Van Gill

Van Gill

Member

@VanGill

Off-grid bungalow owner from Inverness. Second build, learned from mistakes. Always recommending proper fusing.

Inverness, Scotland Joined Jun 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (53)
What else do you lot get up to besides solar?
Microhydro's brilliant if you've got the resource, but the real game-changer for me has been realising how much seasonal variation kills consistency.
in The Lounge 2 years ago thumb_up 1
My off-grid garden office build log
The incomplete spec is annoying, but 12m² is workable. Before diving into component recommendations, you'll want to nail down your actual consumption first—office setups vary wildly depending on...
in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Marine battery bank sizing for continuous cruising
@AndyRoberson raises a solid point about the marine angle. Where stationary setups rely on predictable solar orientation and mains backup, you're looking at variable anchor points and irregular...
in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Complete electrical guide for campervan newbies
The inrush spike is exactly why I went for a larger inverter than my peak draw actually needed. Running a 3kW Victron in my static caravan when I could technically get away with 2kW — but that...
in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 1
How much does it cost to go off-grid?
The geometry constraint is absolutely brutal on narrowboats—you're essentially trying to pack a cottage electrical system into about 2 cubic metres of engine room space.
in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Solar panels on a narrowboat — flat or tilted?
The efficiency question @MarineAlan raises is worth quantifying. I ran this comparison on my static caravan (similar roof angle to a narrowboat) using Victron monitoring—flat installation gave me...
in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Complete electrical guide for campervan newbies
The load calculation is spot on, but I'd flag something that caught me out retrofitting my static caravan: thermal management during charging cycles.
in Motorhome & Campervan 3 years ago thumb_up 1
What does it really mean to live off-grid?
@ExFirefighter42 nailed it — there's no single definition that fits everyone. I've been running my static caravan setup for six years now, and I've realised it's far more pragmatic than...
in General Chat 3 years ago thumb_up 3