conecting inverter to 240 volt sockets
- Thread starter Laurence
- Start date
power comes in through the external 240v inlet plug . from there it goes through the RCD/circuit breaker and then on to the outlets. by plugging power into one of the power points you will be bypassing the protection circuits. the only way to keep the jayco protection is to input the power through the external 240v inlet. You could fit an inline RCD/Breaker to your inverter but i still think a male plug with 240v on it is a very bad idea.
Yep agree, dont use a male plug, and like boots says you bypass all circuit and rcd protection. One other thing is the outside pins where you connect mains too will also be live. Low risk I know, but exposed metal parts live even low risk is a problem.
Don't think rcd's will work all that well either as inverters are normally isolated active and neutral, you need an earth for an RCD to trip with leakage to earth.
240v rules with RV's are not my area of expertise but there are Australian standards now dedicated to this area. Will have a bit of a read just to improve my own knowledge, as it is something I am keen to do to my panda as well.
I am sure there are other sparky's out there in expanda land more upto speed than I.
My two bobs worth, prior to me having a read of the rules, go through the outside plug or connect to dedicated power points permanently, via breakers/rcd even though the rcd may not work.
Hope that helps
Jas
Don't think rcd's will work all that well either as inverters are normally isolated active and neutral, you need an earth for an RCD to trip with leakage to earth.
240v rules with RV's are not my area of expertise but there are Australian standards now dedicated to this area. Will have a bit of a read just to improve my own knowledge, as it is something I am keen to do to my panda as well.
I am sure there are other sparky's out there in expanda land more upto speed than I.
My two bobs worth, prior to me having a read of the rules, go through the outside plug or connect to dedicated power points permanently, via breakers/rcd even though the rcd may not work.
Hope that helps
Jas
Apologies burnsy miss read that. My mistake.
I think though the best thing to do is avoid energizing circuits from the gpo's even if you can work out some form of isolation. Risks outweigh the benefits in my book. Setup a couple of dedicated gpo's. Just my thoughts, doesn't mean they're right, each to their own I reckon.
Regards
Jas
I think though the best thing to do is avoid energizing circuits from the gpo's even if you can work out some form of isolation. Risks outweigh the benefits in my book. Setup a couple of dedicated gpo's. Just my thoughts, doesn't mean they're right, each to their own I reckon.
Regards
Jas
Hi Guys
Just had a look at the AS/NZS 3000;2007 Wiring rules and it states ' A transportable structure or vehicles [ caravan ] must comply with the AS/NZS 3000;2007 Wiring rules . So the idea of a back feed to the inlet plug would not comply with the wiring rules. As there cannot be any part live that can be touched [ inlet pins ] even if it has a cover it still would not be to std.
As Burnsy said you could have a contactor or relay to separate the feed when on your inverter.
There is a way to do it for sure just need to look at the reg,s and design a circuit to suit.
If they want it drawn up we can do it but you need a Electrician to do the work
cheers ...
Just had a look at the AS/NZS 3000;2007 Wiring rules and it states ' A transportable structure or vehicles [ caravan ] must comply with the AS/NZS 3000;2007 Wiring rules . So the idea of a back feed to the inlet plug would not comply with the wiring rules. As there cannot be any part live that can be touched [ inlet pins ] even if it has a cover it still would not be to std.
As Burnsy said you could have a contactor or relay to separate the feed when on your inverter.
There is a way to do it for sure just need to look at the reg,s and design a circuit to suit.
If they want it drawn up we can do it but you need a Electrician to do the work
cheers ...
Hi all,
I have followed a similar thread on another forum and the general consensus is not to plug the inverter in to the inlet socket of the caravan. The reason being that the version of RCD fitted into the caravan are meant to be installed into a home or similar setup where an active neutral and earth are supplied from the street. With an inverter they have a floating earth and therefore a leakage to earth will probably not trip the RCD. There are special Rcds that can be used for this type of installation. In most cases there is only a 10amp outlet and therefore a "dodgy" 10amp to 15amp lead or "AMPFIBIAN" would be needed to plug into the van.
I've seen it done before and with no harm, but I think as far as safety goes you would be better off wiring a power outlet into the van that you can plug an extension lead into and plug in individual appliances separately.
Roh
I have followed a similar thread on another forum and the general consensus is not to plug the inverter in to the inlet socket of the caravan. The reason being that the version of RCD fitted into the caravan are meant to be installed into a home or similar setup where an active neutral and earth are supplied from the street. With an inverter they have a floating earth and therefore a leakage to earth will probably not trip the RCD. There are special Rcds that can be used for this type of installation. In most cases there is only a 10amp outlet and therefore a "dodgy" 10amp to 15amp lead or "AMPFIBIAN" would be needed to plug into the van.
I've seen it done before and with no harm, but I think as far as safety goes you would be better off wiring a power outlet into the van that you can plug an extension lead into and plug in individual appliances separately.
Roh
To follow up on Expanda 14, I guess the problem as i see it with relays is they can fail, which in some cases that can be fail closed or in a solid state device short circuited and you would then have exposed pins and wouldn't know till someone gets whacked. I know it's a long shot, but funny how long shots tend to occur when the stars are aligned.
Some will say "yeh but Circuit breakers/rcd's can fail also" yes they can, and yes you will lose protection, but you won't end up with exposed live parts.
Still reckon dedicated gpo is the go.
Some will say "yeh but Circuit breakers/rcd's can fail also" yes they can, and yes you will lose protection, but you won't end up with exposed live parts.
Still reckon dedicated gpo is the go.
Well sorry guys been running this system on this van for 3 years and 2 years on our previous van havnt had a problem running fantastic !!
do you think maybe your reading too much into it ? i dunno just my thoughts
Cheers
do you think maybe your reading too much into it ? i dunno just my thoughts
Cheers
Hi BP, it will definitely work, and I reckon you are on the money plugging into the outside of the van. I guess the theory with isolated earth inverters is you are not supposed to get a shock active to earth, theory being there's no return path. You still can get whacked active to neutral, rcd won't detect that anyway. Didn't get time to read the standards today, bit busy. It's an interesting and tricky subject, i just need to make sure things are legal when I do it, I don't want a whacking big fine or end up as Bubba's bitch in the big house. :thumb:
Folks, here's one to read when you go to bed, will help you get to sleep.
Has a short article about male plugs, it's info I get from the Electrical safety office up here.
http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/fair-...us+generator+leads+link&utm_campaign=esofeb13
Folks, here's one to read when you go to bed, will help you get to sleep.
Has a short article about male plugs, it's info I get from the Electrical safety office up here.
http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/fair-...us+generator+leads+link&utm_campaign=esofeb13
Could be right BP. I guess it always works perfectly until something goes wrong.
Its not really a question of functionality, but of safety and at the end of the day its up to everybody whether theyre happy with it or not.
I think as long as were not having live male plugs (suicide leads), then its up to the individual to how they hook it up.
Roh
The one thing most people forget about when connecting their van to an inverter or even a generator, is that your van is isolated from earth. A simple way around this is to make your own 'earth stake' with a lead attached and a small welding clamp which you can attach to the chassis of your van. A large tent peg will generally be sufficient for this. You then have a protective earth, just as you would if you plugged into home or even a caravan park.
Mat
Mat
It could happen I guess... That's why I was suggesting a contactor or relay . Some people may not know what a contactor is so a contactor would be better .And switching low current ac is very unlikely to weld on or off
We use about 500 contractors a month and we have had one or two fail in the last 7 years so yes it could happen
You can also get struck by lightning . Mayby you could lock the inlet with a warning label .