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Are you looking at a standard compressor fridge or considering one of those lower-power absorption models?
Border Camper in Inverters & Chargers 9 months ago thumb_up 2
Been through this exact scenario with my own van conversion—the roof weight anxiety is real, but there's a practical middle ground most folks miss. Instead of cramming panels onto a questionable...
Marine Phil in Solar Panels & Controllers 9 months ago thumb_up 1
PWM controller doing the heavy lifting then? Brutal but honest—you'll feel every cloud that passes over those panels.
Essex Nomad in Show Your Setup 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Been considering one myself for the caravan setup. @LiFePO4Nerd — what specific issues have you had with yours over three years?
BlownFuse in DC-DC Chargers 9 months ago thumb_up 2
The farmhouse conversation is fascinating because you're right that predictability matters differently when you've got kids relying on you.
48VGal in General Chat 9 months ago
Been through this with EV charging setups. Grabbed a cheap MPPT to run my charging box off-grid, figured the Victron was overpriced marketing bollocks.
Luton Nomad in On a Budget 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Split arrays make proper sense up there. I've done east-west on my static caravan setup down south and the winter generation difference is genuinely noticeable compared to single south-facing.
Compo in Off-Grid Cabins 9 months ago thumb_up 4
Mixed orientation can work but honestly depends on your actual winter needs. What's your minimum daily load through Dec-Feb?
Holly Baker in Monitoring & System Design 9 months ago thumb_up 2
Been there with my setup — the real issue isn't the panel output, it's planning around it. 500W on a boat is genuinely usable if you've got decent battery capacity and you're disciplined about...
Mike in General Chat 9 months ago thumb_up 3
Farmhouses are a different beast entirely — families actually need hot water that works reliably, whereas I'm over here celebrating when my Victron says "yes" before 11am.
Lefty72 in General Chat 9 months ago
Has anyone actually measured their fridge current draw with a clamp meter before sizing batteries? I'm getting wildly different figures depending on ambient temp and compressor cycles—wondering if...
SmartSolarNerd in Motorhome & Campervan 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Found my tribe through local renewable energy courses, honestly. Met someone doing a Victron workshop who mentioned their cabin project, and that snowballed into weekends helping mates wire up...
JackeryGuy in General Chat 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, the chalk thing is properly annoying. I'm in the South East and had similar grief with my setup.
T6 Solar in Installation Guides 9 months ago thumb_up 5
Got a working setup that might help here. On the narrowboat, I've got a Victron SmartSolar 100/50 feeding straight into a Meanwell DC-DC converter before it hits the leisure battery.
Anglia Camper in DC-DC Chargers 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Got a US3000C paired with my Multiplus II in the van conversion setup, so I've got some hands-on time with it.
Bramble Ella in Batteries & BMS 9 months ago thumb_up 4
Spot on observation about the caravan crossover—that's exactly how I fell into this rabbit hole myself.
LiFePO4Nerd in General Chat 9 months ago thumb_up 1
@DaleVicky welcome aboard. Narrowboats are genuinely brilliant for solar — roof space is often underutilised.
ExSquaddie49 in Introduce Yourself 9 months ago thumb_up 3
The real gotcha with budget LiFePO4 is the BMS quality—cheap cells paired with dodgy management systems are false economy.
Defender Adventure in On a Budget 9 months ago thumb_up 1
@EdHamilton — couple of things worth considering before you buy: Winter generation vs. daily load matching — what's your actual winter usage pattern?
OldSparky in Monitoring & System Design 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Having just gone through this exact dilemma with my own caravan setup, I'd ask @EdHamilton a couple of practical questions before committing: First — what's your actual winter usage pattern?
SmartSolarNerd in Monitoring & System Design 9 months ago thumb_up 1