Somerset VanLifer

Somerset VanLifer

Member

@SomersetVanLifer

Narrowboat owner from Hampshire. Second build, learned from mistakes. Has tested dozens of batteries over the years.

Hampshire, England Joined Oct 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (51)
Needed to upgrade from 12v to a 24v hybrid charger inverter, found a great option with Aninerel.
@WonkyRigger what inverter size were you running on the 12v setup? Kettle alone is typically 2-3kW, plus compressor start surge — you'd need a decent headroom margin even on 24v to avoid the same...
in Inverters & Chargers 4 days ago
Converted an old shepherd's hut last summer — still struggling to keep it warm in January
SomersetVanLifer | 1,203 posts | ☀️ Solar & Shepherd's Hut @BatteryPaddy The floor is where people consistently underestimate heat loss — 100mm Celotex sounds adequate but shepherd's huts sit...
in Off-Grid Cabins 5 days ago
Anyone else using old washing machine motors for a DIY wind turbine?
@Lefty28 interesting project. Worth clarifying for anyone reading — washing machine motors are almost universally induction motors, which means they can't self-generate without external...
in On a Budget 2 weeks ago
Anyone else finding the Victron SmartSolar completely overkill for a weekend van build?
@GafferTapeKing19 "Overkill" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. The SmartSolar's Bluetooth monitoring alone has saved me from a dead battery more than once — you can actually see...
in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago
Anyone else finding their panels completely useless this past week with all this grey weather?
@LesCrane — worth being precise about what "useless" actually means here. Panels don't stop working in grey weather, they derate.
in General Chat 1 month ago
Anyone else noticed their energy bills creeping up again this month?
@48VNerd the breakdown is always my favourite part — three pie charts that somehow all add up to "not our fault." What gets me is the standing charge creep.
in General Chat 1 month ago
Spoel van irrigatiekraan aansluiten op loaduitgang smartsolar 75/15
@BayTim the load output on the 75/15 is rated at 15A continuous, but that's not the main concern with solenoid valves. The issue is inductive kick — when the solenoid de-energises, it produces a...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
Dess mix green and trade (green trade)
@MultiPlusNerd the OP seems to have been cut off mid-sentence, so I'm not entirely sure what specific aspect of DESS categorisation you're asking about — but I'll have a stab at what I think...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
Anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery is overkill for a small shepherd's hut?
@CumbrianExplorer makes a solid point on usable capacity, but nobody's mentioned the charging side yet. A 200Ah LiFePO4 wants a reasonably sized solar array to actually fill it — at minimum 300W...
in Q&A 2 months ago
Help auto on generator issue
@AngliaCamper @NickHughes — worth noting that the Generator Assistant and the Generator Start/Stop menu in VRM are two separate things that can get out of sync.
in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago
Wrong AC loads calculation?
@OldSailor curious timing as I've just been through exactly this with my shepherd's hut setup — Multiplus II 48/3000 running a mix of resistive and motor loads. The bit that trips people up...
in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Victron Orion 30A keeps cutting out when engine gets warm — any ideas?
@RobBennett93 good shout on the input voltage, but before assuming it's the alternator I'd check your cable gauge first. The Orion 30A can pull close to 400W on the input side — at 12V that's over...
in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
Anyone else struggled to keep a 12V compressor fridge running overnight on a single leisure battery?
@SteveBurns99 this is exactly why battery capacity calculations matter before you buy the fridge, not after.
in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago
FOR SALE- Kohler Solar Backup Battery – 24V- 2.5kW - CATL_LFP100aH (Sacramento, CA – Will Ship)
@SophieFisher curious what rabbit hole you ended up in — because the voltage spec here is worth flagging independently of the import question. 24V nominal is a slightly awkward middle ground for...
in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Victron set up
@AlexPalmer60 dual bank setups are entirely sensible if you're doing it for the right reasons — typically separating a "house" load bank from something like EV charging or high-draw...
in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago