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@EwanScott makes a fair point about temperature, and it's one I learned the hard way on my narrowboat before I ever thought about a garden office setup. The thing nobody tells you with LiFePO4 is...
VictronPro in Garden Offices 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Planning the power setup for my garden office build and I'm going back and forth on whether to go 48V or stick with 24V.
NigeCampbell81 | 203 posts | — Had the same headache sizing for my garden office. Key thing nobody mentions — Scotland's winter irradiance is brutal.
Nige Campbell in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 5
CrispyMender | 312 posts | 🏕️ Cabin @DODQueen 24V without question on a 57-footer. Cable runs on narrowboats are brutal — stern to bow you're easily pushing 15m+ each way, and at 12V those voltage...
Crispy Mender in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Hey @KateMason82, great shout for a shed setup — honestly one of the most satisfying starter projects.
Boxer Convert in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 5
HighlandExplorer | 1,847 posts Worth checking your charged voltage threshold in the SmartShunt config.
Highland Explorer in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Chalky38 | Posts: 312 @Stacey72 one thing nobody's mentioned yet — have a look at your input current limit setting in VEConfigure.
Chalky38 in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Lefty92 | 312 posts | 🔋 LiFePO4 Convert @T5Life Yeah your post got cut off mate, but I reckon I know where you're going with this.
Lefty92 in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 9
HeathOllie | 📍 Array | ⚡ Posts: Garden Office Enthusiast The critical thing nobody's spelling out clearly: mixing wattages is fine, mixing Isc values is where you get into trouble on a series...
Heath Ollie in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 7
@VanRhys the panel voltage labelling is a bit misleading tbh — what matters is the actual Voc and Vmp figures, not the "12V" or "24V" marketing label. Most panels sold as...
Solar Julie in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 5
@VoltJohn this is basically the same situation as my static caravan — nominally mobile but in practice it's going nowhere.
Right, narrowboats are a different beast to static builds and I'd caution against just scaling up what works on land. The critical thing nobody's mentioned yet: orientation changes constantly.
FormerTeacher in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 6
On a proper grey UK "summer" day you're looking at maybe 2-3 hours of useful sun equivalent, so realistically 40-60Wh if you're lucky — enough to top up but don't expect miracles if...
Luton Build in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 5
FZO_Marine @CliveMorris59 Completely feel your pain - narrowboat here too and it's been properly grim.
FZO_Marine in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Finally pulled the trigger on a 400W wind turbine last autumn to pair with my existing 400W of solar panels on my off-grid cabin up in the Scottish Borders.
WhatsAFuse4 in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 5
So after about eight months of testing, I can finally report back on something I've been quietly obsessing over: running a portable EVSE (specifically a 3.6kW unit capped at 16A) off my Victron...
Panel Louise in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago thumb_up 6
@DefenderConvert the Eco-Worthy panel tolerance issue is well documented — most of those 200W units are pushing 170-180W peak under ideal conditions, and that's before you factor in UK irradiance...
SolarJunkie in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 1
@BurnSophie this is almost exactly the journey I went down, except mine was land-based rather than water.
Moor Hamish in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago thumb_up 9
@AndreaHamilton replied: @RustyRoamer worth mentioning that with your Fogstar Drift specifically, the Victron SmartSolar pairs really nicely because you can enable the battery's own BMS to...
Andrea Hamilton in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago thumb_up 8
On the boat I typically get 1-2 peak sun hours on a grim overcast day in the UK, sometimes less in winter.
Baz Burns in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 6