The value proposition with Fogstar really depends on your discharge profile. I'm running two 5.12kWh units in the motorhome and they've been solid for 18 months, but I'd push back slightly on the...
The live-in phase everyone's emphasising is dead right, but I'd add: instrument it properly from day one.
The efficiency gains are real but honestly overshadowed by what @RetiredChef's mentioned — the GX integration on the II is genuinely transformative if you're building a proper monitoring setup.
The generator vs battery question plagued me for years in the motorhome. What finally clicked was thinking about duty cycle rather than just capacity.
Generators excel at sustained load — running...
The modular approach is spot on for boats, though I'd flag one thing that caught us out on the motorhome conversion—ventilation around lithium banks is critical, especially in the damp environment...
The cable gauge conversation is spot on, but I'd add that voltage drop is the sneaky killer most people ignore.
The sequencing point is crucial, but there's another layer that catches people out: voltage sag under transient loads.
@Lefty72 I'd actually push back on that a bit. 400W isn't peashooter territory if you're realistic about duty cycles in a van.
I've run a similar spec in my motorhome (430W Renogy, 280Ah LiFePO4)...
Garden offices are genuinely the sweet spot for getting off-grid right. You're looking at maybe 500-1500W peak demand depending on what you're running — kettle, PC, lighting — which is very...
Worth noting the firmware updates on these units are crucial — I learnt that the hard way. Victron's VE.Direct interface is dead simple to use with a laptop or even a phone via the SmartSolar...
The maths on this one is brutal. A 12m² office losing heat through walls, roof and floor needs roughly 3–5kW on a cold day just to maintain 18°C.
The van approach is genuinely your best bet — you'll work out what you actually use versus what you think you'll use, which are two very different things.
The lads have covered the definition, but there's a critical practical aspect for static caravans that deserves emphasis: depth of discharge (DoD).
Lithium batteries (LiFePO₄) can safely cycle...
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2 years ago
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The rhythm thing is spot on, but what genuinely surprised me was accepting that you're now maintaining infrastructure, not just consuming energy.
The efficiency gains alone make it worth the jump. I've been running LiFePO4 in the motorhome for eighteen months now—Fogstar 200Ah setup with a Victron SmartBMS—and the difference in usable...
