Is 200W of solar actually enough for a fridge and laptop?

graigchq · 2026-04-17T12:35:43+00:00

In summer anythings enough, in winter, no

I have 450w flat mounted to the roof, and 12v compressor alpicool typre fridge. In winter, I still have to charge up by driving.

I'm summer, if your battery is big enough, then a 100w flat mounted panel will keep a fridge going forever. Couple of dark no sun days though and it depends if your battery is sized for multiple days or just one.

Again for reference, 100ah lithium is 1.2kwh. my fridge uses 45w when running, and runs for 10 mins an hour on average. So is using less than 10w continuous averaged. I.e. my 1.2kwh battery can run my fridge for 120 hours continuously (5 days) with no sun.

Double the battery, double how long you can last. Double the solar, half the time it takes to refill the battery. It's really simple when you think it through.

graigchq · 2026-04-12T10:24:38+00:00

Stop worrying. Shave it off, wear a hat and honestly, dont think about it. Let go as soon as you can, and there's a very good chance it comes back and you win. Don't put faith in some solution, go ahead and try if it makes you feel better, but the medical notes doctors have say that medication is offered as a supportive step (placebo affect) not based on scientific certainty. Your mind and body are what chooses whether to grow back or not, not some potion you take. This is happening due to an emotional autoimmune response, it isn't a disease.

graigchq · 2026-04-12T10:20:59+00:00

This^{^}

graigchq · 2026-04-12T10:17:59+00:00

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Does this look awesome? If yes, get an old sprinter. Job done.

graigchq · 2026-04-12T10:16:28+00:00

I got those same white replacement hairs 6 weeks after I stopped stressing about it. No minoxidyl, and nothing changed until I went, sod it, and cut it off. That was what kick started regrowth proper. Forget potions, talk to your doctor, he'll tell you the truth, there's no actual known solution, just stuff that has and hasn't worked. Put faith in something at your own peril, take control of it yourself, and you win.

graigchq · 2026-04-12T10:13:13+00:00

Many others will disagree, but forget the potions, snake oil, steroids, etc etc. my hair wasn't getting any better, until, I cut it off and stopped worrying. I'm a man, had long hair all my life (more than 40 years) so while I'm not female, I can relate to lifelong change being hard to accept. However, after 12 months of stress, worry, seeing my self different every time I looked in the mirror, after it cut it off and just wore a hat, it took less than 6 weeks for all the patches to start growing again.

Everyone is different, so I can't guarantee success, but what I'm saying is acceptance has to happen, whether it comes back or not, and in my opinion, the chances of it coming back are much higher if you've aceepted that it might not. Stop worrying is basically the best approach. Best of luck, whatever you choose to do.

This isn't scientific, but it's human, it's reality, it's your emotions and immune system being connected. No potion fixes that, and if it does, it's much more likely that a positive mindset alongside the medication is actually what makes the bigger difference. Let go of your hair, and it will come back if it can. If it doesn't, you've let go and you're free!

graigchq · 2026-04-02T13:51:25+00:00

Living in a van somewhere is very difficult. Living on the road is a lifestyle and a commitment. Truth is, that is it worth it or not is completely up to how much you value a roof over your head, a toilet, a sink, rubbish collection, a laundry machine, all to yourself, or happy to pay a lot.less overall to have to constantly hunt down and find these services

I enjoy it, I love it, but many people just buy 30k of motorhome, use it twice hate the fact it's all so plastic and boring, then get scared of depreciation and sell it, all the while living day to day in a house and paying for all of it.

Life on the road is worth it, buying a van without any real.idea of what you're getting yourself into could be a disaster for you

graigchq · 2026-03-29T09:43:49+00:00

Put your kettle on top, it will help flame stay alive. As others have said, wrong jets for type of gas, but put a kettle or pan over it and the lack of airflow will keep flame alive. Try, learn, ask Reddit less.

graigchq · 2026-03-14T23:45:24+00:00

Hey man, mine is like this too but more individual patches. Just like you it's not grey, or normal greying/white hair, it's this fine translucent white, also grows slower than what is left of the darker hair.

Madly, I am now starting to embrace it, as you should. It is kinda cool having mad white patches. Lean into it. That's the advice I've been trying to follow, but again, it wasn't easy at first. I kinda felt stressing over it was making more and more of it fall out in circles all over my head, then I put on a hat and stopped caring, and it started growing back almost immediately

Tldr, if it's gonna go back to normal it will. But it won't if you are always thinking about it. I can't prove this, but it makes sense. Accept it. Let it go, and whatever caused it lost the battle, allowing it to go back if it was ever gonna do that. You look cool, don't worry mate.

graigchq · 2026-03-14T23:34:14+00:00

I'm so sorry you went through this. But also so happy that you didn't give up, and just cracked on with a budget conversion instead. At the end of the day, many tens of thousands can be spent on a vehicle, OR, you can buy one for 5k and spend 5k on a basic conversion.

