How to thrive on a non 240v site!
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great work, thanks
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Brilliant bit of work
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i am relatively new to caravanning but after reading this thread have bought into the idea of going off grid as much as possible.
I have installed a 150w SP and a new 110am/h battery. I have also got a 2000/4000w inverter to power low wattage devices.I've changed all lighting to LEDs and am reducing my dependence on EHU.
I intend using the inverter for powering a tv/dvd, toaster, microwave, phone and laptop chargers. obviously not at the same time
My next step is to install another 110 am/h battery.
I'm a member of a few caravan facebook groups and am getting some flak for using an inverter. Some have pointed out that i will flatten my battery in minutes even with a SP.
i have also been advised and i quote "the RCD WILL NOT WORK ON an inverter or gen power as its a floating earth so we fitted the RVD /RCD switch that activates with inverter power and hookup AC power". Is this correct and where should it be fitted?
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agree with DD, a 12v TV and some USB charging will help, as will your second battery...
re: the 'inverter earth' issue, I can't really help either, except to suggest that 230v devices connected via the inverter may not be 'earthed' as the source is the 12v battery positive and negative which don't actually be connected to any outside earth (bollard etc) in order to work..
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not just me then. i asked for an explanation but just got a repeat of that quote. i thought i was missing something important.
i'll take your advice re 12v tv and laptop chargers.hopefully will find a bargain somewhere
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Well done fusilier for go offgrid! A second GOOD QUALITY battery will definitely help your expectations. I have 135 on the roof, 2 not so great now batteries and a 2000w PSW inverter. I have survived offgrid for 4 years now- not only survived but thrived! I stopped counting the amount of savingswhen my kit had been paid for twice over. Don’t forget a Safefill cylinder will help you in the gas side of things too. Those too are now paid for in saved hire charges from Calor. As regards your RCD question, I had my inverter fitted by a totally competent electrician/ electronic engineer. I have never had an issue with it. Perhaps my best advice is to employ the efforts of a properly qualified chap- definitely worth it in the end. I wish you many happy nights at not very much! I could never go back to EHU now after experiencing the freedom that the SP and kit has given me. I would definitely choose 12v TV and charge everything through a USB on 12v. I now use the IPhone to play music via Bluetooth where to consumption is milliamps. Technology is making it so easy now to kick the EHU into touch. I had exactly the same flak when I did it but who’s laughing now? Yes, you have to watch your consumption but I have used my microwave, vacuum, toaster and now a blender without problems for four years. You don’t use any if these things for very long! 3-4 mins if that. Having said that, my batteries are definitely not holding as much charge now so they will be changed. Old 100 yr old technology or Lithium? That is the question.
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Great work John! Truly helpful - you are a pioneer and I’m sure many will find this very useful. We are on site in North Norfolk at the moment having arrived today. We have the site to ourselves at the moment- What’s not to like about offgrid. 🤣🤣🤣
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The thought of having an inverter to power such devices as our microwave is attractive. However it seems to me that the current draw from our battery to feed a 900 watt microwave could be very destructive of the battery, or am I missing something?
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That's what I thought. So would it be better to use a car battery instead of a leisure battery to feed a 1000w inverter?
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As you know a leisure battery is designed for small(ish) continuous long draw of power, but a car battery is for short high current. If high draw from a battery is going to be a regular thing then perhaps a car type battery should be considered.
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Well, I guess five to ten minutes each morning drawing around 80 to 100 amps should be called regular. It's also another 30Kg off the carrying capacity of our van so I think I will forget the idea and rely on gas.
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A good leisure battery will supply that sort of amperage for a few minutes- you don’t need a starter battery. I used (you’ll notice I said used) 2 x 110ah ‘leisure’ batteries for three years without problem. In this 4th year they are being kicked out for the next generation battery as they have become tired and won’t hold much charge now- certainly not enough to use the toaster or microwave etc. They are Elecsol batteries which regulars will remember were supplied by the rudest, most obnoxious man you could ever not wish to meet and when I bought mine, he was going bust (thank goodness) but his batteries were nothing like they should have been hence the much reduced efficiency of them after 4 year. They will support lighting, pumps, and a 30w tele but that’s about all. We are on site at the moment and have switched to gas (Safefill) for toast. We can’t use the microwave or the vacuum but that will change on the 1st May when our new battery system is fitted.
