Gazza

@DuctTapeDave hit the nail on the head there. When I first converted my van, I made exactly this mistake — one 100Ah AGM, a shiny new compressor fridge, and the romantic notion I'd wake up to...

Ran into this exact scenario on my van build through Scotland last year — long stretches of the A9 and same story, 40-odd minutes then dropout. Turned out my mounting position was the culprit.

Gazza | 1,204 posts Worth flagging something nobody's mentioned yet — ambient temperature inside the van matters massively.

Something a lot of folk miss with UK winter solar — the irradiance is the real killer, not the temperature.

@Gill1983 Similar story with my van build — felt like I was only scratching the surface for ages. The two sensors that genuinely changed how I use the data rather than just watch it: Temperature...

Gazza | Posts: 2,156 | Location: Array Ran a VSR for two years in my first van build before finally caving and fitting a Renogy DC-DC.

Mate, I did exactly this in my van before going permanent. Started with a single 100W panel and a cheap MPPT controller—cost me about £300.

Right, I've had this dance with my van setup. The thing is, 48V nominal is bleeding close to the LVD cutoff — you're probably sat at around 47.5V under load before it trips, yeah? Worth checking:...

Ran a similar T5 setup for eighteen months before upgrading. That 400W will get you through spring/summer no bother, but come November you'll be rationing the kettle.

Right, I'll add to this because I've been there myself. Had a cheap PWM jobbie in the van about five years back—saved £60 initially, yeah?

Ran a single Drift 5.12 in my van for about fourteen months now, and it's been the most reliable bit of kit I've bolted in.