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Greetings from a fellow SLOcal. I don’t have a solution to your problem as I’m building an off-grid RV. But perhaps you can build a trailer with solar that can double as a powered mobile workshop? Just spitballing

I appreciate everyone’s advice. At this point in our build it’s really not something we want to deal with. We will likely move on and hope that the replacements fair better in the environment in which they will be installed in. Definitely knew the risk going in. Even after the mishap it’s...

Interesting discussion. I don’t think it’s something I’m willing to try due to the aforementioned heat issue. There just isn’t a lot of material for that heat to go. Definitely wouldn’t want to weld it all in one go. One or two tacks at a time and letting it cool in between. If the return is...

Yeah there wasn’t really any indication of poor quality though. Aluminum welds are notorious for looking fine until they’re not. The QR codes are intact. Voltage curves looked similar. The cells all tested within 1-2% of eachother and all over 230AH. I guess my point is you can rely on these...

This is precisely my thought. Which is why I will be replacing them with alternatives. The only way to properly fix them would be laser welding as far as I know.

Well it finally happened. After months of being careful I’ve damaged a cell with no spare available. I’m generally pretty careful and this experience has me dumbfounded. Before you ask, I’ve never so much have hand tightened these with a nut driver. I can’t imagine going over the recommended...

Appreciate the update! Makes it a little easier to stomach the extra cost for the smart shunts ?

Long time listener, first time caller. Didn’t Victron just add that functionality to Venus OS? See here: https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2022/01/31/venus-os-v2-80/ I’m still working on my money pit. I’m considering adding a couple smart shunts to measure the DC panel and DC air conditioner...

I am also in the process of installing a Cerbo in addition to the Multiplus. You can do all kinds of neat things with the relays. For example, I am planning on using one of them to fill my fresh water tank when I’m hooked up to city water rather than using the city water directly to avoid...

I have pretty much the exact electrical needs as you with the exception of the mini split. I opted to go with a 12V split unit that uses R134A mostly to remove another inverter load and to save weight. Still leaves me with the induction cooktop, a microwave oven and electric water heater. Could...

I ended up going with Storm Power Components: https://stormpowercomponents.com/ I did a lot of shopping around and they were one of the more reasonable ones. They have a $200 minimum order per design so keep that in mind. Double check that is still the case. I ended up tailoring my design to...

Watts per unit area is a very important consideration for an RV. So is watts/pound. The larger the panel, the less overall weight for a given amount of efficiency in general. I think it’s because there is less framing material per unit area. The OP panels were 250W and 41 pounds which is about...

I considered this for a long time but felt it just wasn’t really worth the hassle unless you find yourself in freezing weather often. A typical 4 gallon 120V water heater is around $150 while a marine hydronic heater is around $500 plus the requisite install equipment. If you use the full...

If you want to avoid having to worry about fans and other roof penetrations and want to fit a bunch of solar on top, you can elevate the panels ABOVE the fans. A maxxair fan needs about 9.5 inches of space to fully open. We decided on Iron Ridge tilt mounts (north side only) with XR10 rails and...

Stainless will always be heavier than carbon steel because the specific strength is lower. And it will be more than 2%, properly engineered. The yield strength is lower than carbon steel. The specific strength (yield strength/density) is 27% higher for carbon steel versus stainless steel based...

Thanks for the info! My specs will be similar to yours in my 24 foot self built skoolie. I will have one more solar panel and 10kwhr battery bank. This is encouraging ?

Its not as simple as looking at a chart. There are multiple considerations when selecting wire. The first is voltage drop. This is determined by the current draw, wire gauge and round trip distance if you have positive and negative conductors. Typically you want to stay under 3% voltage drop...

Money would be much better spent on insulation and ventilation. I don't really understand minimalist Vanlife. Just a little more effort would go a long way without much cost. Going from effectively R0 to R3 is a massive difference. I think its more laziness than money really. Especially the...

I agree. These seem crazy expensive and there doesn't seem to be a lot a benefit compared to a high SEER AC unit which is at least half the cost. Not to mention they don't have the option of heat it seems. You can buy a 22 SEER mini split heat pump unit for under $1500. Granted they aren't...

Just ordered my Lishen 272ah cells and I'll be needing a power supply for balancing/charging. I have access to some at work but I don't think I can borrow it long enough to cycle 16 cells ? Figured someone might have a used spare. Ideally looking for at least 20A @ 0-15v but I have a tight...