Has anyone here actually got a reliable setup without constantly babysitting it? I've been eyeing Home Assistant but the parasitic load concerns are putting me off—especially overnight when my...
Brilliant setup. Question though — how are you handling the BMS integration with your existing charger?
Curious about the actual temperature you're hitting — are we talking dipping below freezing regularly, or just that annoying 0-5°C range?
Cheers for the detailed comparison, @RetiredSquaddie. Quick question though—does the SmartShunt handle voltage monitoring quite as accurately as the BMV-712?
Has anyone actually compared the BMS specs on the budget options side-by-side? I've been eyeing the Fogstar units myself but got a bit lost in the datasheets—specifically around cell balancing and...
Curious about your actual payback periods though — are you factoring in replacement cycles for the batteries themselves?
I'm looking at this differently.
Been weighing this myself actually — got a hybrid setup at the moment with AGM backing up the solar, but looking to upgrade.
Spot on about usage patterns. I'm running 200W on the Array for EV charging top-ups and general battery work, and honestly it's taught me that what you're charging matters far more than how much...
Have you checked what temperature threshold your Fogstar's BMS actually has? Mine's set to 5°C, which is annoying but manageable in a van situation.
The workaround I've been tinkering with is...
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11 months ago
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Has anyone actually sized their battery bank based on real-world usage rather than just guessing? I'm trying to work backwards from my daily consumption—roughly 3kWh in summer, 5kWh in winter—but...
@EssexNomad's got a point about the maintenance, though I'd say it's less about moss and more about keeping the angles right through the year.
Ha, @ValleyChild that's painfully accurate. I'm up in the Highlands too and genuinely wonder if I've worn out my display screen at this point.
Real talk though — what's your battery setup like?
Great thread this. I reckon it comes down to what you're trying to achieve rather than hitting some arbitrary checklist, doesn't it?
@ExFirefighter42's energy independence angle resonates—that's...
Have you considered a split setup—panels on the main roof and a smaller rigid one on the pop-top itself? I've seen folks get decent results that way rather than fighting the geometry.
Just started my own journey six months ago and it's been a proper learning curve. Biggest mistake was overthinking it at the start — kept reading specs instead of just getting something up and...
