Inverter Location

[RightTool247]

Hi all, I’m currently converting a SWB T6. Going with EVO furniture, Rib bed and hoping to fit a swivel base for passenger seat.

The plan is to go gas-less and use an induction hob. Will be on campsites with hookup most of the time but the system is designed to have capacity for the occasional off-grid night too.

My question is in relation to locating the electrical equipment in the SWB Transporter. Currently looking at a Victron Multiplus 12/2000 and a 230Ah battery - plus DC DC charger and all the other ancillaries.

Has anyone installed a similar inverter in a SWB before? We obviously won’t have space taken up by a gas bottle, and plan to have an underslung water tank, but I’m still a bit puzzled as to where to fit the bulk electrical equipment. Under the seat isn’t an option given the size of the inverter unit (and the plan to have the seat swivel anyway) and we’re also constrained by the fact that the inverters require airflow for cooling.

Anyone any experience or thoughts? One potential location I’ve considered is under the rib bed, accessible from the back, potentially on a sliding out rail to make working on it easier…

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Stay Frosty]

You really ought to do a search on here as well but we've all got versions of what you're intending to do.
Lee @Dellmassive is your man however with your van you'll have to fill in some of the gaps as to where you've got space and where you haven't.
I've got a Roamer 230Ah under the drivers seat with a Renogy DCC50S B2B charger, assorted fuses, a shunt and the battery isolator on the base front.
I'm a shortie so have enough room behind the seat to mount the 2kw Renogy inverter into a recess on the side of the fridge housing, the original converter Redline had mounted an EHU fed Sargent EC 260 in the wardrobe and this with the built in battery charger isolated takes care of the vans 230Vac skt and the 12Vdc supplies. The solar feed isolator sits in the wardrobe too before the supply going behind the kitchen units to the seatbase, there are two 175 watt Flexi panels on the pop top.
This year back in mid June early July we did four weeks around France with no hookup at all and probably more of an achievement was our heroic Dometic compressor fridge not blowing up when the daytime temperatures never went below mid 30s C.

 

[Stay Frosty]

You really ought to do a search on here as well but we've all got versions of what you're intending to do.
Lee @Dellmassive is your man however with your van you'll have to fill in some of the gaps as to where you've got space and where you haven't.
I've got a Roamer 230Ah under the drivers seat with a Renogy DCC50S B2B charger, assorted fuses, a shunt and the battery isolator on the base front.
I'm a shortie so have enough room behind the seat to mount the 2kw Renogy inverter into a recess on the side of the fridge housing, the original converter Redline had mounted an EHU fed Sargent EC 260 in the wardrobe and this with the built in battery charger isolated takes care of the vans 230Vac skt and the 12Vdc supplies. The solar feed isolator sits in the wardrobe too before the supply going behind the kitchen units to the seatbase, there are two 175 watt Flexi panels on the pop top.
This year back in mid June early July we did four weeks around France with no hookup at all and probably more of an achievement was our heroic Dometic compressor fridge not blowing up when the daytime temperatures never went below mid 30s C.
Edit, pics...

That's a two slice toaster doing it's thing!

Renogy 175 watt panels

Typical sunny day input on picture above

Replacement DCC50S after first one on the floor mat died, later versions have deeper cooling fins.

 

[Stay Frosty]

Double post bonus

 

[Dellmassive]

We went for. 230ah under seats.

Controllers behind fridge.

Inverter under sink area.


Take a look over the build thread.

Thread 'Dellmassive`s Camper Van Adventure'

20 Sep 2022

Dellmassive`s Camper Van Adventure​

+++++++++++

After 8 camping trips away during this season (2022) its plainly evident that camping with a Tent and Panel van is hard work.
to date, we have always camped out in Tents and used the van to transport all the kit to the site.



Running out of space is a real problem . . . . and as we bring along the whole disco-tent and T6F communal setup, so space is a premium. . .



In fact this year we added the 500L roof box . . . . . to be able to get all the kit we needed to site.



no problem there . ...

• Dellmassive
• 7e0831402 7e0831412 build thread. camper conversion external thermal window covers railsail
• Replies: 887
• Forum: Camper/Day Van Conversions

• 
• 

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Eg..





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[doncarlyon]

Best bet is to get in the van, with the inverter in hand and just have a poke about. Ooo errr missus.

 

[Wickzter]

Hi all, I’m currently converting a SWB T6. Going with EVO furniture, Rib bed and hoping to fit a swivel base for passenger seat.

