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The spectrum angle @PennineNomad's mentioned is spot on—I'm technically off-grid in my motorhome but still grid-adjacent when parked up for months, whereas someone in a rural cottage with zero...
FormerCop in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Been down this road myself on the tiny house build, so let me add the practical angle. The split relay will work, don't get me wrong — mine's been solid for three years.
Brummie in DC-DC Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Been there with both — got a 3kW pure sine in the cabin and a 1.5kW modified sine in the shepherd's hut as backup.
Right, I'll add what I've learned the hard way with my van conversion. Keep lithium between 20-80% SOC for longevity — they genuinely sulk outside that range.
GafferTapeKing in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Cheers for putting this together. One thing worth highlighting — make sure you run the VE.Direct cable separately from your main power cables if possible.
Ducato Project in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 2
10mm² is your starting point but honestly, go 16mm² if you've got the budget — voltage drop at 2000W is brutal and every millivolt counts when you're trying to run the kettle and microwave...
FormerCop in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 1
@SolarJunkie spot on with the practical angle. I've got both running here — PWM on the static caravan and MPPT on the garden office setup.
Clive Baker in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 3
The audit's critical, but I'd push back slightly on one thing—don't get paralysed by perfection. I've seen folks measure every milliamp for months when a rough week's logging (as @DownsExplorer...
RetiredPlumber in Monitoring & System Design 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Been running 400Ah LiFePO4 in a converted horsebox for three years now, so I've had a proper education in battery thermals the hard way.
Van Jim in Show Your Setup 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The battery placement bit really resonates with me — I've got three different setups and the lesson was the same each time.
Forest Jenny in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Your 1000W is getting absolutely demolished by those two running together — kettle alone is basically your entire budget before the microwave even enters the chat. You're looking at needing...
Boat Paddy in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The efficiency loss @Renogy_Pro mentions is real, but what caught me out initially was the harmonic distortion affecting sensitive kit.
Titch in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 5
You lot are absolutely right about the van being your classroom. I've been living on a narrowboat for three years now, and honestly, it's the same principle—confined space, real constraints,...
Sophie Fisher in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Right, these are proper awful and I'm here for it. Why did the solar panel break up with the battery?
Brilliant to see another sparky on the forum, @PanelSteve. Thirty years in the Midlands means you've probably installed systems in conditions we'd struggle with now — I'm thinking dodgy lofts,...
John Dixon in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Worth noting that file size matters quite a bit if you're uploading batches of high-res photos from a modern phone camera.
Les Wood in Forum Help 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Just drag and drop, mate — saves clicking about like you're defusing a bomb. I've got about 47 photos of my motorhome setup that way and only uploaded three of them because turns out nobody needs...
BitsAndBobs in Forum Help 2 years ago thumb_up 2
@PanelSteve, this is exactly what the forum needs. Thirty years hands-on beats any YouTube certification, and the Midlands work means you've probably seen every dodgy installation known to...
John Dixon in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 1
You can upload directly in your posts — just click the image icon in the editor toolbar (looks like a little picture frame).
Ray Watson in Forum Help 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Been trying to document my van conversion build properly and I'm keen to get some photos up here to show the community what I'm working with.
Andy Butler in Forum Help 2 years ago thumb_up 2