To invert or not to invert....that is the question

[sidaorb]

Alas MHers, I know not well.

As explained in the intro page, this is our first dabble in the MH world.

Compass Calypso coming shortly and although obviously it has hook up for on site visits, we intend to do a bit of wild camping.

It is currently fitted with a single 85 a/h leisure battery, so will be upgrading, was thinking twin 110 if they fit, or at least twin 85s.

Now I need to draw on your collective knowledge, we know it doesn't have an inverter fitted, my initially thought was first job, but the more I think about it I'm wondering do I need one?

Thinking what normally runs 240v and if they can be run on 12v.

Firstly, and most importantly, my CPAP machine, I've already bought and used a 12v travel unit for my machine and used it successfully festival camping. Both our laptops have car chargers, my camera charger is 12v, phone chargers as per the car, we need to buy a TV so getting a 12v one is an option.

So what needs 240v?

Kettle......gas hob, sorted

SWMBOs hair dryer......hmmm

Anyone want to bounce a few more 240v devices at me that I'm gonna need?

If it is only the hair dryer, then I'm buying her a new towel!

 

[sidaorb]

Thanks everyone, think we have a resolution.

Its called a towel

 

[gus-lopez]

Hairdryer

Tootbrush

saves a lot of aggro

 

[cliffanger]

Hairdryer. Enough said.

Everything else covered by 12v - but HWTHSBO knows life would not be worth living without one.

Enough said.

 

[Chris Sykes]

You can get a 12v charger from Dyson for your portable Dyson. That said we have 3 x 100amp leisure batteries + linked inverter & Air conditioning unit fitted by VanBitz which means that we can run the roof mounted air conditioner whilst travelling/ the engine is running, We also have 4 x 100 Watt solar panels fitted and a Victron Battery monitor (with Bluetooth link so I can monitor on my iPad) this means that we can run our humax satellite box and microwave cooker, food blender & potatoes masher, charge my electric bike and my wife’s disabled buggy etc etc whilst Wild Camping so basically all the comforts of home - wherever we are! Always happiest when the battery monitor says we have ‘infinite days charge’ left.

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[Harley Traveler]

Alas MHers, I know not well.

As explained in the intro page, this is our first dabble in the MH world.

Compass Calypso coming shortly and although obviously it has hook up for on site visits, we intend to do a bit of wild camping.

It is currently fitted with a single 85 a/h leisure battery, so will be upgrading, was thinking twin 110 if they fit, or at least twin 85s.

Now I need to draw on your collective knowledge, we know it doesn't have an inverter fitted, my initially thought was first job, but the more I think about it I'm wondering do I need one?

Thinking what normally runs 240v and if they can be run on 12v.

Firstly, and most importantly, my CPAP machine, I've already bought and used a 12v travel unit for my machine and used it successfully festival camping. Both our laptops have car chargers, my camera charger is 12v, phone chargers as per the car, we need to buy a TV so getting a 12v one is an option.

So what needs 240v?

Kettle......gas hob, sorted

SWMBOs hair dryer......hmmm

Anyone want to bounce a few more 240v devices at me that I'm gonna need?

If it is only the hair dryer, then I'm buying her a new towel!

 

[Harley Traveler]

Alas MHers, I know not well.

As explained in the intro page, this is our first dabble in the MH world.

Compass Calypso coming shortly and although obviously it has hook up for on site visits, we intend to do a bit of wild camping.

It is currently fitted with a single 85 a/h leisure battery, so will be upgrading, was thinking twin 110 if they fit, or at least twin 85s.

Now I need to draw on your collective knowledge, we know it doesn't have an inverter fitted, my initially thought was first job, but the more I think about it I'm wondering do I need one?

Thinking what normally runs 240v and if they can be run on 12v.

Firstly, and most importantly, my CPAP machine, I've already bought and used a 12v travel unit for my machine and used it successfully festival camping. Both our laptops have car chargers, my camera charger is 12v, phone chargers as per the car, we need to buy a TV so getting a 12v one is an option.

So what needs 240v?

Kettle......gas hob, sorted

SWMBOs hair dryer......hmmm

Anyone want to bounce a few more 240v devices at me that I'm gonna need?

If it is only the hair dryer, then I'm buying her a new towel!

Well I ask myself, “ should you both be going away together?

 

[Steve494]

Hi Sidaorb,
The short answer is NO you don’t need one!

In my opinion and experience (I have an invertor, two batteries and a solar panel)

As others have said the ONLY sticking point is the dreaded hairdryer. If, like me you have a partner who is willing to manage without an hairdryer then you are home and dry.

We prefer to wild camp so I had an invertor fitted (naively) so that we could use whatever we wanted including the microwave. Technically it works, but not smoothly and with lots of accompanying problems. The main problem is that the batteries are hammered and unless you beef up the care you offer the batteries you will have a constant problem with flat batteries and damaged batteries.