The plan is to go gas-less and use an induction hob. Will be on campsites with hookup most of the time but the system is designed to have capacity for the occasional off-grid night too.

My question is in relation to locating the electrical equipment in the SWB Transporter. Currently looking at a Victron Multiplus 12/2000 and a 230Ah battery - plus DC DC charger and all the other ancillaries.

Has anyone installed a similar inverter in a SWB before? We obviously won’t have space taken up by a gas bottle, and plan to have an underslung water tank, but I’m still a bit puzzled as to where to fit the bulk electrical equipment. Under the seat isn’t an option given the size of the inverter unit (and the plan to have the seat swivel anyway) and we’re also constrained by the fact that the inverters require airflow for cooling.

Anyone any experience or thoughts? One potential location I’ve considered is under the rib bed, accessible from the back, potentially on a sliding out rail to make working on it easier…

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!

Hey there, did you get this completed? I have a similar requirement, starting from scratch and I won't to go gas-less as well. Where did you end up installing your inverter, I see in Dellmassive's pic he has it on its side under the sink, I bow to his knowledge but I thought it should be mounted vertically to allow for heat dissipation.

 

[RightTool247]

Thanks all for your informative replies on this thread to date - it's been hugely helpful. @Stay Frosty and @Dellmassive

@Wickzter I'm currently building the furniture (went with EVO Design in the end) and the plan is to put the inverter on the gable end of the kitchen unit, to the left of where the fridge usually goes. I'm not at the stage where I can test fit or be absolutely certain that this will work, but at the moment that is the plan.

Similar to @Dellmassive & @Stay Frosty 's installation I intend to put my 230Ah battery under the drivers seat and the DC-DC charger, fuse panel etc either in the space under the sink or behind the fridge (feasibility study required here once I buy a fridge!)

I'd be very interested in hearing how your build goes and where you decide to install your bits and pieces.

Also I've been considering build some form of control system, either with a raspberry pi or otherwise. I'm still considering whether or not this is just needless complexity when a simple switch would do the same job. Open to advice on that! (and everything else as far as this build is concerned - I'm a complete rookie! )

 

[Wickzter]

@RightTool247 thanks for replying. My initial thought was for an under seat battery, however I was talking to Steve Kennedy from Roamer on Sunday at the NEC (CCS) and he suggested a regular shaped battery stored around the wheel arch and use the under seat space for other things. They also had a couple of designs on show, one that used the Victron EasyPlus, but that is a 1600va (1300W) and I think it's just a bit to shy of what load I may actually want. I'm happy to moderate the power going to the induction ring so I can use a low wattage air fryer at the same time for instance. I do have a design consultation booked in with Roamer, so I will report back.

One concern I have is if the battery is under the seat there's not much space left for other things, if I want to use a Victron Lynx Distributor perhaps in the wheel arch area, I will need to run pretty chunky cables from the battery to the distributor, then from the distributor to the inverter, then 240 cables from the inverter, that's a lot of back and forth again leaning into wanting to put everything in a single area. My brain is aching

Do you have your EVO furniture in hand? How is it, they are a contender for me as well.

Many thanks again....

 

[Stay Frosty]

@Wickzter I'm a firm believer in "KISS" and using physical switches and a shunt display for the LB state but then I'm a coffin dodger these days and not up to speed.
You really need to keep the heaviest load cable runs short, my 2kW inverter sits (partially) in a shallow recess I carved into the side of the fridge housing behind the drivers seat.
That bad boy will happily drain the best part of 200A to produce the 2kW and has parallel runs of 4 guage from the LB.

 

[Wickzter]

@Stay Frosty I think the side of the fridge (behind the drivers seat) seems reasonably sensible place to locate the inverter. I was thinking perhaps a small return of the kitchen material at 90 degrees to the end panel to hide the inverter and overhand the counter top so nothing drops into it. As I literally have an empty van right now I have freedom to decide, but other folks valuable input is worth so much.

 

[Stay Frosty]

@Stay Frosty I think the side of the fridge (behind the drivers seat) seems reasonably sensible place to locate the inverter. I was thinking perhaps a small return of the kitchen material at 90 degrees to the end panel to hide the inverter and overhand the counter top so nothing drops into it. As I literally have an empty van right now I have freedom to decide, but other folks valuable input is worth so much.

Just check how far you can ratchet back the drivers seat though, I'm a short house so it's not an issue but worth making an allowance.
Realistically the next cupboard along from the fridge is barely any further?