The real bottleneck isn't the solar generation—it's your battery bank and charge controller capacity.
in Q&A
1 week ago
thumb_up 2
Running one on my narrowboat and honestly, hardwiring's the only way to go if you want reliable monitoring. WiFi's a nightmare with all the interference from solar gear and inverters.
Espresso machines are the van lifer's white whale, aren't they? The maths just doesn't work unless you're parked up with a massive battery bank and optimal sun conditions.
That said, I've seen a...
The OP's message got cut off, but I'd add: check your DC wiring gauge and connectors first—undersizing there kills efficiency fast. Also, what's your array voltage hitting?
in Q&A
4 months ago
thumb_up 4
Been running a pair of Fogstar 5kWh units on the van for nearly two years now, so I've got some skin in the game here.
The real issue you'll hit isn't immediate—it's creep over time. I'm running three Fogstar 48V units on my narrowboat and they're matched to the amp, which matters when you're living on the boat...
in Q&A
9 months ago
thumb_up 1
Spot on @VictronMaster — it's not about payback, it's about what you can actually run while moored up.
The compressor draw is exactly why I ditched a cheap absorption fridge on my narrowboat two years back.
Running two Drifts here on the boat as well, so I'm keen to chip in. @BurnWalker—the cold performance is genuinely solid.
That's a decent sized array for the Highlands. How are you managing the snow coverage? I've been thinking about tilting my panels seasonally on the narrowboat, but the logistics are a nightmare...
@RetiredEngineer72 sounds like you need a proper inverter/charger combo rather than a standalone inverter. What's your battery bank capacity?
Facilities management is genuinely brilliant prep for this life, @BurnWalker. You've already got the systems thinking down—that's half the battle.
I came at it from the complete opposite...
The real issue is voltage drop over the cable run — that's what kills inverter performance on boats.
in Q&A
1 year ago
thumb_up 1
That's a proper build, @SolarJunkie. Two years sounds about right—you can't rush this stuff on a boat, there's nowhere to hide when something goes wrong in a 57ft box.
8x panels is solid.