The answer is as you have already said is to go 12v on EVERYTHING. TV in particular. We even have a 12v vacuum cleaner (which was a godsend when parked next to a beach in France) If you can’t buy something 12v powered you’d be surprised what you can get 12v adapters for if you google search.

As well as the fixed invertor (which we don’t use now!) we have a small cigarette lighter Ring invertor which I think powers up to 300w appliances. This is a great bulletproof bit of kit although the only thing we use this for nowadays is for when we are driving to Spain and want to use the slow cooker. We put the slow cooker in the sink for travelling and plug it in to the portable invertor. We throw everything inside in the morning and by the time we pull up on an aires for the night we have a meal ready (without using any gas!)

Solar panel is a must BUT in my opinion you get what you pay for. I have two friends with MH’s who we used to meet up with and wild camp. I and one of the friends had our single 120 watt panels fitted professionally (Detroit Solar) and the other friend bought a cheap panel from EBay and got a mate to fit it!!
Parked up side by side one summer the two pro installed systems was charging at 6amps and the other friends panel was struggling to put 2amps into the batteries. If you are going to wild camp EVERY AMP COUNTS, I’ve had as much as 9amps going into the batteries whilst in the UK, admittedly it was a hot July. This enabled us to park up for two weeks watching tv every night and never having to start the engine.

 

[sidaorb]

Ok SWMBO has just thrown the mother of all spanners in the works......

We need to be able to run a printer for her laptop.

She has her own company and although away, she is constantly on call and often ends up working, couple of years back she spent half of carfest north at a coffee stand, laptop plugged into their feed and using their WiFi, coffee tab was huge by the Monday!

I need to find either a 12v full size printer, internet search reveals pink unicorns are easier to find.

Or we are back to Inverter again.

Seem to remember many printers having inline transformers, so may be lucky enough to find one that runs on 12v.

Again suggestions greatly appreciated, except, change SWMBO.

 

[funflair]

Ok SWMBO has just thrown the mother of all spanners in the works......

We need to be able to run a printer for her laptop.

She has her own company and although away, she is constantly on call and often ends up working, couple of years back she spent half of carfest north at a coffee stand, laptop plugged into their feed and using their WiFi, coffee tab was huge by the Monday!

I need to find either a 12v full size printer, internet search reveals pink unicorns are easier to find.

Or we are back to Inverter again.

Seem to remember many printers having inline transformers, so may be lucky enough to find one that runs on 12v.

Again suggestions greatly appreciated, except, change SWMBO.

It doesn't matter 12v or 240v they are all using power so just go for the inverter you know you want to anyway, get the best/heaviest batteries you can fit/afford and then some decent solar and you will not look back.

Martin

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[Minxy]

Ok SWMBO has just thrown the mother of all spanners in the works......

We need to be able to run a printer for her laptop.

She has her own company and although away, she is constantly on call and often ends up working, couple of years back she spent half of carfest north at a coffee stand, laptop plugged into their feed and using their WiFi, coffee tab was huge by the Monday!

I need to find either a 12v full size printer, internet search reveals pink unicorns are easier to find.

Or we are back to Inverter again.

Seem to remember many printers having inline transformers, so may be lucky enough to find one that runs on 12v.

Again suggestions greatly appreciated, except, change SWMBO.

Some portable printers reviewed here:
https://uk.pcmag.com/printers/64383/the-best-portable-printers

I'd suggest getting a good cheap mains powered one and use it with an inverter when the need arises.

 

[Minxy]

Forget about a hairdryer or a normal towel, get your wife a microfibre turban/wrap towel, I've used them for years at home and in the camper and they only take a couple of minutes to remove a lot of moisture out of hair so it dries naturally much quicker, being much smaller than a towel they don't take much storage space and dry quickly too. You can usually get them in £1 shops (or Ebay) and they work just as well as the more expensive ones, so splash out and get her 2!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=hair+towel&rt=nc&_dmd=2

 

[Sundowners]

I would think a 240v printer would prefer a pure sine wave inverter?????
Once you have an inverter and the solar etc you may find you use it more than you than you think----- if you have the power you might as well use it!!!!

 

[sidaorb]

All of a sudden this is starting to look rather expensive what with inverter, twin batteries, solar panels and installation.

 

[eddie]

All of a sudden this is starting to look rather expensive what with inverter, twin batteries, solar panels and installation.

And a B2B

Consider lithiums for good measure

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[sidaorb]

Do I even want to know what a B2B is, besides expensive?

 

[Sundowners]

All of a sudden this is starting to look rather expensive what with inverter, twin batteries, solar panels and installation.

From our experience----- money well spent!!!!!

 

[Ivory55]

B2B is battery to battery charger. It tricks your alternator in to thinking your starter battery is flat and it puts out more power and charges up your leisure batteries quickly. That’s a simple answer eddy will give you a technical answer.