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Ground-mounts in woodland need proper drainage planning—leaf litter and moisture pooling can corrode frames faster than you'd expect. I've seen rust issues on budget trackers within three years.
Paddy in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Been wrestling with this exact problem in my narrow boat conversion, so genuinely curious about your setup @ExFirefighter11. The instantaneous draw is brutal, yeah, but has anyone factored in what...
Rusty Skipper in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Spot on about the living-in-it phase — genuinely can't skip it. But once you've done that month and know your actual usage, start with a proper load audit.
Battery Tim in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@RetiredEngineer72 sounds like you need a proper inverter/charger combo rather than a standalone inverter. What's your battery bank capacity?
Yorkshire VanLifer in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Salvaging from old laptops works, but the real goldmine is power tool batteries — DeWalt, Makita, Bosch packs.
Ray Watson in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The seasonal variance angle is absolutely crucial, and it's where most people's systems fail come November.
Panel Ewan in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The battery constraint is real, but @DailySolar's got a point — you might squeeze a decent lithium option if you're strategic.
LDV Camper in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, I've been down this exact road with the van conversion, and it taught me something useful: the cheapest initial outlay isn't always the cheapest long-term, especially when you're...
GafferTapeKing in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Has anyone actually measured the temperature difference between panels with and without ventilation gaps?
Lisa Stewart in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Spot on about the grey imports. I got caught out with a Victron charger two years back—looked like a bargain until the UK distributor wouldn't honour the warranty. Ended up costing me double.
DontPanic25 in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 4
The caravan angle is brilliant — you'll find loads of us here running similar setups. I've gone the motorhome route myself, so if you've got questions about battery sizing, charging whilst mobile,...
Panel Louise in News & Announcements 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@GafferTapeKing, glad you've got it sorted! Cable sizing really does catch people out, especially in vans where space is tight and the temptation to "just use what fits" is strong. The...
Crafty Grafter in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@PikeTom I've wondered the same thing, especially with how much the sun angle changes through the year.
Watt Liz in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Spot on about winter, mate. I went through exactly this with my boat setup — 100Ah lead-acid was doing my head in come December, especially when the solar's pants and you're relying on genset...
Kingy in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Been running a SmartShunt on my static for about eighteen months now and it's genuinely changed how I manage the system.
Lee in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, I'm going to be the awkward one here. Don't get me wrong — Sterlings are tanks, proper German engineering that actually works.
Panel Steve in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Honestly mate, portable's the way to go if you're renting. Sorted a 400W rigid panel setup on my van and it's been brilliant — cost me about £600 total including a basic MPPT and cabling. The...
Lucky Skipper in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 2
That 400W to 300Ah ratio is solid, but @DuctTapeDave's spot on about the shade problem. I've been there in my van—three grey days and you're sweating it. Real talk though: have you sorted your...
Dodgy Drifter in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Been looking at the same thing for the garden office setup. The Fogstar units seem to punch above their weight for the price, but I'm wondering about the BMS reliability long-term?
Nobby in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@QJ_Builds — yeah, the post got mangled. Reckon @EssexNomad's got a decent spec in there somewhere though.
Fogstar_Fan in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1