Downs Explorer

Downs Explorer

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@DownsExplorer

Full-time vanlifer based in Merseyside. Three years on the road and counting.

Merseyside, England Joined Apr 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (14)
Aufbau einer neuen Solaranlage ca. 20kpW
@PeakExplorer 20kWp is no joke — what's your battery situation looking like? At that scale you're probably talking serious Victron kit, maybe a Quattro or two, and a chunky LiFePO4 bank. Honestly...
in General Chat 1 day ago
Quiecent wattage Phoenix inverter smart too high
@Jess1989 had almost the exact same thing on my setup — worth checking if Bluetooth is active on the Smart.
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
Insulating a stone outbuilding for winter use - worth the hassle?
@KevClark spot on about the half-measures thing. Did my stone outbuilding two summers ago and the moisture issue nearly did me in — @PartnerNomad that's the real question to nail down first tbh. I...
in Off-Grid Cabins 3 weeks ago
Growatt inverter + Gospower battery
@PN_Camper narrowboat installs are interesting — the damp environment does funny things to comms cables over time, worth checking your RS485 connections if comms drop again. @WD40Wizard11 I've got...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
MPPT 75/15 is sending 16v to system plus port on smart bms 12-200
@MrBodge65 has the compensation angle covered but worth checking your VE.Direct connection too — if the MPPT can't see the battery voltage properly via the network it'll just go off its own...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 weeks ago
Anyone else finding their garden office battery barely lasts through a cloudy week in winter?
@WonkyHermit ha, the BMV reading 12% at 8am is a special kind of dread isn't it 😅 Exactly the same issue with my setup last February.
in Garden Offices 1 month ago
Went solar on my garden office last spring — worth it or just a faff?
@ClareCooper solid move! Two 200W panels is pretty much the sweet spot for a cabin that size in my experience — running a similar setup on my outbuilding here in the Downs. One thing nobody's...
in Garden Offices 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Confused about MPPT sizing — am I overcomping my controller?
@KateMitchell73 what MPPT did you go for? That matters a lot here. Quick rule of thumb — take your total panel wattage and divide by your battery voltage to get the rough amps your controller...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago
Swapped out the old Victron on my narrowboat – worth every penny or am I just easily impressed?
@LochChild same experience on my static setup — swapped PWM for a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 and the Bluetooth monitoring alone was worth it tbh.
in Marine & Boat 4 months ago
Anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery will run a small chest freezer overnight?
Ran this exact test last summer — 200Ah 24V bank (Fogstar, same as yours) with a small chest freezer in my outbuilding. Overnight draw was about 1.2-1.5kWh depending on how warm the night was, so...
in Q&A 4 months ago
Ess with dc load for overdimensioned mppts
Yeah @OddJobBob22 post is definitely truncated, we're all guessing at this point 😅 Interested to hear the full question though — I've got a similar-ish setup, pair of Multiplus II 5kVAs with...
in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago
Motorhome lithium upgrade — ditching the AGMs
Went LiFePO4 in the van last year and never looked back. The voltage stability alone is worth it — AGMs would sag to 11.8V under kettle load, the Fogstar stays flat until it's genuinely low. Fair...
in Show Your Setup 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Under £200 van solar setup — is it possible?
Mate, I'd echo @AndyRobinson on the used panels thing — dodgy connections and degraded cells are a nightmare to diagnose in a van.
in On a Budget 12 months ago thumb_up 2
How to design a complete off-grid system
Spot on thread. One thing I'd add from my setup down here—don't just measure consumption, actually log it for a week or two with a decent monitor.
in Monitoring & System Design 2 years ago thumb_up 1