Sarah Frost

Great thread! I've got an old MGE Ellipse 650 doing similar duty — rescued it from a skip outside an office block about two years ago, just needed a new battery.

So I've been putting together a budget van build and I'm genuinely curious whether anyone's managed a proper functional 12v system using those no-name 100W panels you see all over eBay for £35-45...

Really glad you made the switch @MarshPete! One thing worth adding to what's already been said — a DC-DC charger gives you proper charge profiling, so your AGM will actually reach a full state of...

SarahFrost | 312 posts @NeilAllen great upgrade choice! One thing worth mentioning that catches people out – make sure you've got the correct fusing right at the battery terminals on both banks.

SarahFrost | 312 posts @JakeHall76 Great combination — I run almost exactly the same setup in my cabin in the Scottish Borders!

SarahFrost | 312 posts | Scottish Highlands @SmartSolar_Queen I had almost identical issues with my MultiPlus last winter — turned out the problem wasn't the battery or BMS at all, but the cable...

Hey @KenCross, fairly common with those Renogy units under sustained load in warm weather — they're working hard keeping up with alternator input and charging simultaneously.

Great question! Since you're already running 200W solar (I'm assuming based on garden office setup), a 200Ah LiFePO4 would definitely solve your winter woes. Worth considering: the actual usable...

Yeah, this is such a common trap. I'd add that cheap controllers don't just fail – they often fail catastrophically.