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Reading about diesel heater and fumes it seems a little leakage is common and somewhat expected. A quick search showed a lot of results of people asking similar questions. Since diesel is known to be super toxic and will even be banned in some years in the UK what does this mean for our long...

Like how we grow crops in summer to take us through winter can the same be done for solar or do batteries not hold charge for long enough for it to be feasible? I know you could do what my mum does with the solar on her roof and sell solar back to the grid and buy that back again but that does...

Having lived in the van full-time about a year exactly now I have learned how important ventilation is for stopping mold and otherwise keeping the air fresh. With the many homes I have seen build into the ground like below I wonder how ventilation would be managed. These videos are popular...

Saw this users postings after someone on that sub suggested it and that some user, this one I guess, had brought it up as an alternative source to solar in the winter. This seems just the ticket for UK because when the weather is awful, with next to no solar, it is more than likely also going...

I have two of these from renogy in series. 12v, tracer bn 4215 controller. Could I add more of these to existing array so that 200 would give more mileage on the same surface area? I would actually prefer to buy elsewhere than renogy since I do not like that they are sneakily shipping from...

Lots of videos online making cabins but most are for show and not ones they are dwelling in. Will it be hard to do? Considerations? How much wood will it take for a single person one room cabin? There will be a little under an acre of wood. No idea what wood, I think maybe beach, does the type...

For reference this is for UK weather and using diesel (aka dry) heating. Isn't that like putting on the heating and opening all doors and windows? It seems extremely wasteful no? Currently I see heating is not enough for me because I will run the heating for an hour say and see the...

Currently heater is at mid level of the van, placed right at the rear and facing the front. As such the heat spreads in a jet from the 30cmx6 approx aperture rising to the ceiling. I am only in a transit connect and thought it would be so small that it wouldn't matter and the whole space would...

I was previously looking at the older sterling 60a dc-dc charger for £246: https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/sterling-pro-batt-ultra-battery-to-battery-charger-12v12v-60a.html After looking up some reviews I noticed quite a few were bad so did a search for '60a dc-dc charger' and then renogy's one...

I haven't so far as when doing research I read that it is questionable if it is required and so didn't. Something about how it self earths anyway or something. Don't remember exactly but since it seemed optional I did not dig into it. I see some comments on various places that people do though...

My lifestyle is more like that of a static caravan and no I don't want to live in a caravan! I explored that idea before getting a van and decided van was the way because I would easily be able to move it when I want. Also since I am in a small van (transit connect) I am able to drive down the...

I did find a thread on the forum with same question pretty much but like often happens the replies ended up having very little relation to the question asked. I will start out by mentioning the battery is a lifepo4 fogstar drift 105ah. There are supposed to be 4 stages of charging right? Bulk...

There is the old trope of 'dead sheep up river' whenever you mention drinking from streams. What about with filtration though? I know nasties can be in the water such as parasites. After hearing a chap who I worked with tell me how he expelled a worm like creature about half a foot long it has...

Looking for land, especially woodland, finding south facing plots is rather rare. Would you say it is an absolute essential for power or are there other options which could prove equally as good as solar - at an accesible price of course? I will still have very modest electrical needs for now...

If I am understanding right so far overpanelling is just taking advantage of the fact that the panels will never achieve maximum rated output so we are using more to eek out what we can of those lower solar days. Also once summer comes round and they would be achieving the highest output they...

Will that be 0 or just greatly diminished? I am parked on my mums drive and the parking spaces or on the north with the building blocking the sun.

I am looking to overpanel to take me through the winter months but I thought that to make use of the excess that will be gathered in summer perhaps induction cooking on electric stove could be an option. Bear in mind I have barely any other electrical draws aside from tiny things like tablet...

Should I try and grow vegetables that like boggy land or work on drainage to make the land not boggy? The space is around 2 acres. I saw a couple of youtube videos, one in scotland, so same climate pretty much, where they grew rice and said if you choose the right variety then it isn't too...

I know that the tablet charges via dc but it is with an ac to dc adaptor. How to charge direct from dc source in van? Can usb be used as I have 2 ports? If so how? I am not sure what connections are needed. I looked at the ac adaptor last night and it stated, from memory, 1.5a input and 1000ma...

