The real gamble is whether you're buying ex-commercial stock (usually solid) or panels that've been sat in someone's garden for five years (dodgy).
Worth mentioning the angle matters loads — if your array's at a shallow pitch, snow just sits there like a sulky teenager refusing to budge.
The lads are right about the live-in month — I did it backwards in my static caravan and spent £3k on kit I didn't need — but here's what they're missing: monitor everything during that month.
Mate, you've already got the dream setup — that 3kW Victron on 48V will absolutely murder workshop tools.
The SmartShunt wins if you've got a narrowboat or static caravan and can't be arsed checking a display every five minutes—just glance your phone whilst the kettle's on.
£500? You've either found some dodgy warehouse stock or you're running on fumes and optimism — possibly both, which I respect immensely.
Real talk though: what's the actual battery capacity hiding...
The inrush spike is indeed the villain here, but there's a workaround nobody's mentioned yet—soft starters.
in Q&A
1 year ago
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A proper DC fridge is the obvious move here — @CornishNomad's spot on — but if you're set on a conventional unit, you're looking at a 3000W inverter minimum to handle the compressor inrush,...
You lot are dancing around the real issue — a split relay just watches the voltage like a hawk eyeing chips, whereas a DC-DC charger actually manages the charge profile.
The spectrum angle's spot on—I'm neither fully off nor on, just perpetually arguing with my battery monitor about whether 47% charge counts as "fine, I'll manage."
Real talk though:...
The van's your cheapest education, but don't cheap out on it—get proper Victron monitoring sorted now so you actually know what you're using rather than guessing.
@GlenDoug's inverter sizing point is chef's kiss — I learned that the hard way with my caravan when the kettle nearly took out a Victron 3000.
Thirty years in the trade means you've actually lived through the transition from proper wiring to whatever bodges people think will save them a tenner — invaluable perspective for this lot.
The...
Spot on that it's more than just explosion prevention, though that's the safety net nobody wants to test.
Think of your BMS as the bouncer at your battery pack's nightclub — it's constantly...
Right, so the lads have nailed the basics — it's just your battery's fuel gauge. But here's the bit that'll save you money: most lithium batteries hate living at 100% SOC (degrades them faster...
in Q&A
2 years ago
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