Power in back of van

[The Finch]

Don't know if this right place to ask but has anyone fitted power into back of van, would like to connect up an inverter to charge drill or laptop etc just wondering best way to do? Was thinking of getting a long extension from cig lighter and running into back under seats and through bulkhead

 

[telectrix]

just remember the current drawn at 12v is 20 x that at 240v.

 

[Richard Burns]

Remember that the cigarette lighter is fused (usually at 10A) and this may limit the inverter size you can use. I have a 150W inverter just tucked under the seat that I can use to charge things if necessary, it does not get used often unless i have a distant job as it needs the engine running to avoid flattening the battery.
If you can run a separate supply from the battery (with a decent fuse and an off switch) then this opens the possibilities if you need more power.

 

[The Finch]

Right yeah I might look at running a supply from battery just make sure it switched off plus cig lighter live all time as ford I went on holiday and left charger for heat detector tester plugged in and charger for laptop had to get the AA out to jump start

 

[1shortcircuit]

Back in my car modifying days I used to run an uprated alternator, split charging system and two batteries. Okay, my second battery was only there to power the stereo system but there's nothing stopping you considering this option if this is a must:thumbsup

 

[Big n Daft]

Silent running suitcase generator. Best and easiest way, no chance of buggering the van 'lectrics up.

 

[Jonesy83]

i had 1 in my old van that ran straight off the vans battery piggy backed it with another battery double pole isolator then inverterter never run it without the engine running tho had a few embarissing times when i had to get a jump start on it

out of curiosity i measured how may amps the inverter pulled by just running a kettle it was nearly 80amps

 

[i=p/u]

well ive only ever seen the 150W ones, but what you can do is leave the fuse out and go straight to the battery which ive seen done few times, but not sure what effects this could cause

 

[sparky3366]

I used to have a renault trafic van, I ran a cable from the battery to a fuse, then a d/p switch on the dash (convenient din size blanking plate under radio) then to a twin 12v socket at the back of the van. i had an inverter screwed to the wood panelling in the van with a box under it to put the relevant charger in...worked a treat. I also used to run a flex to alarm panels that needed to be programmed when there was no power in the property...very handy.

 

[i=p/u]

just get a noisey genarator and ear muffs and extraction fan

 

[mogga]

Id be worried about the battery drain if left on overnight or while in a job have seen some crackin setups one guy had BIG invertor and rack built at rear doors with single ring cooker microwave kettle charging station

 

[Cyberprog]

The posh way is to setup what's known as a Split Charge system, where you have two batteries. Normally a normal car battery as the starting battery, and a leisure battery as the secondary. You put a split charge relay in between the batteries, and when the vehicle is started and at voltage the second battery is charged up. Some fancier relays have a "jump start" option too, where you can parallel the batteries temporarily. You then hook up all your load to the second battery, and if it goes flat, it won't stop the van from starting. Plus when it is well charged, you can do a jump start manually if you need to with normal jump leads.

 

[andy pandy]

you can get an alternator with a 240volt output, fits in plaice of the existing alternator.

 

[steve-the-hat]

you can get an alternator with a 240volt output, fits in plaice of the existing alternator.

You'll still need the original alternator for the van's own battery. A "Travel Pack" is not a direct swap anyway as most require special belts and pulleys, being rated at usually 3.5 kW. There's also a big box of electronics.

Either go for the extra battery, split charger and inverter or the suitcase genny as previously suggested.