The condensation crew are absolutely right — that's the silent killer nobody talks about until it's too late.
The voltage sag under kettle inrush is the real story here. I've been running a Phoenix 48/3000 in my van for three years now, and it's brilliant for sustained loads, but what @ExPostie's hinting...
Had this exact dilemma last year when I added EV charging to my van setup. Started eyeing the budget Chinese units and nearly pulled the trigger until I ran the numbers properly.
The thing with EV...
Mate, you're facing the classic van dilemma—espresso machines are power vampires. That 1200W draw will absolutely tank a 400W solar array, even with batteries in the mix.
Here's what actually...
Mate, I'd push back on one thing—48V is brilliant if you've got the space and budget for proper Victron gear. In a Sprinter cab, 24V sits sweeter.
The lads have nailed the core issue—your Fogstar's BMS will hard-lock charging below 0°C to prevent lithium plating.
in Q&A
6 months ago
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Been through this exact scenario with my own van conversion—the roof weight anxiety is real, but there's a practical middle ground most folks miss.
Instead of cramming panels onto a questionable...
The diffuse light angle is absolutely crucial—folks often overlook it because they're chasing peak wattage ratings. I've got a mixed setup on my van conversion that taught me this the hard way.
Had this exact problem with my van conversion setup — turns out it was a kettle triggering the surge protection every time.
@BayTim's got the fundamentals spot on, but I'd add something that nearly caught me out on my van conversion: don't just measure consumption—measure when you use it.
I logged power religiously for...
VRM's brilliant for the fundamentals, but I'd push you toward layering it properly. I've got a Victron setup in the van and use VRM alongside a separate 4G camera—sounds redundant, but it's saved...
I've had this exact dilemma in my van conversion, and it's genuinely about what you're actually powering.
@ExPostie, the shepherd's hut situation is ideal for LiFePO4 actually—you've got a static structure, so proper thermal management is genuinely doable.
@CamperCarl's spot on about the charging...
The heating element's absolutely the bottleneck here. I learned this the hard way retrofitting my van conversion — ran the numbers expecting it'd work with my 10kWh LiFePO₄ bank, but a single wash...
in Q&A
2 years ago
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@PeakVanLifer's got the fundamentals spot on, but I'd add something I learned the hard way in my conversion — seasonal thinking.
I tracked religiously for two weeks in summer, sized accordingly,...
