Power in the van

[Riley]

Hi guys looking at upgrading the van and am looking at putting some sort of inverter set up in place. Now I know nothing about these other than I know pure sine is less likely to damage whatever is plugged in. Does anyone have experience of these at all?? Literally JUST looking at it recharging 18v/12v batteries whilst I’m on the move not while parked up. Any recommendations or thoughts or things to be aware of. Cheers

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Need to find your load on the bottom of your chargers there’s the spec / loadings for 240v

are you planning on running multiple chargers or just one ?

 

[Riley]

2 chargers one for 18v Dewalt and one for 12v Milwaukee. So probably c.500watt. I was always told rule of thumb is to double up wattage wise so go for 1000w but still not very up to speed with this

 

[Chuck]

Going via 240V ac is probably going to be more expensive and less efficient than buying a purpose-made charger with 12V DC input. Add 'car charger' or '12V DC input' to your web searches. There's a 12VDC->18V/12V Milwaukee charger available. Not sure about Dewalt but I'd be surprised if they don't do something similar.

M12™-M18™ Car Charger | Car Charger for Power Tools M12-18 AC | Milwaukee Tool UK

M12™-M18™ car charger. Charges MILWAUKEE® batteries on the go, perfect for tradesmen and other professional that can use the down time to re-charge their batteries using conventional 12V sockets. Recharges all M18™ and M12™ REDLITHIUM™ battery packs.

uk.milwaukeetool.eu

 

[Riley]

It was really wanting to put an actual plug socket in the back and hide the wiring

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Inverter

Would run a relay aswell so only has power when the key / engine is on

 

[Aquarius]

We have to them in our vans, think they have a permanent live, but only turn on with a on/off switch.

 

[Riley]

Any recommendations??

 

[Ric2013]

Pure sine would set you back well over a hundred. Some pure sine wave inverters are indistinguishable from the mains, but I would imagine you'd get what you paid for and to have as clean a supply as the mains may cost several hundred.

For a charger, I would imagine a modified sine wave inverter would be sufficient and cost would be in the £25 region. You may find transformers (e.g. that in your charger) will give off a humming noise in use, and not great for running, say, a radio as that will hum through the speakers too.

I think I once owned a 300W version of this and that is what my experience is based on. The most actual use I got from it was a camping trip in Europe during which I used it to run a compact fluorescent bulb to save faffing about with a paraffin lamp. I don't have it any more as I gave it away as I'd bought it on a whim in the first place. May be worth having a chat with the Rapid Electronics technical department as they do seem to know their stuff.

TruPower A301-150W-12V 12V DC to 230V AC Inverter 150W

TruPower - A301-150W-12V - TruPower A301-150W-12V 12V DC to 230V AC Inverter 150W - <P>A regulated 12V DC-to-AC inverter to power 230V AC equipment up to 150W

www.rapidonline.com

 

[gmartine]

I've been running this Streetwize 800W inverter from the back of mine for a nearly a couple of years that although not pure sine seems good enough as nothing has gone pop yet. I mainly use it for charging occasionally running the odd tool and has a built in 3 pin and USB. It's certainly not the highest quality kit but for £60 I cant complain. I think they do 1500w inverter which would be handier even if you could plug something serious in it for ten minutes, next van perhaps.

Streetwize Power Inverter

For those who need a power supply when out on site or at a location that has restricted access to a power supply. This inverter converts a 12V DC vehicle battery to 230V AC, to provide up to 800W of continuous power.When a power supply is needed on a site visit or users require access to a mains...

www.toolstation.com

Have a look on Amazon for some pure sine inverters, cannot vouch for the Chinese made stuff being truly pure sine but heyho you pays your money.

 

[Riley]

Sounds good mate. I’m just sick of always having flat batteries. Just thought I’d make use of the time on the road

 

[gmartine]

I forgot to say I run two millcackee fast chargers M12/M18 so don't know about Dewalt, I think generally speaking modern Li-ion chargers tend to be ok with a modified supply.

 

[Riley]

Thanks all

 

[Ben-gee]

Surely you’re better off to charge them on the customer’s electricity! 😉

 

[Riley]

Yeah but when I’m in n out I don’t get the chance ha ha bit cheeky to plug in my batteries if I’m only doing a gas cert 😆

 

[SimonG]

Batteries get plugged in whatever I'm doing.

 

[Aquarius]

Yeah but when I’m in n out I don’t get the chance ha ha bit cheeky to plug in my batteries if I’m only doing a gas cert 😆

You could charge your analyser though 😎

 

[gmartine]

Amateurs, the lot of you....am I really the only one with a bug-out van in case the Mrs gets amorous after a sherry?