Best place for an inverter?

[wwaveydave]

Hey guys,

I'm coming to the end of installing my electics into the wagon, and have the Inverter remaining.
My LB in in the passenger side engine bay, and obvously I want to keep the inverter as close to the battery as possible.
Any opinions of a good place for it?

Thanks

[Bob]

I'd just offer it up and see where it fits nicely.

[g8dhe]

Do you REALLY need one ? Most devices have 12 volt equivalent these days which are better designed for working from 12 volts than a mains device which has been designed with the assumption that power is no problem and are hence very inefficient, this particularly applies to any form of heating device which are incredibly wasteful!

[teenmal]

I always found inverters handy to charge cordless tool batteries on the move or when no mains available.

Take Care

[fatcatlawyer]

I noticed that there is a space under the front passenger seat, so not so far from the leisure battery.
I use my inverter to charge up the 24 v. Batteries on my wife's mobility scooter.
Yours Ian G.

[mikeonb4c]

I mounted mine by strapping it (with padding insulator) to the tubular structure up behind the glove box. Makes excellent use of that hidden space and by opening the glove box door i can reach up and switch it on. I run a 1 metre 4 gang lead from it which is fixed/hung on the drivers side of the centre console, the lead being run behind the dash then up through the join between centre console and dash (remove console while installing/removing gang lead). Makes a very neat arrangement although, as Geoff has observed, i only use it once in a blue moon these days. But 12 years ago when i fitted it, my son had a Playstation 2 he wanted to use on the move and we didnt have a 12v charger / powerpack. And its always nice to have it as an option (i have an old portable recording 'studio' that can run off it.....hmmmm there's a thought)

[wwaveydave]

Do you REALLY need one ? Most devices have 12 volt equivalent these days which are better designed for working from 12 volts than a mains device which has been designed with the assumption that power is no problem and are hence very inefficient, this particularly applies to any form of heating device which are incredibly wasteful!

Do I REALLY need one? No. However, I really want to run my Tassimo machine in the Van. I'm not so much thinking for a camping perspective, but if I'm out in the van kayaking or something. That's pretty much all really. I've got 12v versions of everything else.

Under the front seat and behind the dash are good suggestions. I think I might give it a try there.

[Bob]

Behind the dash will be a much kinder enviroment.

[mikeonb4c]

Behind the dash will be a much kinder enviroment.

Its so kind and concealed Ben that i nearly fitted an inverter, forgetting i'd fitted one 12 years ago

[TheLongRoad]

...........I really want to run my Tassimo machine in the Van. ............

Oh yes, I like your thinking. Everything runs better with caffeine

[g8dhe]

Tassimo machines vary but need between 1.6Kw and 2.25Kw so the current from the battery is going to be around 133 Amps to 187 Amps, good luck!!!

[wwaveydave]

The doc on mine says 1300W. I bought a 1500W, 3000W peak inverter. Are you saying that'll be too much for the leisure battery?

[g8dhe]

Do the Maths if yours is rated for 1.3KW then thats 1300/12=108 Amps,
however inverters are normally only about 80-90% efficient, so 108/0.8 = 135 Amps taken from the Leisure battery,
this is more like Starter Motor currents! Most leisure batteries are rated for use at about 10-20C which means drawing 5-10 Amps for the quoted capacity of around 100AmpHrs, it will work but don't expect the LB to last very long when its being hit by those sorts of currents!

Heating devices especially those designed for mains voltage use, really don't concern themselves with thermal efficiency as there is no need to worry when almost infinite power is available for all practical purposes, when it comes to using stored energy then efficiency becomes a critical factor as storage of energy is quite a complex and difficult to achieve process with the result that the stored energy available is quite small compared to what is available when directly generated and used.

[wwaveydave]

I knew it would be a big hit, but as it runs for about 30 seconds a cup I thought it would be ok. Is it the sheer size of the draw that will cause the problem? My second battery is this one. http://barden-uk.com/product/powermax-90-sealed/

[g8dhe]

OK well that battery is a cross-over between a deep discharge and a engine starting functions, so it will handle the very high current demand reasonably well and it may support long term and deep discharge, however there is no hard info. on that battery I could see quickly, but the price point doesn't point towards a genuine mixed function battery which are normally priced well over the £100 mark!

You will still need to ensure that the connections from battery to inverter are short and well capable of handling the current, your main problem will be ensuring safety as its cable will not be fusible when there is a demand of 200+ Amps so the inverter will need to be VERY close to the battery itself and consequently also need to be waterproof as its under the bonnet, don't run the cables thru a bulkhead as any damage is going to result in a massive failure current!