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The SmartShunt's where it's at if you're doing EV charging alongside your battery setup—you'll want that Bluetooth data streaming to your phone rather than squinting at a physical display in the...
Marine Gaz in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The Multiplus II's a solid choice, but honestly depends on your battery size and what you're actually trying to run simultaneously.
DODGuy in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The battery drain on electric heating is brutal — I learned that the hard way during my first winter in the narrowboat.
Wez Frost in Off-Grid Cabins 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I've got both running on the boat actually—PWM on the small 100W panel that feeds the auxiliary systems, MPPT handling the main 400W array into a 24V lithium bank.
Callum Hobbs in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Brilliant point about using the van as a testbed. Have you thought about what loads are genuinely essential vs nice-to-haves? I'm finding that distinction absolutely crucial for my cabin setup.
Partner Nomad in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 5
The battery choice is going to be the real limiter here. At £500 total you're almost certainly looking at used lead-acid or possibly some of the cheaper lithium options from AliExpress — neither...
Defender Adventure in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The scaffolding thing is proper relatable — mine's been up for two years now and I've just accepted it at this point. On the battery side, @BayTim's got the right question.
Anne Watson in Garden Offices 1 year ago thumb_up 1
What's your heating setup like? That's usually the real wildcard in winter. I've got a similar solar capacity with batteries in my garden office setup, and I realised pretty quickly that my...
Holly Gazer in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
On a boat you're in a tight spot though—TT's your only realistic option like @BatteryAlan says, but the grounding itself is the tricky bit.
Peak VanLifer in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Reckon that's the sweet spot though — getting something running teaches you what you actually need versus what the spec sheets say you need.
Boat Louise in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Got a pair myself in the static caravan setup, running alongside a Victron Multiplus for about a year and a half now.
DODGuy in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 5
@DailySolar's hit the nail on it with discharge rates. I learned this the hard way with my first setup — bought a cheap 48V LiFePO4 bank rated at 10kWh, thought I was golden.
Expert Camper in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Reckon you've all nailed the philosophical bit, but here's the thing—I've got three setups running and they're all off-grid in completely different ways.
Volt Max in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Your facilities background is genuinely a massive advantage, @BurnWalker—but not necessarily in the way you might think.
Andy Robinson in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Great thread, this. @MarineGaz, that's a solid foundation you've got there. The Multiplus is a workhorse—really reliable bit of kit. What I'd add to what @RetiredNurse49's mentioned about winter...
Debbie Powell in Emergency & Backup Power 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, so the inrush issue is real but I reckon you've got options depending on your battery spec. What's your current inverter rated for surge-wise?
NotAnElectrician in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 5
The examiner inconsistency is genuinely frustrating. I've dealt with it on my static caravan setup when trying to get electrical sign-off — had one inspector who was paranoid about battery...
Ducato Project in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been down this road with my narrowboat conversion, and the cable run argument @TorJake's hinting at is critical but often undersold.
Forest Boater in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The constraints angle is spot on, but I'd push back slightly on framing it as purely limiting. In my setup, the physical boundaries forced me to actually understand my consumption...
Vivaro Wanderer in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Depends entirely on your EV charging plans, mate. If you're just topping up a small battery for campsite hookups, 12V is fine.
Bay Jason in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1