Recycling centres are solid, but honestly I've had better luck with Facebook Marketplace and local Buy Nothing groups — folk upgrading their systems chuck out perfectly good panels.
in Wanted
3 months ago
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Running a US3000C in the shepherd's hut and it's been proper reliable. Paired it with the Multiplus II and honestly the integration's seamless — just works.
Main thing @DODGuy's right about: make...
Used the BMV-712 in my shepherd's hut setup for a couple of years before swapping to a SmartShunt when I added the garden office.
Static caravans are brilliant for this. You'll want to size your battery bank properly first—a 3kW inverter won't help much if you're draining a small bank too fast.
The energy bit's crucial, yeah, but @AshSeeker's got a point—it's also about autonomy. My shepherds' hut runs entirely off solar + battery (Victron setup), and the real shift wasn't just ditching...
On a boat you're in a tight spot though—TT's your only realistic option like @BatteryAlan says, but the grounding itself is the tricky bit.
The charging cutoff is definitely your limiting factor, yeah. But there's a workaround if you're serious about winter use.
I've got a Victron Smart BMS 12/200 on my shepherd's hut and what I do is...
Doing the same with my shepherd's hut setup. Grabbed roughly 150 cells from a local computer repair shop who were chucking out dead packs.
Right, here's what actually works based on living off-grid for the past three years.
Step 1: Calculate your daily usage
Track everything for a week. Fridge, lights, laptop, kettle — the lot.
Solid thinking to plan ahead. For van-to-tiny-house transition, I'd suggest starting modular rather than buying a full system now.
Get a decent portable power station first (Fogstar or Bluetti...
