Grumpy Sparky

The winter thing @RetiredChef mentions is spot on. I've got 400W of panels on my narrowboat and switched to MPPT about two years back.

Right, Black Friday's always a mixed bag innit. Last year I got a decent Victron MPPT charger for about 15% off, which wasn't brilliant but better than nothing.

Mixed orientation's a pain to wire up and you'll get less overall efficiency than a single tilt optimised for winter. Static caravan means you're not moving it about, yeah?

Check your cell balance state first — unbalanced cells can trigger random shutoffs even if overall voltage looks fine.

Yeah, the charge controller's massive. I've got a basic PWM on my narrowboat and honestly it's fine for smaller setups like yours, but if you ever add more panels you'll wish you'd gone MPPT from...

Yeah, the maths have shifted massively. Three years ago you'd struggle to justify the upfront cost, but now? Grid rates are bonkers. Thing is, it depends where you are.

Winter sun's too weak for heating without serious battery capacity. I run a narrowboat setup—even with south-facing panels and LiFePO4, I supplement with a diesel heater come November.

Honestly, what's your actual cable run? That's the key bit everyone's dancing around. I've got a 2000W Victron on my boat and learned the hard way — 10mm² works fine if you're talking under a...