T6.1 Leisure battery and inverter

[Fishinbrine]

Hi everyone, I have a T6.1 with a leisure battery in the back right cupboard, a fusebox, solar panel and just one 240v socket in the van that only works if on electric hook up.

Basically I would like an extra 240v socket, that work off hook up and also if possible off an inverter for when hook ups not available.

I have a solar panel but not sure of the wattage, I have an app on my phone that shows what it adds etc.

I'm happy to upgrade to a lithium battery but how do I know if my existing setup will support charging it?

Then the inverter question. Realistically what can I expect from my setup with upgraded lithium battery and a recommended inverter? Could I use a toaster and kettle for a weekend without electric?

And finally, how easy is it to add 240v sockets? Is there any limit? Do I need to upgrade wiring?

It's a platinum wave converted van with the solar panel added by previous owner.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

 

[t0mb0]

Without going into the details, producing heat is extremely energy intensive so things like a kettle and toaster will absolutely hammer the battery through the inverter. I'm not saying it's impossible but it's hard (read: expensive) enough that you should consider other options for your morning tea and toast too.

 

[t0mb0]

Just to stick some very approximate numbers on it, you're talking in the region of 10Ah (assuming a 12V system) to boil a litre of water from room temperature, in reality it'll be slightly more due to imperfect efficiency of the inverter, etc.

 

[TallPaul_S]

It's fairly easy to calculate, but in the end you may realise than the cost to get 240v power without hookup isn't worth it.

You can get kettles and toasters that are around 800-900w now, so a 1000w inverter would be enough. That needs a minimum 100Ah LifePo4 battery to allow a discharge rate of 100a.

If you use the 900w appliances (pulling, say 1000w due to losses) for 30 minutes a day (you wont be using both at the same time, so 30 mins may be over but it's worse case scenario), that's 83a for 1000w, so around 40Ah for 30 mins of use.

You would then need to replace that usage: a 100w solar panel would produce around 400Wh in idea conditions per day. That's 33Ah roughly. I've got a 300w solar panel and the most I've ever seen is around 850Wh, that's 70Ah.

So, that's the inverter use, add onto that your regular 12v usage (fridge, lights etc) which will easily be 30+ Ah per day, and you're already on 80Ah usage per day. If you get a crappy day with little to no solar, a 100Ah LB isn't going to be enough.

 

[Salty Spuds]

Hi everyone, I have a T6.1 with a leisure battery in the back right cupboard, a fusebox, solar panel and just one 240v socket in the van that only works if on electric hook up.

Basically I would like an extra 240v socket, that work off hook up and also if possible off an inverter for when hook ups not available.

I have a solar panel but not sure of the wattage, I have an app on my phone that shows what it adds etc.

I'm happy to upgrade to a lithium battery but how do I know if my existing setup will support charging it?

Then the inverter question. Realistically what can I expect from my setup with upgraded lithium battery and a recommended inverter? Could I use a toaster and kettle for a weekend without electric?

And finally, how easy is it to add 240v sockets? Is there any limit? Do I need to upgrade wiring?

It's a platinum wave converted van with the solar panel added by previous owner.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

1,Adding another socket to run off EHU = pretty straightforward or easy depending on your skillset.
2, Swapping to Lithium, = also pretty straightforward or easy depends on your skillset, please take time to read through the forum, the subject has been covered to the Nth degree and all the info is there for the reading.
3, Adding an inverter & dedicated socket, = perfectly doable, but not as straightforward as 1&2 above, depends on what you want to do with it, budget, space.
4, Running kettle/toaster for a weekend on inverter & battery, again, theoretically possible, but in reality impractical due to amount of battery power required, it works out at a very expensive brew & slice of toast. Gas is, has, and will be for the near future, the way to go if not on EHU

 

[TallPaul_S]

Yeah - if you want to use 240v stuff on an inverter AND be off grid for more than a day or 2, you really a big-ass set up in every way: Battery, solar, DC-DC.

Real world example, on my euro trip last year I stayed at a campsite which was a fairly shaded spot. I was there for 3 nights, or 2.5 days. I used zero induction cooking, only using the inverter to charge my laptop.

In the 2.5 days I used 150Ah of battery power (60Ah per day!) and got back 25Ah of solar over the 2.5 days. I switched to gas cooking because I knew my solar wouldn't be enough to keep me going. And I have a 230AH battery and a 300w solar panel!! If I'd used my induction hob for cooking for 30 mins every day I would have ran my battery flat.