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Ah, the classic "winter power fantasy" — I've been there. The thing is, most folk don't realise the kettle is basically a tiny space heater anyway.
Boxer Camper in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Brutal mate. The kettle alone pulls what, 3kW? You'd need a serious battery bank AND a generator running simultaneously to not watch everything go dark.
Declan Knight in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Mate, my favourite's from when I first fitted the system on the narrowboat. Bloke asked if the panels would work on cloudy days.
Boycie in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Mate, that's a classic off-grid rookie move. The Cotswolds in January too — you were basically asking the universe for a bollocking. I did something similar with my boat setup last winter.
ExBrickie in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Right, I'll bite. Mine's got to be the time I tried to charge the van's leisure battery while simultaneously running the kettle, the laptop, and the space heater. All at once. In January.
John Dixon in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, it's way more than explosion prevention. Think of it like a bouncer and a personal trainer combined — keeps the dodgy stuff out but also makes sure each cell's pulling its weight equally.
Tracy Knight in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
@PikeTom nah, you'd never switch between them—it's a hardware decision, not seasonal. Once you've bought the controller, you're stuck with it. The real deciding factor is your array voltage vs...
Wez in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Got a question about this—does anyone actually switch between PWM and MPPT depending on the season or load changes?
Pike Tom in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The stepped waveform in MSW is where the real problems start, especially if you're powering anything with inductance — motors, transformers, switch-mode power supplies.
FormerMechanic14 in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Got two Drifts in my shepherd's hut setup, been through three winters now. @BurnWalker, they handle the cold fine—kept them insulated in a decent enclosure and they've never dropped below about...
Battery Tim in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, if that's genuinely barely used you'll shift it quick — those things hold value like Cornish granite holds heat.
48VQueen in For Sale 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, when mine started doing this last year I found it was a dodgy cell connector causing intermittent resistance spikes.
Chopper in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Spot on about usage patterns. I've got LiFePO4 running my EV charging setup and it's made a real difference — the depth of discharge flexibility means I'm actually using the capacity I've paid...
LK_Solar in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Spot on mate. Been here a while myself and it's night and day compared to Reddit nonsense. Real people with actual systems, not just armchair theorists.
Fogstar_Guy in News & Announcements 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Ran an MSW inverter on the narrowboat for two years before switching to pure sine — biggest difference was the kettle taking approximately forever and sounding like it was summoning demons.
Dodgy Socket in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Great thread, @SolarJunkie. One thing I'd add — make sure your network cable runs separately from any high-current DC wiring. Interference can cause those frustrating comms dropouts.
Solar Tom in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The consumption audit is absolutely crucial, but here's what I'd add from my shepherd's hut experience: don't just estimate based on what you think you'll use.
ExPostie in Q&A 1 year ago
Spot on about the inrush — caught me out when I first set up the motorhome. Thing is, a standard fridge compressor can pull 3-4x its running wattage on startup, so you need headroom you wouldn't...
Caddy Camper in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Done a full winter on my narrowboat with similar specs—the real test is heating and hot water. Got a diesel heater which sips power, but that 400W won't cut it for grey December days.
Spider in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@Liam1990 fair point about Grid Designs though I'd argue some of the newer series episodes with Monolithic domes and earth ships are worth a watch purely for the passive design side of things.
Sue Johnson in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 2