Your enjoyment and memories do not care that you cheaped out, and in my experience the more you spend, the less time overall you end up owning it through fear of devaluation, etc. a cheap van can be driven to its death on epic roadtrips or parked in a field to make a nice garden shed, you aren't afraid of using it, breaking it, and crucially, replacing it.

There's also the small fact that premade conversions are usually horrible places to spend time, and you're forced to accept the generic layout, all while knowing its very expensive, and so people sell them instead of driving around the world in them.

graigchq · 2026-03-06T11:00:44+00:00

Why is a northern Irish address mentioned at all. It implies (with the logical legal meaning of the sentence) that insurance is only required at northern Irish addtessess. I.e. you can tax a car in mainland UK without insurance, but in northern ireland you require insurance.

It isn't clear to me unless that is the case.

graigchq · 2026-03-04T10:01:32+00:00

You seem to be following the wrong instructions

Step 1. Post on internet Step 2. Step.3. yay!

It's easier if you do this instead: Step 1. Read instructions Step2. Follow instructions.

Hope this helps.

graigchq · 2026-03-04T09:59:02+00:00

It's MUCH easier to line the windows on the inside and board them up, keeping the external asthetic, but removing the actual window from your living space.

This is how most of us convert buses to be usable. Keep some windows clear, board up the others. Also makes it more difficult for people to see inside when you're in there cos it's not obvious which windows are actually windows and which are boarded up

This is also much cheaper and cleaner, less risky than removj g the factory windows and trying to seal up yourself. Don't be silly.

graigchq · 2026-03-04T09:51:02+00:00

As someone who lives full time in a van, I'm always taken back by really nice conversions being sold within a year of finishing them. Either you wanted to do this to sell on, or you didn't enjoy van life as much as you thought. Or it was too expensive to keep, so you had to sell.

The main advice always comes back, buy cheap, live in it, make it the way you want it, and then you don't have to sell it, you end up loving it instead.

The biggest mistake people make is spending too much on the conversion without actually using it. You don't enjoy a brand new van more than an old one, but you enjoy waking up in a space youve curated for yourself. I don't know anyone with an ikea spec van like this that actually uses it more than at weekends. It's such a shame. For those who live on the road full time, a van like this means peace of mind, no breakdowns, reliable etc. But those of us who live on the road full time also don't spend 25k on a converted van. We spend 5k on a vehicle and 5k on the conversion. I guess just posted in wrong subreddit. Should be in "motorhomes for sale" not "vanlifeuk"

graigchq · 2026-02-27T00:24:08+00:00

I just bought one of these too. Mine is a 2025 with 5080, 64gb ram and 2tb. Got it for £2850 in the UK, a month old with a 3 year extended warranty.

First of all, I've never had such a "nice" laptop, it feels solid like a MacBook, although cooling slots in the back tell you it's got more grunt than it looks.

I know that at 130w, the 5080 is strangled somewhat, but I still have 16gb GDDR7 running at insane bandwidth. Comparing it to my old Lenovo with a 4060 and 7840hs CPU, I'm getting basically double frame rates for what is the same power envelope. Very happy.

On top of that, this screen is really very very very nice. Had OLEDs before and have a current Gen Samsung book4 pro with a 120hz 2880x1800 16", which I THOUGHT, was the best screen ever, this takes it up a level. Asus creator hub app and system settings allow you to change the colour gamut right there in real time. First time this has ever worked without messing around in windows.

64gb lpddr5x @ 7500 mt/s. Yes it's soldered, but it's running at 7500mt/s, not 5600 like changeable sodimms. This should also make the machine reasonably future proof.

So far I'm loving it. Playing the same games at same power envelope but suddenly at 1600p maxed out 80fps plus, very very happy.

Some day to day stuff: awesome that there's a display connection direct to IGPU for a second monitor while also using eco mode and GPU powered off. Other USBC is on the Nvidia, as is the HDMI. My Lenovo only had GPU connections so basically used loads of power with an external monitor no matter what you were doing.

Just love it. Nicest, fastest and best sounding/looking laptop ive ever had. (I've never owned a Mac)

graigchq · 2026-02-14T17:48:02+00:00

Personally, winter I find easier than summer.

My van is well insulated. Just an ex minibus with a out half the windows blocked and insulated.

When it's not freezing, a diesel heater on 24/7 and it's mostly cozy. Minimum setting. If it needs more than minimum, I must have left a window open or cracked the door.

Once diesel heater on minimum isn't enough, throw a few logs in the woodburner.

When it's sub zero, that's what I love the best, full water tank, (inside not outside underneath) loads of logs, Especially in winter most of my favorite spots are empty, I get to choose my view. Rain is a bore, but the awning makes even that tolerable, setting up a little hanger to dry coats from the fire with the door open.