I know that there is lots of information online about making your own gas bottle wood burner like this: https://www.instructables.com/Gas-Bottle-Wood-Burner/ Although I am more confident with DIY, having done my own van build, to do any metalwork I feel would be beyond my capability. I also...

I am talking about directing all the power to those two things for those shortest 2-3 months, or near enough. For a single person is it possible if there is a whole field available to deploy panels? A large part of that would be for vegetable production but I wonder if with enough panels they...

I got to thinking that solar is pretty pointless. In all the van life videos they would always be pumping up how amazing solar is and the first line for powering your van while only mentioning dc-dc chargers as backups for winter as a footnote. Having said that I guess it depends a lot on where...

The mt50 doesnt seem much help here. It just shows how many watts you are bringing in but what does it pertain to? I was told it is "real time" but then what use it that? I want to know how much I am drawing and saving over x time to be able to calculate efficacy. Also how much is in the...

I had been looking at this dc-dc charger: https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/sterling-power-bb1225-battery-to-battery-charger-12v12v-25a.html That is £146. If going for the 40a one the price suddenly ramps to over twice the price. I thought it would be a great option as a backup to give some more...

I already have a laptop but it is a low power one geared more as a tablet/laptop so I guess smaller power consumption. That one charges in the range between 7-12v. I think the port is busted though as it is extremely difficult to get it to charge having to wiggle it round usually for 15 minutes...

I have to get electrics in before heating can go in so it is a chicken or the egg thing. Want heating in large part to deal with the persistent ddamp but said damp will also then be able to get on the electrics. I havent fully enclosed yet, just the main ply board with components screwed to...

Someone had dumped them up the road and I instinctively thought I would make a use for them but now I cannot think of a good use for them. What could they be used for? Only possibles I have read which may suite from online so far are making a roof or for composting receptacles. For a roof I...

I bought a battery like this to replace my ancient ebook reader. Technical specifications are provided on the datasheet if that helps. The one I bought seems to not be holding charge however I am unsure if it is an issue with the battery itself or some other issue like charging setup as people...

When I initially installed my basic 12v system with only a single 100ah battery from what I read online grounding to chasis was not essential due to the small loads. I am speaking here only about for safety in malfunction cases, not the other idea of using chasis ground as the 'return' route of...

I was getting direct sunlight on the current 300w or horizontal panels today, south facing, and looking at the mt50 is was only showing 0.3a at about 2.30pm. I was thinking wtf!? In summer I would expect that to be like 10a. The peak I got today was only 1.2a and similar lately. It then...

This seems a fabulously simple solution to enable me to have an elevated structure, to fend off rodents (with some kind of flare in between blocks to stop them getting over), as well as being about to easily use more or less blocks to level it on the slope and also get off the ground to be away...

My board (btw what is the 'proper' term for where all the 12v devices are screwed down, I think of circuit board but that is for the green pcbs isn't it? So not sure what is applicable here) where I have put things is extremely small and cramped; partly due to lack of experience when I first...

Ok so I had wired everything up including a sturdy ground behind the driver's seat as per recommendations. Everything had been working swimmingly for small runs close to home the past few days but on a longer drive where I plan to leave for some time trouble struck! I am guessing from the quick...

Everyone shit on flexibles but just these 2 x 200w flexible renogies are performing better than I would have ever anticipated from all the shit people gave it online before buying them. I noted the highest peak I have seen so far the other day at around 121w. All this and still only on the cusp...

If you don't what I mean look up wallas xc duo. It is a diesel heater just with cooking ability 99% the same internals with just a cook top above the glow plug as far as I understand. Mine isn't that make. I bought a chinese knock off for about 1/2 the price but same type of deal. Unfortunately...

The fan says 0.16 amps draw but no information on the wire since it is made for a pc which doesn't use fuses for individual parts I guess. The wires are super tiny though, like only 2 mm totoal and maybe .5 mm of the wire itself. I only have 2 amp fuse as my smaller ones currently. Should I buy...

I had held off buying the 3rd 100w panel for the roof given that I might explore a wind turbine. Can you guys helpe with the calculations? Comparing how much juice I would likely get from wind given it is transient and I would have to chase higher climbs probably vs given that solar is in short...

