Fitting an Inverter.
- Thread starter Charlie
- Start date
I work for a company that has 15 VW Caddy's all with 2000w inverters.
They are wired direct to the main battery. You have to have the Van running and they all have a Key switch to disconnect the circuit when not needed.
I work in TV so need power to run chargers, lights and the like.
any suggestions very welcome
They are wired direct to the main battery. You have to have the Van running and they all have a Key switch to disconnect the circuit when not needed.
I work in TV so need power to run chargers, lights and the like.
any suggestions very welcome
personally for a camper I can't see the need for an inverter unless your really off grid and need to run a hairdryer. Our thoughts were if we need any 240V's we would be on a site and out setup is to have a 240v hook up that connects to a couple of sockets in the van, so they only work when connected up. everything else is 12v just a thought
All the more reason for getting a second battery (or a bank of batteries) for the inventor to run off to make sure you can drive home - at 2000w I think you would have the potential to discharge the battery faster than the alternator (140a) can keep it charged with the engine in tickover. @travelvolts is best placed to advise.
I can't see a problem if you are running the engine when using the inverter. Just size the inverter cable accordingly as it is likely to be a run of about 3 metres to your van battery. probably going to need in the order of 25 mm minimum even if the inverter is only being run at half load. Connect the negative to earth point under the seat to save having to run both cables to battery.
Christ
How do you go about routing cable that thick to the underseat? It must be like bending a fence post.
Proper Hi Flex battery cable is easy enough to manage and only around 15 mm overall diameter. Easy enough to run through the the grommet behind the battery.
Steady on Dave
I see that a fair bit, people grab 3mm wire, when it is acutely 1.13mm2, but wire it up when they should be using 3mm2
as for running cable for a 2000 watt inverter, i'd defiantly be looking at some decent cable around 35-50 mm2 for a 2000 watt inverter depending on distance.
The inverter, should have the sizes it recommends for that unit, broken down into distance from battery.
Thanks all.
The inverters in the work van I used to use were hooked up to some pretty big cables.
After all the points made I might just derate the inverter to something a bit smaller.
Would like to have an auto battery disconnect if possible wired to a switch on the dash that also cuts the inverter if the Van is turned off.
Asking a lot so will keep looking.
The inverters in the work van I used to use were hooked up to some pretty big cables.
After all the points made I might just derate the inverter to something a bit smaller.
Would like to have an auto battery disconnect if possible wired to a switch on the dash that also cuts the inverter if the Van is turned off.
Asking a lot so will keep looking.
You could use a relay to ensure that the inverter is only available when the engine is running. Choose an inverter that is rated slightly higher than your anticipated max load. Once you have made that you choice you will then be able to size your cables and relay to suit.
I've got a 3000W pure sin wave inverter in my van. In fact I've had it in the past 3! Its connected directly to the main battery. I bought a set of 400A jump leads from euro carparts that cost roughly £10 to feed the inverter. A good inverter has a low voltage cut off so it wont drain the main battery it will just switch off when main battery drops below around 11.5V. I use it for charging tool batteries, work lights etc most days without running the engine ever! If I'm using a heavy load for prolonged periods , like coring drill or tyre warmers (if I'm lucky enough to get on a track day) I'll run the engine. I've never had an issue or a flat battery in over 10 years of running my work vans this way.
HTH
Ian
HTH
Ian
