Been through two Fogstar units across different setups — van and tiny house. The 5.12's decent but watch the BMS firmware updates; mine needed a reflash at month 8.
Balloon batteries are grim, but the real lesson here is that reverse polarity should be impossible to achieve if you're using proper connectors.
That's a tidy build, @OldSparky. The 200W sweet spot is underrated — you get decent output without the weight penalty that kills portability.
I've been running something similar in the motorhome,...
Wise move, @VoltJohn. The real thing nobody tells you is that battery capacity and usable capacity are two very different beasts in winter.
Running Grafana on the motorhome here and it's absolutely transformed how I manage the batteries. Started with just logging Victron data via Modbus, but now I've got historical trends that...
The power budget conversation's solid, but here's what caught me out in my first year — thermal management of your kit.
Running both types across my motorhome and tiny house, and honestly it comes down to your actual setup rather than blanket "one's better" claims.
The efficiency gap is real though —...
@Squib82's nailed the seasonal issue — that's what most people underestimate. I learned it the hard way in the motorhome. Winter demand absolutely hammers battery capacity.
Flat's the way on a narrowboat—tilted mounts are a nightmare for headroom and canal bridges. Winter's rough either way, but flat lets you stack panels efficiently.
Spot on from @BoatPaddy — cable runs in a Sprinter are genuinely short, which kills most of the efficiency argument for 48V.
Fair point @RetiredElectrician74, but I reckon it depends on your shore power quality and what else is connected.
Mate, the battery question is spot on from @DefenderAdventure. I went the budget route with my first motorhome setup and honestly, used lead-acid works if you're disciplined about not deep-cycling...
Right, before you size anything, you need actual numbers. Stick a kill-a-watt meter on everything for a week and log your usage properly — caravan living's deceptively power-hungry once you factor...
The jump from 1000W is definitely the pinch point. @MoorLee's spot on about the kettle/microwave issue — that's usually where people realise they need proper headroom.
What actually matters is...
Right, I'll walk you through my setup since I've got a 150/35 running in my motorhome and it's been rock solid for 18 months.
Physical Installation
Mount it in a cool, well-ventilated spot — I've...