I saw that lfp04 as well as lfp08, rather than only having user settings to set them, are options and my battery seller said this would be the one I should choose (fogstar drift 105ah). Every time I switch the power back on though the setting defaults to "sealed" in the options. I set again and...

The charger is the sterling power bb1260. Seriously, this is when I want it most! The same happened with solar. I ran to 0% battery thinking the solar would just top it up when the sun came up but it didn't work and I had to drive over an hour back to get a mains hookup! Why is the same...

I am so at a loss I have no idea what to look up online to try and diagnose the issue. So I was just doing what I thought was some routine tidying up, just reconnecting a light which came unplugged at the plastic screw terminals and adding a couple of blade terminals to connections which I had...

Hi I am new to all this and just bought all my gear. I eschewed the newer epevers and went for the older tracer bn on Wills recommendation that it is heavy duty and robust. Very pleased with it as it seems exactly as described but could someone guide me on how to setup my lifepo4 battery with...

Still wanting some clarification on how parallel increases your power. Does it still increase it, just less so than if the same panels were in series? People have recommended to group them in parallel to overcome the voc limits of the scc. Could I do 4 of these parallel and 3 series to achieve...

Even though I barely drive now, upon people's recommendations, a battery to battery charger does seem like a good idea to supplement my charging capabilities for these poor solar months. It would be good to always have it as an option without having to resort to shore power. As mike fitz kindly...

The only think I can think of so far is a water pump. What else can electric be used for? I mean outside of the stuff I already have in my van for charging laptop, phone, heating, cooking and such. What other uses if you have your own land? Haven't been able to think of anything really so far.

I am still not understanding the readings on left and middle columns (forget about the load one as not in use, who uses that right!? :D). I just put my third panel up to give 3 in series. All looking good in terms of increased numbers but I am still not sure which column, left or middle, is...

I have avoided having to use dc-ac inverters so far but is that too much to ask for a desktop pc? I have managed to get my laptop and phone to charge direct from my fuse block with a respective voltage regulator for each. Can something similar be done for a desktop pc too or is it too...

I spent the past month or more setting up electrics buying all the gear and solar and it just dawned on me the solar is probably going to be as good as useless now. I only got it mainly to power diesel heater electrics. Of course the electrical system is now almost in place so can be powered by...

Only thing I found was a couple of facebook groups. I can't stand fb so no intention of using that. Reddit there are a few subreddits with off grid non localized with some uk posts. Also hate reddit for the toxic voting system. I like oldschool forums like this one. Doesn't seem to be much...

1. How or moreso where to install starter battery disconnect? I know the process generally of how from doing leisure battery electrics though with installing a starter battery disconnect I am not sure where you fix it since there is no circuit board under the hood that I could see like with...

Is it just a simple case of getting long enough wires from the battery in the back to the engine and maybe a fuse? Having said that I imagine the thickness of the wire required would mean that length would cost a lot if you have to get over the amperage of the batteries? 80a for the engine...

From old threads I have been reading online and their costs is seems like it would be about £2.5k to hire worker and have stone brought in. Is there not some DIY way to do it? The advantange of the land is it is flat with very slight slope but it is just mud field right now. Would it be...

I am thinking to add one more 100w panel to the existing 2. There is space for one more only on the roof of the van. Some time ago respected member mike here mentioned that in series even numbers are preferred but did not give the reasoning and as I was not looking to do it at the time did not...

I have not bought anything from them so far but see all the song and dance about how they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I do have my eye on their battery monitor bmv 700 which seems like it might be suitable for me. I am wondering if their gear is actually head and shoulders above...

I just want to know state of charge first and foremost but then maybe what loads are being drawn and the basics whatever most people recommend. Things like this. Or another one I saw around mentioned is the DROK though someone mentioned in another post, referring to that linked video, that the...

What options are there to bootstrap your way back to having power again? Of course the question is without relying on mains hookup. Also not relying on friends/neighbours to help. This is about self-sufficiency! I was screwed a few weeks ago when my leisure went down to 0 as I didn't know that...

