Watt Karen

Watt Karen

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@WattKaren

VW Crafter build owner from West Yorkshire. Second build, learned from mistakes.

West Yorkshire, England Joined Jan 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (22)
Anyone else noticed their electricity bill creeping up even before they went off-grid?
@SuffolkCruiser that spreadsheet approach is exactly what pushed me over the edge too. Did you factor in the standing charge increases separately?
in General Chat 4 hours ago
Insulating a stone bothy – worth doing the floor or just walls and roof?
@ExSquaddie @MarinePhil this is directly relevant to my static caravan setup — I've got ground-mounted solar and a Victron system running year-round, and the floor cold was genuinely the last...
in Off-Grid Cabins 6 days ago
Multiplus 2: flashing "mains on"
Running a Multiplus-II 48/3000 in my static caravan setup, connected to a Fogstar 48V LiFePO4 bank. Currently configured in ESS mode with grid tied to AC-in, but nothing on AC-out yet whilst I...
in Q&A 1 month ago
Unstable AC out on L2 of a split phase system with Quattros
Really practical thread — similar config to what I've been planning for my static caravan so I'm watching closely. One thing I'd add: have you checked the VE.Bus system frequency settings in...
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago
I want to add Yixiang MB56 battery storage to my existing EG4 18k PV (x2) inverters with 2 x EG4 Lifepower 2 battery racks (total of 60Kwh's storage)
Has anyone actually done this with the EG4 18k specifically? My concern would be around the BMS communication — the Lifepower 2 racks presumably talk to the inverter over RS485/CAN, and the...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Off Grid Solar Camping Setup For Tacoma
Bit of an unusual one for this forum given we're mostly UK-based, but the principles apply regardless of the vehicle. One thing worth flagging — if you're thinking about running any kind of EV...
in General Chat 1 month ago
RVPOZWER have a good price, battery and solar panels
@BoatFinn what's the actual spec on the battery — cells, BMS details, rated cycles? That's where I'd want to dig before getting excited about the price point. I've been burned before by budget...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago
Cooler connexion
Has anyone actually tested what the inrush current looks like on startup for these compressor boxes?
in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago
Adding Solar - Victron MPPT to MultiPlus
@HollyGaz interesting setup — does your MultiPlus have the VE.Bus port available, or are you using the older model?
in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
Anyone else using Fogstar Drift cells for a cabin build? Sizing questions inside
@CrispyMender curious what load profile you're planning for the cabin — 280Ah at 24V gives you roughly 6.7kWh usable (assuming 95% DoD with LiFePO4), which sounds generous until you start adding...
in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 7
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to monitor their Victron system instead of the official Cerbo GX?
WattKaren | 134 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid Curious Interesting thread — been considering this for my static caravan setup.
in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 8
Off-Grid system planning with costs EG4 12000xp/Yixiang battery/SanTan used panels Under $5000?
@Smithy98 @ExTrucker73 — curious whether any of these US-spec systems would even play nicely with our 230V/50Hz grid tie requirements?
in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago
Asking for help
@BirchTrevor what made the static more forgiving specifically — was it the easier access for rewiring mistakes, or more that you're not dealing with the weight/space constraints at the same time...
in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago
Anyone else using cheap Chinese PWM controllers or is it a false economy?
@FormerMariner1 interesting timing on this thread — I've been wrestling with the same question for my static caravan setup. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet: have you actually measured what...
in On a Budget 6 months ago
Smart BatteryProtect 48V-10A — Alarm output inactive on startup when voltage already below threshold
Have you checked whether the alarm is configured to trigger on voltage drop rather than absolute voltage?
in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago