Campervan Help Please!

[Chris250890]

Hi I've joined the transit crew and attempting a DIY conversion.
I have just fitted the leisure battery with a split charge relay and have an inverter however I'm confused over wiring lighting, plugs etc.
Some blogs say you can wire the lighting straight through the leisure battery and others say through an inverter or transformer (not sure if these are the same?).
I have no previous experience. My split charge relay kit came with instructions so looking for some help on the next stage. The inverter is also really loud but I'm guessing this is because it was a cheapish one.

Hope someone can help

Thanks

[woodyandbuzz]

What type of "lights/appliances" etc. do you want to fit? 12v or 240v? What do you want to run with your inverter? In my van everything is 12v run from a fuse box direct off the leisure battery. I had an inverter in my last van but found out it ran the battery down very quickly when used.

[dbroada]

I would put as little as possible on the inverter. You will be converting power from 12v to 240v with a lot disappearing in to heat.

My Transit was pretty much finished when I bought it but previously I had a VW with a tiny liesure battery (about 20AHr) so I was very careful about where the power went. All my lighting was 12v with as low a wattage as possible. My TV was a Philips which was actually 12v but through a 240-12v transformer so when parked up I used 12v but when on a site I used the mains.

The one advantage of using mains is that the currrent in the wire is lower so smaller wire can be used but this is irrelevant in practical terms with lighting and entertainment.

[mafty]

I work for a bespoke camper conversion company and we wire all the lights to 12v, via a fuse box on the leisure battery. All the lights are LEDs and will last for ages on a filly charged battery, and obviously the split charge will top the battery up when you start the engine. Most of our campers have 100w or 140w solar panels too, which help keep everything topped up. Let me know if you need any more advice.