The portability thing really does change the game. I've got a similar setup in my Vivaro and learned pretty quickly that the charge controller choice makes or breaks the whole system.
What's your...
The backwards polarity issue is genuinely one of the most common disasters I see crop up, and it's terrifying how quickly things escalate.
Been curious about your take on this, @RayWatson81. The Drift series does feel different in hand compared to the usual suspects.
Had similar oddness with my Vivaro setup last winter. Before diving into BMS settings, what's your charge current sitting at?
Proper respect for doing the groundwork first — two years of observation beats six months of expensive mistakes every time.
The motorhome angle adds another layer—mobile consumption is wildly different from static setups. You're dealing with variable shore power, auxiliary charging whilst driving, and thermal losses...
@CotswoldNomad — the renting situation is tricky, but portable kit solves that neatly. Start with a 400W Fogstar or Renogy setup (£800–1200) paired with a basic Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15.
The winter solar deletion is absolutely the thing nobody warns you about properly. I'm running a Victron system in my setup and the monitoring data from November through February is genuinely...
The constraints angle is spot on, but I'd push back slightly on framing it as purely limiting. In my setup, the physical boundaries forced me to actually understand my consumption...
The usable capacity point @LiFePO4Nerd mentions is exactly right, but I'd push back slightly on the pure maths argument.
You'll want to reconsider that placement, @ExFarmer — proximity to the battery bank is actually working against you.