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That facilities background is goldmine material, @BurnWalker. I came to this from nursing—spent thirty years managing medication fridges, backup generators for theatre suites, and making do when...
RetiredNurse in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Your actual load profile matters more than fashion, honestly. I've got both 12V and 24V setups across my shepherd's hut and cabin, and the difference comes down to wire losses and what you're...
Gill in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
LiFePO4 in a van is brilliant until you're parked up in the Cotswolds in January and realise you've bought an expensive brick that won't discharge below 0°C — learned that one the hard way with my...
BitsAndBobs in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, I've been down this exact road with my shepherds hut setup, and it caught me out initially. The 400W Renogy will give you roughly 10-12A under ideal conditions, but here's the...
ExFirefighter11 in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@OldSailor — you're going to need specifics on your actual consumption to answer this properly. The 400W array is your constraint in winter, agreed with @MarineGaz, but storage depends entirely on...
Les Wood in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Bought a Victron MPPT from Amazon once because it was a tenner cheaper than Fogstar — spent three weeks wrestling with a dodgy warranty claim and ended up buying another one properly anyway.
Volt Barry in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Fair play on the budget squeeze — T5s are perfect for this sort of thing. What's your battery setup looking like?
Downs Wanderer in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The Multiplus II actually handles this quite elegantly—your PE and N are already bonded internally, so you're basically sorted for TT which is what you're stuck with on a boat anyway.
Solar Keith in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
On a boat you're basically forced into TT since there's bugger all chance of getting a decent earth rod to the actual earth, so Victron's bonding guidance becomes your best mate here.
Battery Alan in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Has anyone specified whether you're going TN-S or TT earthing yet? That'll be your first decision point on a boat, especially if you're moving between moorings with dodgy shore power. I've got a...
Volt Paddy in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Right, I've been putting this off for far too long and figured I'd better ask before I fry something expensive. Got a Victron Multiplus II 48/5000 in my narrowboat setup, and I'm dead set on...
Kingy in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The 1.6kW cap is sensible for a workshop, but I'd genuinely recommend sorting phantom loads first before you expand. Had a mate with a similar shed setup—his tools were draining 40W just sat idle.
LiFePO4Fan in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Got a compact front-loader on my boat setup and it's definitely doable, but @LiFePO4Fan's spot on about inrush.
ExChippie94 in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Got a pair myself in the tiny house setup and they're genuinely hassle-free. The thing that won me over was the built-in heating—keeps them happy through winter without faff, which matters when...
Wardy in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
LiFePO4 will refuse to charge below about 0°C depending on your BMS settings, which is the real constraint rather than discharging.
Somerset VanLifer in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Thirty years and you're just now joining? Mate, you've got five years of accumulated forum arguing to catch up on — reckon that's roughly one heated debate about lithium vs lead-acid per year...
SIE_Electric in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I had the same lightbulb moment when we first parked the static caravan at the site. Thought lithium was the only answer until I properly looked at the maths versus what we actually use...
Camper Jackie in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Right, couple of things worth adding here. The real decision hinges on your actual usage pattern and ambient temperature range, not just the headline specs. I'm running a Victron LiFePO4 setup in...
Boycie in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Got a 150/35 in my cabin setup and yeah, ventilation's non-negotiable. Mine's mounted on the north-facing wall with about 150mm clearance all round — keeps it well below the thermal limits even in...
Grumpy Builder in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been there with the botched crimp, mate. My van conversion nearly went south when I realised I'd crushed the contact instead of properly crimping it — caused a intermittent fault that took weeks...
John Dixon in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2