240 volt supply in T6

[Lord Mfwic]

Hello,
I'm new to the forum so apologise if this has already been asked.
I've bought a T6 Highline Kombi 204 Auto and I'm looking for a cost effective way of fitting a 240 volt supply. It would only be used for charging my Laptop.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Fish]

@travelvolts

 

[gmaster]

Hi @Mfwic, I massively over-thought this whole "mains power" in the van thing last year. If it's only for your laptop then I reckon you should buy a decent 12v charger and spend the money you have saved by not buying a pure sign wave inverter on a solar panel etc.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Hi @Mfwic, I massively over-thought this whole "mains power" in the van thing last year. If it's only for your laptop then I reckon you should buy a decent 12v charger and spend the money you have saved by not buying a pure sign wave inverter on a solar panel etc.

Thank you @gmaster . I didn't even know they did 12 v chargers for Macs but since your reply I have found them online so massive thank you for that. I'm still quite keen to have a 240 socket in my Van as we may use it for the odd camping weekend at shows etc but as I'm new to the Van scene I have no idea how much it will cost. I would need it fitted by a specialist as I'm not good with electrics. Do you have any idea on price ?

 

[andys]

Dead right with the 12v chargers, way more efficient than using an inverter. If you have a digital camera they also do 12v chargers for those too

 

[DaveBos]

Think I must be a bit old school when it comes to camping, but to me camping, tent or van, means getting away from it all, so as long as I can cook I'd rather leave the electrical crap at home

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Think I must be a bit old school when it comes to camping, but to me camping, tent or van, means getting away from it all, so as long as I can cook I'd rather leave the electrical crap at home

I agree @DaveBos but I need a fridge to keep the food fresh. My cooking is already awful without using food that has gone off.

The laptop charger would be for when I'm using the van for work.

 

[andys]

Think I must be a bit old school when it comes to camping, but to me camping, tent or van, means getting away from it all, so as long as I can cook I'd rather leave the electrical crap at home

I get where you're coming from but I look at it the other way, being able to be contacted and deal with emails and other sort of work b*llocks allows me to be away in the van more rather than be at work

 

[DaveBos]

I agree @DaveBos but I need a fridge to keep the food fresh. My cooking is already awful without using food that has gone off.

The laptop charger would be for when I'm using the van for work.

Get your point, 5 day old sweaty sausages and warm milk aren't the best, plus pot noodles three days running is pushing is a bit.

 

[gmaster]

The main reason I got my van was so I could still do my work, but get away from a stuffy office environment and chose my scenery.....call it "new school" working, rather than old school camping.

When I go camping I'm so old school that I only wear animal skins, hunt with a spear and make fire from the fluff in my belly button.

@Mfwic an inverter will cost a couple of hundred pound, but you'll need a battery(ies), wiring, split charge etc. @travelvolts is very good for advice and its worth taking a look at his website. travelvolts

 

[xpfloyd]

@Mfwic I decided against the invertor route. Instead I have a 12v setup (second battery under drivers seat, fridge of 12v, 12v USB charger point, 12v led lights) and then in addition to that I fitted a simple 240 setup. This was a hook up point under my bonnet, 240 rcd fuse box inside my furniture and then from the 240 box I run a double socket which also has twin USB charge points and I also run a battery charger to charge the second battery when hooked up. When I'm not hooked up my battery to battery charger keeps the second battery topped up.

Everything has been purchased from @travelvolts . Have a look at his site www.travelvolts.net

 

[DaveBos]

I just use an inverter in my works van, Transit Connect, not leisure battery, for powering my laptop and used it for hours at a time without flattening the battery.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

The main reason I got my van was so I could still do my work, but get away from a stuffy office environment and chose my scenery.....call it "new school" working, rather than old school camping.

When I go camping I'm so old school that I only wear animal skins, hunt with a spear and make fire from the fluff in my belly button.

@Mfwic an inverter will cost a couple of hundred pound, but you'll need a battery(ies), wiring, split charge etc. @travelvolts is very good for advice and its worth taking a look at his website. travelvolts

Thank you @gmaster I'll get in touch with @travelvolts and go from there. Might need to stick with 5 day old sweaty sausages and pot noodles for a while as the cost of the Van is still leaving a bit of a sting on the wallet.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

@Mfwic I decided against the invertor route. Instead I have a 12v setup (second battery under drivers seat, fridge of 12v, 12v USB charger point, 12v led lights) and then in addition to that I fitted a simple 240 setup. This was a hook up point under my bonnet, 240 rcd fuse box inside my furniture and then from the 240 box I run a double socket which also has twin USB charge points and I also run a battery charger to charge the second battery when hooked up. When I'm not hooked up my battery to battery charger keeps the second battery topped up.

Everything has been purchased from @travelvolts . Have a look at his site www.travelvolts.net

Thanks @xpfloyd . That sounds like a good set up. Not sure what a battery to battery charger is but I think my best option is to speak to @travelvolts
Just one question, does a 12 v fridge work well ?

 

[xpfloyd]

A battery to battery charger is what is required for a T6 to allow your starter battery/alternator to charge the second battery when the engine is running. Previously you would have used a split charge relay but the new vans have a smart alternator so the relays don't work.

With regards to the fridge, I'm using a webasto cr49 and the dial goes up to 7. This is my first week away since converting my camper and I have found that 3 was too cold so I now have it set to 2 (out of 7 remember). Everything in the fridge is nice and cold just like home and the power draw is minimal. I have a led battery meter which I can turn on and off when needed which shows the second battery voltage and it hardly dips even with the amp and speakers, fridge and led lights all running off the second battery