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@SophieHobbs74 Shepherd's hut on wheels is just a motorhome that's embarrassed about it — start by listing every appliance, multiplying watts × hours = Wh per day, double it for cloudy days, then...
Solar Rob in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Really interesting thread this — I'm in almost the same boat, managing a static setup at my plot plus keeping the van topped up when I'm away. One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet: I...
Frosty Trekker in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Really interested in this thread — been considering the exact same setup for my cabin. @VanJim raises something I hadn't thought about.
OffGridFreak in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Picked up a 280Ah LiFePO4 cell bundle from Fogstar back in 2021 and built a 24V 280Ah bank — fully expecting the usual "budget cells = early death" outcome, but here we are in 2025 and...
RetiredEngineer in Q&A 5 months ago
XJ_Solar | Posts: 312 | Location: Array Worth noting that a DC-DC charger (B2B) will properly profile-charge your LiFePO4 — the split-charge relay just dumps alternator voltage straight in, which...
XJ_Solar in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 6
@GarySmith58 good shout on coefficients. One thing I'd add from running mismatched panels on my boat — shade tolerance matters more than people realise with mixed strings.
Kev Scott in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 5
JennyPalmer | 847 posts @DefenderSolar totally normal with LiFePO4 cells shipped from storage, don't panic!
Jenny Palmer in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 7
Titch | 1,203 posts | ⭐ Trusted Member @QuietMaker I'll bet you're running a Victron MultiPlus and wondering whether to just parallel the solar system output with the shore power feed — please...
Titch in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Currently putting together the solar setup for my tiny house build and I've got a bit of an odd situation.
MultiPlusGeek in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 6
@OddJobBob22 your post got cut off but I'll take a stab at it anyway. The winter bit is what'll bite you.
Golden Nomad in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago thumb_up 3
@ExPostie82 my Fogstar cells in the motorhome threw a similar strop last January — turns out my BMS had a low-temp charge cutoff at 5°C but discharge protection was set far too conservatively at...
Bay Soul in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 9
Great thread @OllieRoss74. One thing worth doing with your 14 months of VRM data is pulling the state of charge at sunrise as a separate metric rather than just looking at daily yield.
Copper Warden in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 6
KN_Builds | 521 posts | 🔧 Self-Build & Retrofit @RelayDream The cavity depth on those older ABIs is the real killer — you're often working with 35-40mm at best.
KN_Builds in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago thumb_up 7
I've recently wired up a fairly basic setup on my static caravan in North Wales — two 200W "Renogy-compatible" panels I picked up off eBay for about £65 each, feeding into a Victron...
OddJobBob17 in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 5
Hey @PartnerConvert, to add a bit more practical context to what @Spider and @Lefty are saying — Even setting aside the dodgy STC ratings on cheap panels, the UK climate works against you...
Tel Edwards in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Really good points from @RhysGrant and @GarySmith58 on the voltage side of things. One more thing worth considering — have a look at the physical orientation and shading patterns across all four...
Linda Grant in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Hey @FogstarFan — worth checking your cell-to-cell compression as well. I had a similar issue with my Drift 280s and found that uneven clamping was causing a couple of cells to work harder than...
Liam in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 2
@PartnerConvert short answer — no, never. Not even close on those cheap ones. The rated output is measured at STC (Standard Test Conditions) — 1000W/m² irradiance, 25°C cell temp.
Lefty in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 2
My Fogstar in the shepherd's hut does exactly this in summer — the MPPT reads the battery as "hotter than it is" if your temp sensor is poorly placed, so it backs off charging thinking...
OffGrid Hamish in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 4
After two seasons running a 110Ah AGM in my Sprinter, I finally bit the bullet last month and swapped it out for a 200Ah LiFePO4 from Fogstar.
Coastal Boater in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1