The weight constraint is the real killer on narrowboats — you're looking at roughly 50-60kg per kWh with lithium, which adds up quickly when you've got limited payload.
Cheers for documenting this properly, @SolarJunkie—two years is exactly the timeline I'd expect for getting it right on a narrowboat.
The battery choice is going to be the real limiter here. At £500 total you're almost certainly looking at used lead-acid or possibly some of the cheaper lithium options from AliExpress — neither...
Depends heavily on your actual load profile and what you're powering. Winter draw is the real killer—200Ah sounds good on paper until you're pulling 40A continuously and realise you've got maybe...
The planning authority inconsistency is genuinely frustrating, but there's a practical angle that's worth exploring alongside the legal question.
What most people don't realise is that your energy...
The cable run distance is critical here, and @BaySoul's got it right about the Sprinter — 3-4 metres of 12V will genuinely frustrate you, especially under load.
The thing that's not been mentioned yet is your actual usage pattern. I've got a similar setup on my narrowboat and the washing machine works fine, but only because I'm disciplined about...
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2 years ago
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Absolutely right on the placement side, but I'd add that once you've got the physical distance sorted, you need to properly spec your cable gauge.
You lot have nailed it, but I'd add that the paralysis gets worse when you're trying to future-proof everything.
The week-long tracking is absolutely essential, though I'd push it to 10-14 days if you can manage it.
The real issue with MSW on a narrowboat comes down to your specific kit. I've got a Victron Multiplus 3000VA pure sine on mine, and it was absolutely worth the extra outlay once I started running...
The gatekeeping culture around "proper" off-grid living is tedious. What matters is understanding your actual load and matching it to your generation—whether that's 400W or 4kW.
On my...
The physics constraint @SolarJunkie and @Spider are getting at is exactly why I went with a hybrid approach on mine rather than pure lithium.
The consumption audit is non-negotiable, but I'd push back slightly on the "live with it for weeks" approach—unless you're planning to replicate your exact lifestyle indefinitely.
Microhydro's genuinely the move if you've got decent head and flow. I've been running a modest setup on the narrowboat for three years now—nothing mad, just a 400W Pelton wheel fed from a...
