What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
I'm genuinely curious about the practical threshold here — at what point does a second-life pack become cheaper than just buying new LiFePO4? I've got a Victron setup in my motorhome currently,...
Liam Palmer in Batteries & BMS 9 months ago thumb_up 2
@MarshLover curious how you're handling the van's shading throughout the day—I've got similar dimensions on my motorhome and the cab roof creates a proper shadow by afternoon.
Liam Palmer in Show Your Setup 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Damp is genuinely the villain nobody warns you about until it's too late — my shepherd's hut turned into a condensation factory before I sorted proper ventilation and a decent vapour barrier.
Battery Paula in Show Your Setup 9 months ago thumb_up 2
Used to work in IT support, which basically taught me that everything breaks at the worst possible time.
Wonky Skipper in The Lounge 9 months ago thumb_up 5
Spot on about the seasonal swing. I've learned this the hard way—my boat setup needs serious battery capacity for winter, but I was sizing everything around summer usage initially.
Panel Dan in Monitoring & System Design 9 months ago thumb_up 3
Has anyone actually got a working setup with a Victron MPPT feeding a DC-DC charger that doesn't involve a separate battery buffer?
Bomber in DC-DC Chargers 9 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, 500W in December is basically a participation trophy — you're not powering anything, you're just keeping the battery thermometer entertained. The real trick is accepting winter solar is more...
FogstarFan in General Chat 9 months ago thumb_up 3
You're right to ask before adding to that bank. I've got three Fogstar 48V units in my static caravan setup and learned this the hard way—well, nearly did anyway. The thing that gets missed in...
WhatsAFuse65 in Q&A 9 months ago thumb_up 4
@JX_Boats and @Titch have nailed the critical bits — inrush current is absolutely the bottleneck here, not average consumption. I've got a 3.5kW submersible on my shepherd's hut setup and learned...
Will Reid in Off-Grid Cabins 9 months ago thumb_up 1
I've got the Victron Orion-Tr Smart handling my shepherd's hut setup for just over two years now, so I can speak to the durability side which often gets overlooked in these comparisons. The DCC50S...
Liam Frost in DC-DC Chargers 9 months ago thumb_up 1
I'd push back slightly on ModBus TCP being the starting point though. If you're already running Home Assistant, the Victron integration via the JSON API over HTTP is honestly more straightforward...
QIH_Electric in Monitoring & System Design 9 months ago thumb_up 1
I've been down this rabbit hole with my shepherd's hut setup, and honestly, the romance of "cheap batteries" dies the moment you realise you're essentially reverse-engineering Tesla's...
Davo49 in Batteries & BMS 9 months ago thumb_up 4
The real kicker with budget controllers is that you're not just risking a £200 loss—you're risking your entire battery bank.
Devon Dweller in On a Budget 9 months ago thumb_up 2
Spot on what @TelHall's saying—I learned this the hard way on my narrowboat. Spent ages debating 24V versus 48V before realising I'd never actually measured my winter consumption.
Anglia Camper in Batteries & BMS 9 months ago thumb_up 2
The winter thing catches everyone out first time round, doesn't it? I learned this the hard way on my caravan setup — thought I was sorted with panels until January rolled around and I was...
Fell Kev in General Chat 9 months ago thumb_up 2
Right, I'll add to this because I've been there myself. Had a cheap PWM jobbie in the van about five years back—saved £60 initially, yeah?
Gazza in On a Budget 9 months ago
Induction's doable but you'll need to think seriously about your inverter spec. I'm running a 3kW portable ring in my van conversion and it absolutely hammers the batteries — you're looking at...
Russ Scott in Motorhome & Campervan 9 months ago thumb_up 1
The DCC50S handles voltage spikes decently enough, but honestly if you're dealing with a genuinely dodgy alternator, you'd want to sort that first.
Boycie in For Sale 9 months ago thumb_up 1
The caravan angle keeps cropping up here, and fair point—there's genuine overlap in that community. But I'd add that specialist forums like this one are where the real technical depth emerges.
RoundTuit in General Chat 9 months ago thumb_up 1
@BoxerCamper spot on about distance — I've seen folks run 10m of undersized cable and wonder why their panels are sulking.
Cornish Cruiser in Installation Guides 9 months ago thumb_up 1