How to charge electronic devices in your RV?

The kind of freedom to decide where to go, just change your plans and stay a bit longer in or at a place you really like. For most people this is the main reason for going on holiday in a rv, caravan or boat.

Many of the things that add to our enjoyment and comfort on board require energy, and that is not available in unlimited quantity on the way. Electronic appliances need recharging, and you don’t want to go without convenience items such as the coffee pad machine either. Power demands have been growing continuously over the last few years so that the standard power system installed by vehicle manufacturers soon reaches its limits.

If you wish to be independent for any length of time you will therefore have to consider the significance of your travelling habits. Are you going to use 230-volt devices on board? Is it important to have the batteries fully recharged on mains power within a short time? Is there a continuous change between independent standing times and periods of driving to the next destination, allowing the batteries to be smartly recharged? Provided the vehicle is equipped with a cleverly optimized energy management system there will always be sufficient energy available.

230 volts from the RV battery

When you travel in a recreational vehicle you use the power from the vehicle battery for all the electrical equipment installed inside. All connected devices such as illumination, refrigerator, heating or water pump are normally designed for 12 volts DC. This is quite sufficient en route, unless you wish to take 230-volt equipment. In this case it makes sense to have your own power supply on board. Hair drying, preparing your espresso, charging your laptop – an inverter converts the 12-volt DC voltage of the vehicle battery into the required 230-volt AC voltage.

Dometic offers a broad selection of inverters designed to convert 12- or 24-volt battery power into 230 volts AC. On one side they are connected to the vehicle battery, on the other side they deliver 230 volts on an ordinary household socket. As simple as that may sound, there are a few points to consider when choosing the right appliance, as it is not possible to operate each inverter with each electric device.