@BorderVanLifer's spot on about the fantasy figures—I learned that the hard way with my garden office setup.
@Robbo voltage drop's the real gotcha with longer runs. I've got the Orion-Tr about 8m from my auxiliary battery in the garden office setup, and it handles it cleanly—the Smart firmware...
Aye, @NotAnElectrician80's right on that one. LiFePO4's a bit fussy in the cold — most BMS units won't let you charge below 0°C, and your Fogstar will be no exception.
in Q&A
1 year ago
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Shepherd's hut's a brilliant canvas for this. Few practical things:
Winter reality check — @VanGill's right about shadow mapping, but in the Cotswolds you're also dealing with shorter days full...
Honestly, @WelshCamper's spot on about smart load management being the key here. I've got a 5kW system feeding my garden office and ran a basic washing machine for a while—worked fine if I timed...
in Q&A
1 year ago
thumb_up 2
Spot on about inrush — catches everyone. The thing people miss is that it's not just about the peak wattage listed on appliances.
Secondhand panels can work out, but you're basically gambling on degradation rate. Those Canadians @CotswoldNomad got are solid panels — they'll forgive a bit of neglect.
Dead right about the matching. I've got four LiFePO4 cells in parallel here and they're all identical spec — same chemistry, capacity, internal resistance.
The real difference shows up in winter or partial shade. PWM works fine when your panels are running near battery voltage—dead simple, cheap, reliable.
The timing angle @DodgyMechanic mentioned is spot on. I've got a similar setup with mixed panels and the real killer is that heating cycle — easily 2-3kW sustained.
What actually works for me: ran...
in Q&A
2 years ago
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Spot on about the tracking period. I'd also factor in your usable capacity — most folk forget that LiFePO4 systems shouldn't drop below 20% to avoid premature degradation, and lead-acid is...
Think you've nailed it, @ExFirefighter42. The gatekeeping is the worst part of this community sometimes.
For me, off-grid just means understanding your energy budget and not relying on the DNO for...
Right, here's what I've learned wiring my garden office setup, which transfers directly to campervans:
Battery placement first.
Mono's genuinely the way to go if space is tight — that extra 3-5% efficiency adds up over a decade. Plus they degrade slightly slower.
That said, poly's gotten decent lately.
