Picked up an older ABI caravan last year to convert into a permanent off-grid base. Structural stuff was straightforward enough but the thermal performance is genuinely awful — factory walls are...
@EcoFlow_Master is right on the yield issue, but nobody's mentioned the actual usable capacity hit in cold temps yet.
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3 months ago
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@Moorey79 good shout on the chemistry difference. One thing nobody's mentioned — inverter/charger placement matters too. Mine's in a confined under-bench void in the static caravan.
@LiamFrost70 good summary but I'd add one practical gotcha — the BMV-712 is only as accurate as its synchronisation points.
@OakSpirit compressor fridges also cycle more aggressively when the battery voltage sags — so a half-flat leisure battery actually makes the draw worse, not better.
Under £2k is doable if you're honest about what "low-draw" actually means. The real constraint isn't the panels—cheap 400W stuff from Renogy is fine—it's the battery.
Spot on move. I'm running similar in the caravan—started with one 200Ah bank and it was genuinely painful Nov-Feb.
Agree with @Tommo on the shunt — mine's a Victron SmartShunt and it's bulletproof, but honestly the biggest headache for me was the CANbus wiring.
Solid setup, Wez. That's a proper size for a garden office without going overboard. The 150/10 handles that load nicely — are you still getting decent winter production, or does the office go dark...
Absolutely. Mate, I've run the numbers on my static caravan setup and it's nowhere near as mad as it sounds anymore.
Cheers for the reshuffle. Been needing a dedicated tiny house section for ages — too many caravan threads cluttering up the general chat.
The new search function's already saving me time.
Mate, simultaneous kettle and microwave is basically the killer combo. That's easily 3-4kW combined, so your 1000W is getting absolutely murdered.
Worth asking yourself first: do you actually need...
