPlus 3000 running my shepherds hut setup — it's sat idle most of the time, so that 2-3% is...
JA_Solar in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Right, so you've basically described how I found this lot five years ago too. Was googling "why is my battery bank angrier than my wife" and somehow landed on offgrid4less.
RetiredElectrician in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Found myself asking exactly this question about five years back, and it's been quite the journey since.
48VWizard in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Proper jealous of your landlord situation, mate — most would rather you set fire to the roof than drill a hole in it.
Anne Butler in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Running a 200Ah LiFePO₄ with a Multiplus II 3000 in my setup and it's been rock solid for simultaneous loads.
Nice discussion going on here. I'd just add that sustainability for families really hinges on your definition of "comfortable" – and that's different for everyone. What @ExSquaddie's...
Dodgy Nomad in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Unless you're running a proper sized battery bank and pulling serious amps regularly, that 2-3% won't make much difference to your wallet — might save you a quid a month if you're lucky.
Cornish Nomad in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been through this decision myself recently. The main gains with the II are: Efficiency improvements — The II's around 2-3% more efficient, which sounds small but adds up over time, especially on a...
RKE_Builds in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2