Off grid woes and POI

[marchie]

First off apologies to MalJ for highjacking his post.
I'm afraid that when it comes to technical things l am quickly out of my depth, even in how to start a thread on this site.
So in our motorhome home l have an inverter. Solar panel, diesel heater 2 leisure batteris and for good measure a almost silent generator.
I will attempt to upload pictures then perhaps someone would be good enough to tell me if I need anything thing else for going off grid.
My main concern is that I need power to charge my mobility scooter and at night l use a CPAP machine.
Regards Les
View attachment 148042View attachment 148043

Hello Steve
Please see photo, is this whAt you are on about?

Hi Les,
No! See the photo; the small cupboard in front of the tall gas cupboard is where our fresh water tank is housed, alongside the frost stat. Keeping the M/Home at 13 Celsius prevents the frost stat from tripping and emptying the tank, yet 13 is low enough not to require the Truma heating to run the fan for too long/often, so the leisure battery doesn't get hammered! We have 180w Solar Panel, 230Ah Lithium Battery, 1200w Inverter, DC Charger. We can charge 2x electric bike batteries, run induction hob for kettles, and cooking, alternating with refillable lpg, and have the electric drop down bed. We do act cautiously, and use surplus solar to boil water for 2 flasks that keep hot enough to wash dishes etc next morning, especially when solar is producing almost nothing until the sun gets going!

Steve

 

[LesE]

What you need for off grid is an open ended question, it depends on so many factors but starting with water, the waste tank is a certain size and it’s hard to change that (not impossible mind) but a simple run off pipe from the waste outlet will allow you to get rid or water off grid in an environmentally friendly manner. I also modified my outlet pipe so if I do manage to overfill the waste it simply dumps it on the floor rather than fill the shower etc.

Fresh water, additional fresh can be carried to top up you main tank, this is easier with a whale pump or other 12v pump.

Battery size, some people are very hard on batteries (electric kettles and hairdryers etc) others use very little, as an example if I’m alone I never give a thought to my leisure batteries, I have an EcoFlow back up and when alone it sits idle. When SWMBO is with me all combined 900ah is under threat as she treats it like a hotel room.

I also run an EcoFlow alternator charger which I turn on when driving once the leisure batteries are fully charged. But again no need when travelling alone.

Your probably best advised to get out and do some off grid camping and work out what you need, I started by hiring for a week, going to camp sites with facilities and not using them, that way when I ran out of water it was to hand, same with waste and EHU. By the end of that week I knew what I wanted and more importantly what I didn’t want.

On your family visit remember 16a leads are male and female so you can link some together to reach the house.

 

[LesE]

Boris 7
Thank you for your input, l am getting more confident with the responses I'm getting.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Make a list Les, and we'll be happy to help with your needs, which may not be as bad as you think. Like in B&Q, we're here to help

 

[Sydwal]

Thanks for the welcome.
It was advertised with a diesel heater, that didn’t work at all, it was totally dead, I only found out when on the road. I will definitely check next time. She (the owner) fobbed me off with an electric fan heater, but that would only last 12 minutes before the inverter alarm came on. I had to find EHU every night.
Then the water failed. Then the sink wouldn’t drain.
My two week trip was fantastic fun otherwise. I got to see my first starling murmuration at Newport Wetlands, among other mega nature sights and sounds.
Cheers,
Mal.

This sounds like a disaster. That's not helpful, sorry, but the vehicle you hired failed on multiple levels it seems, and that could put you off doing it again.

In my limited experience, as others have said if you drive a pre built MoHo then you simply HAVE to make serious modifications to go off grid. Not possible when you're hiring of course. Most don't seem up to the job. Again, not particularly helpful to your situation but we are about three months in to full time and we've been to one campsite and that was to do laundry. The rest of the time we've got by through by getting as many apps as we can to locate water (our biggest problem) and ensuring the van does enough mileage to charge our batteries ( we have 700W of solar on the roof but it's the time of year when that is almost useless, unfortunately). Also Wash.Me launderettes are widespread.

The point I'm trying to make is don't lose heart - and don't let this awful experience put you off. It's definitely doable but you have to hire, buy or build the right rig. With the failures you've mentioned I think you'd have struggled at a campsite! Good luck and welcome from a fellow newbie.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Most mode to go off grid ars DIY if, you are fit enough, to put a solar panel on the roof, that is ghe hardest part, but not really technical at all just two wires, they go into a controller, two from the leisure battery go there as well, then it down to your needs to judge the sizes, but that's easy enough too with some thought.

Gas can be bottled or refillable.

 

[Boris7]

Boris 7
Thank you for your input, l am getting more confident with the responses I'm getting.

I think you need to start with where you are and look to see who's nearby so you can look at their system (it won't necessarily suit your need, but its a starting point) If your close enough to pop around the a members for a coffee and a gander it may well point you in the right direction.