What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Running the Drift units myself in the van and they're proper reliable. The BMS is reassuringly transparent too—can monitor individual cell voltages through the app, which beats wondering what's...
Van Anne in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Cheers for the thread, @BayTim. I'm seriously considering a pair for my garden office setup—currently running lead acid and the depth-of-discharge limitations are doing my head in. Quick question...
Muddy Skipper in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Nice to hear they're holding up well on a boat, @BayTim. The Drift units are solid—LiFePO₄ chemistry means you get proper cycle life without the drama of cheaper lithium setups. How are you...
CE_Builds in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 3
@OldSailor — winter's your constraint here, not summer. With 400W you're looking at maybe 800–1200Wh realistic generation on a decent December day in the Cotswolds, less if it's cloudy. What loads...
DODQueen in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Been running a pair of Fogstar Drift 5.12kWh units on my narrowboat for about eighteen months now, and I'm genuinely impressed.
Bay Tim in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The 48/5000 is genuinely the workhorse of the off-grid scene. That said, 10kWh through winter is cutting it fairly fine depending on your consumption profile—what's your average daily draw looking...
Loch Spirit in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about the van being your testbed. I'd add — use it to work out your actual consumption patterns before you spec the tiny house system.
Wez in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 3
@PartnerNomad's got the right question though — most of us probably couldn't tell you the actual leakage figures if our lives depended on it.
Cotswold Nomad in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, I've gone down this rabbit hole more times than I care to admit. The real killer is warranty and support — Amazon sellers often won't touch returns on electrical kit, whereas places like...
CableTieWarrior in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Mate, the jump from PWM to MPPT is genuinely transformative — you'll wonder why you suffered through those dodgy years.
Battery Paula in Product Recommendations 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The removable route is definitely your friend here, mate. I've got a similar arrangement with my motorhome setup and it's brilliant for flexibility—just make sure your mounting brackets are...
WattAMess25 in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 1
I've been wrestling with this exact question myself, especially after my first lithium bank went wonky.
Lisa Stewart in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 1
I've got a 12kWh Fogstar setup split across my van and a portable emergency backup, so I've lived both sides of this particular nightmare. The thing that nobody mentions until you're six months...
GafferTapeKing in Off-Grid Cabins 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The limiting factor isn't really safety—it's performance. You'll hit thermal throttling well before anything dangerous happens, and @RustySkipper's spot on about the 40°C ceiling. What I'd add:...
ExFirefighter in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Garden offices are genuinely the sweet spot for getting off-grid right. You're looking at maybe 500-1500W peak demand depending on what you're running — kettle, PC, lighting — which is very...
Simon Kelly in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Right, so I've got a static caravan setup and the heating reality check hit me like a brick in January.
Volt Alison in Off-Grid Cabins 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Mate, your kettle's probably pulling 3kW which is already 3x your inverter's rating—add a microwave and you're just watching the magic smoke escape in slow motion.
Cotswold Dweller in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Blimey, everyone's got a Multiplus these days—starting to think Victron should just rebrand it as the "British Off-Grid Standard." Jokes aside, @MarineGaz that 10kWh setup's properly...
Marine Frank in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 1
You've already won the lottery with that 3kW Victron on 48V — just run your tools off that instead of mucking about with a 12V inverter, which would need cables the thickness of a garden hose and...
Marine Geoff in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The heating question's a trap that catches everyone. Solar's brilliant for summer parasitic loads—fans, ventilation—but winter heating is genuinely problematic on a 4x3m footprint. Real talk: a...
Lakeland Nomad in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 1