Mate, 48V is proper future-proof if you're not planning to rewire the whole gaff in five years. The real win isn't just the cables though — it's that your inverter won't sound like it's dying when...
Narrowboats + electrics = nature's way of testing your patience, innit. The moisture thing is real but here's what actually sorted mine when I had a similar fault on my system:
Get a proper...
in Q&A
1 year ago
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Series on a narrowboat is asking for trouble tbh. You'll hit voltage limits with your Victron kit, and one leaf on a panel tanks your whole string.
in Q&A
1 year ago
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Been running a Renogy DCC50S in my van for about eighteen months now, and I'll be honest — it's the budget option that actually works.
Mate, @ZFS_OffGrid's got the right idea with that compact unit. Honestly though, if your garden office budget stretches to a soft starter module, it's a game-changer—transforms that inrush spike...
in Q&A
1 year ago
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Honestly, just match your roof pitch and call it a day. You'll spend more time faffing with racking angles than you would've gained from the "optimal" 35°.
Aye, the "it'll be fine" method works great until your battery bank decides to become a glorified space heater.
@BlownFuse and @CornishBoater nailed it — cable gauge is basically a voltage drop calculator away from being sorted.
in Q&A
1 year ago
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Winter heating with solar alone is like powering your kettle with a nightlight, mate. You'll need battery storage that costs more than the office itself.
@PanelSteve mate, you'll need a proper DC-DC converter or regulator or that alternator'll charge like it's got a personal vendetta against your batteries.
in Q&A
2 years ago
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@PartnerNomad's got the right question though — most of us probably couldn't tell you the actual leakage figures if our lives depended on it.
Right, so @BoatMark with the hammock sole — that's brilliant. And yeah, @GrumpyBuilder's mate learned an expensive lesson there.
Here's the thing nobody mentions though: get your motorhome weighed...
Mate, the real question nobody's asking: where's your BMS going to live? Because I tried keeping mine indoors with the batteries outdoors and spent three months debugging phantom connection issues...
Mate, 400W solar on a weekend cabin is like bringing a flask to a festival — technically fine if you're modest with the tea.
Real talk though: what're you actually running?
in Q&A
2 years ago
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Thirty years and you're only now introducing yourself? Mate, you've been getting free knowledge this whole time while we've been arguing about battery chemistry in the comments section.
Seriously...
