1. Cascade van’s 400 watt inverter fan is noisy with AC device(s) plugged into it. Even a 10 year old, LG television with no smart technology caused the inverter fan to stay on the entire time the TV was plugged into the van’s power station. My six pound, 22” TV uses only 30 watts per hour. Surely a 400 watt inverter can handle the small load?
However, anytime an AC device is plugged into a DC battery power supply, the inverter loses at least 20% power. The fan stays on to cool down the inverter & electrical components. Our Cascade power supply & 400 watt inverter are inside the cabinet behind the passenger’s seat. Our auxiliary camper battery is now underneath the Dometic refrigerator.
Cascade van power station with 400 watt inverter
Americans (like me) are spoiled by our creature comforts and techie gadgets. When I purchased the Promaster city cargo van and had it converted to a Cascade camper, thoughts of having my slim Keurig K-cup machine brewing coffee & cappuccinos danced in my head.
Not wanting to blow another fuse on the 400 watt inverter, I did some research online and discovered these electric brewing goddesses consume initial surge power of 700 watts or more depending on unit size & capacity. I could haul around my EF Ecoflow 1800 watt portable power station I use at home for electrical blackouts. It weighs 30.9 pounds & has two 100 watt solar panels to recharge it off-grid. Using an AC outlet, the EF Echoflow charges to 80% capacity in 60 minutes. But each pound counts inside a micro van. Plus appliances & TVs take up limited, van counter space. I also like getting 29-30 mpg with the PMC van. More weight can negatively effect gas mileage not to mention the wear & tear on the vehicle itself.
2. LG 22”, six pound TV should only be used at campsites or areas with 110 outlets. I like keeping my TV on a stand. So I bought a duffel bag with 85 liter capacity to carry the TV with stand intact. The power supply, remote control, HDMI cable, and lightning to digital AV adapter are stored in the side pockets. Duffel bag fits nicely in the passenger foot well of the van since I typically travel alone with no pets. I will need to buy a small power station (i.e. 6 pound Jackery 240) to operate the TV at a campsite without electrical hookups. Lots of van campers & RV’ers watch TV outside their rigs. I could become one of those outdoor viewers but decided a 1.7 pound, 1080p monitor with anti-glare screen for $169.99 plus tax is a better option so I can watch movies inside or outside the van! It’s almost 16” in length with a folding, leather cover stand. It will take up less space inside the Cascade or other vehicles.
3. Cell phone coverage drops significantly inside the van! Even parked in my driveway, cell phone usage with Spectrum coverage (via Verizon cell towers) is slow! Buffering speeds loading YouTube videos and Netflix movies take several minutes.
My cell phone gets better coverage OUTSIDE the van! One solution is a product called Drive Slick to boost cell phone coverage inside a car, van, or SUV. This product is designed for one user (driver) only. A magnetic antenna is placed on top of a vehicle. And the cell phone stays inside the cradle (antenna receiver). It claims to boost cell phone signals by 32%! I’ll let you know if this is sales hype or not. I splurged for one yesterday on Amazon.
Micro Van Life 