Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:31:34 -0700
Reply-To: Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Inverter Questions
In-Reply-To: <fa0982d70807241146y250cd9b5l4e30e5693bb6c20d@mail.gmail.com>
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Dear Paul and other vaners
please refrain from installing inverter in a location that is concealed or
inaccessible ...
the number one reason is fire ...
yes yes i know .. there is some ventilation ...
and self generated heat is of only a minor concern
but ... but ... BUT ...
what if you over load your inverter
and need to yank the power cables right friggin now !!!
you want to be able to get to them right now ...
my inverter is behind the drivers seat and very accessible
both cables can be grabbed and yanked from inverter if a situation develops
...
and i already had one situation ...
an appliance the inverter directions said it could handle clearly drew more
power than the inverter was capable of suppling ...
i can tell you i became aware of it right away as inverter began to fry ...
i yanked the power cables ....
only damage was to the inverter ..
the cabinet behind my seat where it was mounted was very hot ...
i am unsure what the kindling temp is for the melamine westfalia used
but one thing for sure ...it is now lower at that spot
anyway ... that is my two cents worth
yours
On Thu, Jul 24, 2008 at 11:46 AM, Paul Connelly <
vanagonhummingbird@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Volks,
>
> I am hoping to install a small inverter into the van. I was considering the
> "secret" spot behind the 240V sockets and beside the faucet water pump,
> against the "wall" between it and the lower closet. I have run 10awg cables
> behind the cabinetry to the auxiliary battery (Optima D34/78 run with the
> "stock relay" setup). Not great ventilation in that location, but
> reasonable
> volume of air, and the inverter has an internal fan. Its only a 500 Watt
> unit with a no load draw of 0.3 Amps. The installation guide recommends a
> 100 Amp Fuse or circuit breaker close to the +ve battery connection and I
> was going to put in a switch to eliminate the no load draw when not in use.
> I was going to then take the output (2 x 240V standard outlet plugs) and
> wire them into the little distribution box with the circuit breaker below
> the power outlets. However the installation instructions say that's a
> "no-no". Does anyone see any problems with setting the inverter up this
> way?
> (Or any better ideas - I don't plan a lot of 240V use but would be nice for
> the laptop or DVD player etc).
>
> TIA
>
> Cheers, Paul.
> 1986 Syncro Westy - Hummingbird
>
> PS Now have the radiator fan working, the vacuum booster from thew old CC
> removed, another seemingly futile piece of old electrical crap removed from
> between the rear taillights with a connector to nowhere, fixed the low
> charge at the alternator after reconnecting the grounds after the fan issue
> - thought that that was the cause, but no - just coincidence and cleaning
> up
> the commutators, brushes grounds etc around the alternator fixed that one,
> then finally the O2 sensor light switch on the chassis rail - succeeded in
> getting rid of that light on the dash (wouldn't go out until I had fixed
> the
> alternator issue!). Oh, also fixed the dometic (again) with a new igniter
> and general clean up.
>
> Still need to replace the poptop canvas and one of the rocker cover gaskets
> (and figure out the inverter and then I can go camping again....)
>
> Thanks to all for all of the help and advice!!!
>
--
roger w
There are two kinds of jobs in the world:
Picking up garbage and telling people things.
Successful people do both, with the same good attitude. (riw)
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