The seasonal tilt angle thing is often overlooked. Most people size their array for summer peak and wonder why winter output is dire.
The motorhome approach teaches you consumption discipline fast, but it's fundamentally different from fixed off-grid living.
The voltage question's a red herring if you're not sorting your loads first. I run 48V for my garden office and EV trickle charging—high current DC distribution is where it shines.
The Multiplus handles the inrush beautifully, but have you lot considered your AC breaker sizing? Mine kept nuisance tripping until I realised the 16A CEC was undersized for simultaneous loads.
The reorganisation's definitely worth the effort. What's made the biggest difference for me is having EV charging properly separated out — was getting buried under general solar queries before.
The mixing question @SaltyRigger raises is worth unpacking properly. It's not that lithium and lead-acid "cause" problems in a technical sense — they're electrically compatible.
The false economy trap is real, especially with MPPT controllers where you're essentially trusting your entire system's lifespan to a component that costs a few quid to manufacture.
The split array approach makes solid sense for your latitude—you're essentially hedging against the worst-case scenario of winter shading or snow coverage on one string.
The examiner inconsistency is genuinely maddening. I went through this with my garden office build on the van — same regulations, completely different interpretations depending on who you...
@Titch, you're at a decent inflection point with 400W. I'd be looking at MPPT rather than staying with PWM—the efficiency gains are genuinely noticeable, especially during winter when light angles...
The roof angle issue is legit critical, but I'd add something most folk overlook with Sprinters specifically: thermal management on those rigid panels during summer.
The shepherds hut is genuinely workable, though you'll want to be brutally honest about your actual usage patterns first.