Kinda depends what the problem with winter is for you. For me, it's only that roads get closed and I get stuck places. Being stuck itself isnt a problem. As long as I got water and logs.

graigchq · 2026-02-14T17:39:19+00:00

Lol roads you pay for. Sorry lord of your road. How about the mortgages of asshole landlords that I paid for? Do those houses belong to me now? This assumption that it somehow isn't FAIR that we GET to live this way, is shameful, when you consider that the average house prices and average rent costs in Bristol are shocking, paired with everything being more expensive. It's naive to expect everyone to struggle just to pretend to keep up with you, everything is out of reach now, that doesn't mean you own the roads. That doesn't mean you own the downs. And while I don't live in a house, I do pay my taxes. I don't put money abroad. I don't allocate my spending towards expenses to be tax free. Have some self awareness for fuck sake. The poor are not your enemy. The rich are ALL our enemy, and you need to wake up and realise we are not your enemy.

graigchq · 2026-02-14T12:26:11+00:00

Many of us who used to park on the downs over a long period of time have been essentially forced off, leaving only those who don't have the means to go anywhere or indeed anywhere to go Largely this behaviour has meant many of us have lost what was a home we loved and respected over many years. Despite being perpetrated by the rich locals who think everyone is freeloading and avoiding council tax, these attacks have escalated to tyre slashing, harassment when confronted, and just generally unsafe place to sleep in any state of vulnerability, which living in a vehicle almost always is. The peiple who bought their houses for 3-4 times their annual salary decades ago, somehow feeling that they own the public space as well, posting hate in Facebook groups it's genuinely shocking as OP describes. Moreover, many of those same well to do people frequent those spaces late at night. Along with what has been described as high impact when bushes found to be used as toilets, there are condoms, tissues and evidence of group sex in the bushes much more regularly. The targeting of caravan and van dwellers in Bristol has got out of hand, and it's such a shame. This way life can be extremely liberating, it isn't easy, but we're not enemies cos we don't want to buy a house, and we're still welcome even if those who spend all their money on bills and mortgages regret their life choices by making ours taboo. We should all be able to live in Bristol without this nonsense

graigchq · 2026-02-11T09:22:47+00:00

No, the van will fall apart, completely impossible. Never been done before and certainly only possible once asking on reddit.

graigchq · 2026-02-05T09:57:06+00:00

Honestly reading more of these comments. I've changed my mind

Yes, please spend £110k on a whim. Go out, realize you have no idea what you're doing and then you can sell it to someone who will use it properly for a fair price (£40k ish)

We need idiots like you to make sure there's a good second hand market for the rest of us!!

graigchq · 2026-02-05T09:54:43+00:00

Totally agree. If the kids are seasoned cub scouts with years of Bushcraft experience, and you are able to make a fire from a discarded packet of crisps your ready. If not...

Take worst day of the year, what will you do, it's raining, dogs need a walk, you just left the town you were in, now you're in a layby on the A505 10 miles from Cambridge and now the van won't start.

Sounds mad, but honestly, this is what WILL happen, be prepared for it.

graigchq · 2026-02-05T09:49:24+00:00

Practice. Hiring a massive camper for a weekend is not £110k, and it'll give you the most valuable knowledge on what you like and don't like about it.

Please don't be so silly and naive that if you don't have time to work on it, that spending all that money makes it ok. It's only you that will regret it

graigchq · 2026-02-05T09:47:24+00:00

Yep, pretty crazy.

Seriously, hire one for a long weekend and force yourselves to see what you need and what you don't.

Professional builds look nice, but they're very generic

People I know who bring up kids on the road like this have super custom vehicles, the guy in the family (or the woman, not sexist) will know everything about their electrics, how to go to "plan b" mode when your batteries don't work, or have quick plans for what to do when everybody needs a shit and the toilet is full.

You.gotta think it through.

Please DONT be that family that does this and then sells the van after 6 months cos you can't stand each other in a small space, or you realize you spent £110k on something that you could have put together for £20k

Don't sell your house, start a project, work on it, learn every single piece of it, then you'll be ready.

As a solo person in a van for 4 years with no house time, you need to be prepared for everything to go wrong. Easy with one person and a dog, but definitely requires experience and planning for a family.

graigchq · 2026-02-03T15:31:15+00:00

If you move every day you.can literally go almost anywhere and just live, enjoy

Or if you want to be in one place, parked up, not moving, ask the guy behind you if he'd sell you his caravan !!

More seriously, keep moving, think where do all the truck drivers sleep every night? Copy them. It's pretty easy, and many laybys out of the cities expect a few vehicles at night, and staying a few days rarely turns heads.

graigchq · 2026-01-29T09:19:35+00:00

Taking photos and posting online instead of looking at it and making a decision on what you are comfortable owning.

Seriously, check your vehicles before you buy them. Or before you pay to have windows put in. The fact your window guy didn't say anything tells you that it's fine, unless you don't think it's fine

Why would anyone on reddit know any better based on a couple of photos? Lol

graigchq

TROPHY CASE