Is it simple to make a charger from leisure battery to charge AA/AAA and other small type batteries? There are quite a few different small items like clock, food digital scales, torch that use these batteries. Is it pretty easy to recharge them with leisure battery - from the fuse block? I...

Not a solar question, but tangentially related as the highest priority reason to get my solar up and running is to have power for a heater, most which require electricity in some form for startup and background operation. Someone else posted a similar post here which apparently went unchallenged...

I initially was following a youtube schematic where he says to fuse and also use a dc isolator. This article though from a well respected shop in the UK says it is not necesary and detrimental to efficiency. As a few others on different threads also said it is redundant I have opted not to but...

Shepherd's huts seem popular when I have been looking around while on my travels in the country. I have no idea if they are cheap though. I would tend to think not and they are more popular for the aesthetic than for price and seems to be lots of professional builds of those for thousands so...

Would the temps get high enough to go on fire or not? I saw that it is flammable under a naked flame but not sure if sun heating the bare metal roof behind it would melt it and possibly cause it to catch fire. I ask because I already bought some for another section of the van and have some...

In this video david mckluckie, who seems highly regarded on these forums for his self powered diesel heater, argues that it is perfectly safe to exhaust the fumes directly into the space where you are in so long as the carbon monoxide alarm isn't going off. In the description I noticed he added...

I almost bought a dc-dc charger but never got round to it since I guess solar must have picked up before I did. :) I just refreshed my memory and would be great to buy one of the sterling power ones which will also trickle charge the starter battery when solar is out. For a 105ah lifepo4...

This has happened 3x now and have to patch them each time. I don't even see it happening each time so far. I only notice it another day when I come to take them out and notice no readout from the device then see one has come away again. They are only cheap and super thin wires but why are they...

Absolutely no idea on the specs of it. There is so little detail on it anywhere. It just has 'gp4' on the front and nothing else. I have read that lifepo4 are more finecky about their charging and can more easily be damaged. Would this be the case here? I have been given recommendations to use...

As people have mentioned that looking at mt50s volts reading is inaccurate. I have read smart shunt. Is that the only or main way? What are the options? I would prefer not have to buy another expensive piece of equipment if there is a cheap way to do it which might not be as efficient...

I noticed it can have little to do with whether the sun shines or even if there is cloud cover. If it is really thick cloud cover and raining heavily then yes but I remember some of my best readings last winter were when there were clouds covering the sky but not too thick. Somehow they acted...

Stupid mistake. I live in my van, and a very small one at that, so everything is on top of itself so I have to move one thing away before getting another out. I keep my electrical components in the dumbest place really, right above a bowl of water I use for washing, but had not bothered to...

I have been thinking this due to suddenly realizing how electric can/should be seen as a second fuel source which is usually just mentioned as an aside. I thought this as I have been struggling badly to power my diesel heating since the electrical side is way underplayed. I knew it also...

Is it an oxymoron? I dont think it necessarily is because the internet itself is discussing something totally different to the service providers who allow you access or is it? I have to think more about that. I was thinking how in moving nearly everything else off grid, no longer renting and...

Initially it was not screwed down so I just lifted it out of the passenger footwell and moved it round to the side where the main tank port is. I did think I could make it demountable again however this is not really good since I would have to constantly be pulling the fuel pipe connector on...

A few videos on this but it seems mixed reviews. Some say it works other say it works but will break the parts with continued use. There are a couple of biofuel dedicated forums but I wasn't able to join. Either reg disabled or unsolvable verification question: "Our favourite runny golden...

The only reason I am desperately trying to store electricity right now is to run the electrics on a diesel heater. If I had land, which I am planning on getting, a couple of acres of woodland, I could build huts of wood, cook and keep warm all without electricity. I am not allowed to cook and...

I will first note that I am only working with a 12v system and have no plans to implement ac so from what I read that does limit the possible dangers. I got, what I hope is, the remainder of my kit yesterday and realized I dont have the first clue about safety of installing this stuff. Even the...

To be honest I don't really understand the negative cable and how it works. I plan to educate myself more on it going forward but would like these specific questions answered since I want to be using the dc-dc charger right away. I just try to follow guides online however I have been very...