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...
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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,...
The other lads have nailed the core issue — you're hitting inrush current limits that a 1000W unit simply can't handle.
The key thing nobody's mentioned yet — and I learned this the hard way in my van — is shadow patterns. A Cotswolds site in winter is brutal for solar.
You've picked the hardest season to design for, which is actually the smart move. I learned that lesson the painful way with my van conversion.
Here's what nobody mentions until you're living it:...