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Hi all Non-EHUers
Just to let you know it was suggested by a member that I start a new disscussion " Non-EHU sites list" with links to our Non-EHU CLs list and the Google Map of the same. This has now been done it is here if anyone wishes to use them https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/discussions/sites-touring/certificated-locations/non-ehu-sites-list/
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Hi all. I'm going to be doing lots of work on my laptop on weekends away this year
. I can find loads of portable solar charges for phones but little in the way of charging a lap top for times when we aren't on EHU (most of the summer). Has anyone got any tips for a cheapest way to charge laptop (either solar or cigarette socket type thing). We did by an invertor from Halfords last year but it kept tripping the electric so something obviously wasn't right.
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Tracey, it sounds like your laptop has a 'brick' type mains charger...
our iPads charge easily from a 12v USB adaptor....which I use whether on or off EHU...
with a mains charger (we have a pair of ebike chargers) ypu should be ok with a fairly small wattage inverter.....ours is 500w and does the bike batteries and the Sky+ box which is mains only.
your inverter should not trip the mains bollard as it is (should be) running from the leisure batteries....
good luck.
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ok, sounds like there might be an issue with the inverter install...has it ever worked, can you turn it on (without a device plugged in) and it not blow the fuse?
If not, perhaps it's wired wrongly to the battery....ideally it should be fitted as close to the battery as possible with sufficiently thick wires to support the current being drawn.....ours are fairly meaty (even for a 500w inverter) and short, with the inverter literally less than a foot from the batteries.
AFAIK, my inverter has an internal fuse, rather than an external one...
im afraid I can't think of much else to suggest, there are far more (electrickery) knowlegable folk on here than me, but this does seem like a fault, either in the set up or in the inverter...
good luck.
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You can get a 12V power unit for most laptops that just plug into a ciggy socket. My MacBook is on one as I type.
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If you were trying out the inverter with the EHU on then it is quite likely that the supply will trip. Like a motor mover, the inverter takes a massive amount of 12volt current and is designed to run just off of the battery. If the 240 volt system is connected then depending on the wiring the inverter could be trying to draw this current through the battery charger rather than just from the battery. The consequences could be dire!
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Hitch, interesting....
we were travelling early in the year on a cold journey and we have electric blankets in our bed....I have inverter sockets in the garage next to a mains supply.
i put the electric blanket plug into the inverter socket, turned on the inverter, drove to our next overnight stop, lovely warm bed...
ok the draw is 100w or thereabouts but we had no issues....
i don't normally have the inverter on when driving as the appliances fed (sky box, bike chargers etc) aren't required when in motion, however I thought I'd give the blankets a go and all was fine...
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BB, it’s very difficult to generalise because all depends on the wiring of the motorhome or caravan and that is different for every make and model. Seems like you were taking about 9 amps dc. If driving then the system is presumably topping up the battery, in other words your inverter was possibly mainly supplied from the engine alternator because the output voltage would be higher than the inherent battery voltage. 9 amps I guess is not a problem.
On the other hand, if you are taking 40 amps or more such as from a motor mover or 500 watt inverter and the mains supply is on and connected, then the load will want to take power from the battery charger circuit as it is around 13.5 volts rather than 12 volts. If you have an smart charger system I haven’t a clue what would happen, but hopefully it would self limit. Caravans tend not to have smart systems. Many movers have an isolation switch or relay which disconnects the battery charger from the circuit to avoid it tripping or even overloading and burning out.
I was using my tank heaters at home as frost was predicted and I disconnected the mains hook-up thinking the heaters would cut out but they are 12 volts. Next time I used the motorhome I had no main control panel. Turned out that one of the big 12 volt main fuses had blown, probably because the alternator was trying to power the battery and heaters. Fortunately I was on the way to get it serviced as I wouldn’t have found the fuse which was in a nondescript grey box behind the drivers seat. That’s the problem with electrics!
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hitch, thanks.....as you say, with the small numbers involved, not reall an issue....
BTW, we do have a smart charger.
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DD, 'tis only a stand alone affair, fused and sited in the battery box, not a factory fit job which may be more sophisticated in its install.
i had the thing on the previous van and a similar set up worked pretty well, so as it was a simple job, the dealer set it up as before. obviously, on EHU I'd have no need of it.
i have routed the 230v supply into the garage (for the bike battery chargers) and there is a socket under the floor for the sky box, but these are dedicated inverter sockets, not a fully switched system....
however, a couple in the garage are most useful....
most of our 'appliances' run from 12v...the bike chargers and sky box being the primary items we got it for...
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Has anyone of you with solar panels fitted it out yourselves? I ask as I am just embarking on it so will let you know how it goes.
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