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The vanlife => Van Conversion => Topic started by: pilki-11 on April 10, 2018, 03:34:55 PM

Title: Question about my inverter and wiring a 240 plug socket into the van
Post by: pilki-11 on April 10, 2018, 03:34:55 PM
Just had a bit of a potential brain wave but need some advice to see if this is actually a safe way to go about it.

So,
I have a 2000W Inverter connected to my leisure battery with two available plug sockets.
Can I use a length of 3 core cable, wired to a plug (plugged into the inverter and fused) then wire the other end into a 1 or preferably a 2 gang plug socket?
(https://image.ibb.co/d8qzEx/Plug.jpg)
Wont this effectively be an extension lead just with switches?

I am not planning on having the inverter switched on the whole time. Only when power is needed.
Just think it would look nicer having a proper plug socket with usb ports.

Will this work or do you have any suggestions for something similar?
Thanks!
Title: Re: Question about my inverter and wiring a 240 plug socket into the van
Post by: Camper_Dan on April 10, 2018, 10:46:07 PM
Greetings & Welcome!

The short answer is yes you can do this, or you could just get an outlet strip to plug into the inverter, and run extension cords from there.

The bigger issue is that inverters are very inefficient, sucking up 20-25% more power than if you ran everything on 12 volts, and  inverters pull power even when they're not in use.  These days you can get almost everything imaginable in 12 volt models, and that's a much more power efficient way to do things.

Power is on the precious side for most people, many of us never hook up to shore power, so the more efficient our systems are, the more power we have when really need it. 

Just something to think about...

Cheers!
Title: Re: Question about my inverter and wiring a 240 plug socket into the van
Post by: pilki-11 on April 12, 2018, 09:05:13 AM
Hi Dan

Thanks a lot for the Info!
Yeah I figured it's not the best way to go about it and that is also a good point about the power efficiency issue.

I'll probably go ahead and do it anyway but make sure I go shopping for some more 12v options to make it more economical.

We will probably (and hopefully) be keeping well away from any shore power options so we will need to preserve as much battery power as possible!

Thanks again for the advice