January 9, 20233 yr I have an off-road caravan (conqueror Companion) and I'm looking to add a small inverter to it (purely to make coffee) when off-grid... for usability. The Axpert VM1 has been recommended, but I'm looking for something a little smaller, that I can "hide" in some of the voids in the caravan.... Can anyone suggest other options? Something else to add... it needs to allow higher loads to "pass through" when connected to the grid.
January 9, 20233 yr Hey, well the Axperts VM1 is an ok option you can also look into the BlueSky series inverters. They come in 900W and 1600W with PV input, so if installed in the caravan right with a little panel you can have the batteries charged without needing grid connection...
January 9, 20233 yr 26 minutes ago, Psy said: Hey, well the Axperts VM1 is an ok option you can also look into the BlueSky series inverters. They come in 900W and 1600W with PV input, so if installed in the caravan right with a little panel you can have the batteries charged without needing grid connection... As long as the other high loads that must pass through need to be specified in kW. High is very relative. Pass through on this inverter I think is limited to the 1kW size.
January 9, 20233 yr 8 minutes ago, Scorp007 said: As long as the other high loads that must pass through need to be specified in kW. High is very relative. Pass through on this inverter I think is limited to the 1kW size. Good point. However, even if the unit had infinite pass through, using inverters in this way is a recipe for disaster... You should never have an inverter connected to a load beyond its ability to support, even if it had limitless passthrough. The problem is that if they loadshed or if something happens to the mains the entire load will end up falling onto the inverter and will burn it DEAD! You would be better off installing the unit into a cupboard and having it run small essential loads below it's limits. Hell if you're feeling fancy you can have a couple lights connected to it too (50W won't make a difference at all), but better that than have it running to the caravan supply and liable to explode the second it has to handle the entire load of the system. Otherwise, you are going to have to look into large inverters that are like 2,5kW-5kW so the entire load can be safely supported.
January 9, 20233 yr Author Thanks guys... It's super simple to rather have 2 lines in a caravan, rather than a "massive" inverter, or a "popping" inverter. Can still charge the batteries from a smaller inverter.
January 9, 20233 yr 9 minutes ago, bobmabena said: hanks guys... It's super simple to rather have 2 lines in a caravan, rather than a "massive" inverter, or a "popping" inverter. Agreed, having a dedicated circuit for the inverter and one of non-essentials is your best bet... 9 minutes ago, bobmabena said: Can still charge the batteries from a smaller inverter. Indeed, depending on what you get you should be able to use grid to charge the batteries and many small inverters have PV capability. The reason I like to recommend the BluSky inverters is that they come with a SCC (Solar Charge Controller) variant. These are low power solar chargers that run off a single large panel or a couple small panels, letting you continue charging even when grid isn't available. My uncle has one and a 550W panel mounted to the caravan, he pops it out once setup and has a section of the caravan running off grid permanently.
January 9, 20233 yr Author 37 minutes ago, Psy said: Agreed, having a dedicated circuit for the inverter and one of non-essentials is your best bet... Indeed, depending on what you get you should be able to use grid to charge the batteries and many small inverters have PV capability. The reason I like to recommend the BluSky inverters is that they come with a SCC (Solar Charge Controller) variant. These are low power solar chargers that run off a single large panel or a couple small panels, letting you continue charging even when grid isn't available. My uncle has one and a 550W panel mounted to the caravan, he pops it out once setup and has a section of the caravan running off grid permanently. This is what I'm after... not necessarily to be off grid, even at a site with power, BUT, that would be a massive bonus. NOW to find something "small" that I can stealth install. 🤔
January 9, 20233 yr Look into the BluSky SCC, there are a thousand variants so you should be able to find one locally without issue. My usual supplier just got some in, no prices yet but drop me a DM and I'll send you my suppliers details 👍
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