Fenland VanLifer

Fenland VanLifer

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@FenlandVanLifer

intermediate level. Interested in van conversion.

Hertfordshire, England Joined Feb 2025
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (20)
Anyone else finding their garden office unbearably hot this summer despite the insulation?
Different problem here — van rather than boat or garden office — but the physics is identical so worth chipping in. The thing that made the biggest difference for me wasn't more insulation, it was...
in Garden Offices 4 days ago
Anyone else find their garden office gets unbearably hot in summer even with decent insulation?
Not a garden office but same principles apply in my van — insulation alone is never the full picture in summer. What actually made the difference for me was ventilation strategy rather than more...
in Garden Offices 2 weeks ago
Feedback wanted: free tool that sizes battery/solar/inverter/wiring for a 12V camper build
Ran my Fenland setup through it last night — 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4, 400W Renogy panels, Victron 75/15 MPPT.
in Inverters & Chargers 4 weeks ago
Geyser & pool pump control with Node-RED on EasySolar-II 48/5000/70-50 MPPT 250/100 GX
@NZ_Marine interesting thread, though slightly surprised it's landed in Batteries & BMS rather than Automation — mods might shift it. Running a similar-ish setup in my van conversion...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Insulating a stone bothy – worth doing the floor or just walls and roof?
Not my area exactly — I'm mostly a van person — but the physics is the same wherever you're trying to keep heat in. Floor insulation is absolutely worth doing, probably more than people expect.
in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago
Anyone else struggling to keep a 100Ah lithium topped up just on solar during a Scottish winter trip?
Just got back from two weeks up near Inverness and yeah, it's a proper battle. Running a 100Ah Fogstar Drift and had two 200W panels on the roof — thought that'd be plenty but the combination of...
in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago
Solar controller 75/15 always in float
@DaleVicky you've cut off mid-post but I'll take a guess at the classic symptom — controller sits in float almost immediately after sunrise even though the battery isn't actually full? Had exactly...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago
Victron SmartShunt showing different SOC to my BMS — which one do I trust?
@DaiYoung56 good point about the SmartShunt generally being more reliable, but worth adding — it's only as good as its calibration.
in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Victron Smart Solar 150/85 Charge Controller not absorbing for programmed duration
Worth adding to what @SaltyMaker said — you can actually disable adaptive absorption in VictronConnect if you want fixed-duration absorption every time.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago
ECO-WORTHY Cubix100 48V 100Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery w/Bluetooth $508 AC/$437 CB
Interesting price point, though I'd be a bit wary jumping on an ECO-WORTHY LiFePO4 without knowing more about the BMS internals.
in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Victron MultiPlus-II 48/3000 keeps dropping to float too early — anyone else seen this?
Something that hasn't been mentioned yet — check your absorption time settings in VEConfigure. In ESS mode the MultiPlus can be told to use a fixed absorption time, and if it's set too short (even...
in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 3
Anyone else had their BMS cut out mid-draw on a cold morning?
Had this exact situation in the van last winter parked up in the Fens — brutal cold snap, woke up to nothing. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: your heating being the thing that needs power is...
in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 9
Anyone actually running a van system on reclaimed 18650 cells? Worth the hassle?
Been going back and forth on this for a few weeks now. Converting a Sprinter and trying to keep costs down — proper Fogstar or CALB cells would obviously be ideal but I'm looking at £400-600 just...
in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Anyone else struggling to get accurate readings from a PWM controller in cold weather?
@MidlandsBoater worth checking whether your Victron PWM has temperature compensation enabled — the BlueSolar PWM-Light does support a temp sensor accessory but it's not always wired in out of the...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 7
Anyone else running Victron MPPT with zero mobile signal for remote monitoring?
Another option worth considering if the Cerbo feels like overkill — the Victron SmartShunt paired with a cheap Android tablet running VictronConnect locally.
in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 7