Looking for information on how to wire and install an inverter in a camper van? If yes, then you’ve come to the right place. Power inverters are critical to install in campervans because you will need these devices to power all your 110V (or 220V) devices. This includes charging laptops, powering blenders, and many other normal household appliances.
In this post, we will show you how to connect an inverter to your leisure batteries. This is a step-by-step tutorial that includes helpful wiring diagrams and we will detail all the little products and components you will need to complete this installation process.
Specifically, this post will teach you how to connect an inverter to:
- The batteries
- Power outlet sockets
- Shower power
- A ground point
We will discuss how to build the very same inverter wiring system that you see in the diagram below. It may look complicated, but we break down the below diagram so that you can understand the entire system.
Complete Inverter Wiring Diagram
Confused where to start with DIY electrics? Check out our comprehensive camper van electrical system guide to start from the very beginning.
But First...
Anatomy Of An Inverter
Before beginning the installation process, it’s important to know all the connection points into and out of an inverter. You’ll need to become familiar with each of these points on your own inverter because you will be connecting wires to each of them.
Different inverters will look slightly different when you check their connection points. But no matter what, the vast majority of inverters have the following three (and sometimes four) connection points.
- Connection to 12V leisure batteries: These are usually two large studs capable of accepting thick wires.
- AC Out: This is the supplied 110V (or 220V) power generated from the inverter to power your devices.
- Ground point: For safety, you will need to connect this to an appropriate ground point along your vehicle’s chassis.
- AC In: If you have an “inverter/charger” model*, you can connect this section to shore power so that you can charge your leisure batteries.
*What Is An “Inverter/Charger”?
A standard inverter can only take 12V power from your batteries and convert it to 110V power. And inverter/charger combo can do the same thing but ALSO take 110V shore power to charge your 12V leisure batteries. However, inverter/chargers tend to be more expensive.
Let’s look at two popular examples and locate these four connection points.
Example 1: Victron Multiplus
We use a Victron 2000VA Multiplus inverter/charger. Below you can see the four connection areas.
Example 2: Aims Inverter/Charger
The AIMS inverter/charger [Amazon] is another popular inverter model for camper vans & RVs. You can see they also have the same four connection points, although they look slightly different. But the concept remains the same.
Now, let’s wire the whole inverter system together.
Download our electrical eBook (with diagrams) to learn how to wire an electrical system in a camper van.
Step 1:
Choose Your Inverter
The first step is to select the inverter that best fits your needs. Below is a simple calculator to help you determine what size inverter you need. Just answer a few questions and the calculator will return a recommended inverter for you, and even provide several alternatives below.
Inverter Sizing Calculator
Step 2:
Connecting Inverter To Batteries
The first step when installing an inverter in a camper van is to connect the inverter to the house batteries. Technically, we won’t be wiring the inverter directly to the batteries. Instead, we will be wiring the inverter to the bus bars, which in term will be wired to the batteries.
By the way, if you haven’t already, you should absolutely pick up a pair of bus bars. They make the entire wiring process easier and cleaner. This is because instead of wiring every single device (like inverters, solar charge controllers, and 12V panels) directly to the batteries, you just connect them to the bus bars instead.
- High quality, secure, and safe connections to the batteries and all downstream devices
- Perfect for high current situations
- Nickel plated brass contact plates
- Made in the USA
* Read our bus bar page for more product information and installation guidance.
In this section, we will discuss how to connect the inverter to the bus bars. To learn more about how to connect the bus bars to the batteries, check out our post on 12v wiring for camper vans.
Wiring Diagram: Inverter To Bus Bars
In the wiring diagram below, you can see how the inverter is connected to the bus bars. And the bus bars and then connected to the 12V leisure batteries.
Materials List
To complete this wiring step, you will need the following materials. You can locate each of the materials listed below in the above diagram.
- An inverter
- Red & black wire: Preferably 2/0 AWG size
- 3/8″ Copper lugs: To attach the wires to the inverter and bus bars. Heat shrink sleeves are included.
- Bus bars
Tools List
Below are the tools you’ll need to complete the wiring process. These are common tools that you’ll need to install your entire van’s electrical system.
- Hydraulic crimping tool: This is used to crimp the copper lug onto the red & black wires.
- Cable cutter: You will need this heavy duty cutter to cut through the thick 2/0 AWG wires.
- Utility knife: Use this knife to cut away the red & black protective jackets.
- Heat gun: Use this to activate the heat shrink over the copper lugs after the crimping process is complete.
Installation Instructions
- 1 - With wire cutters, cut an appropriate length of RED 2/0 AWG wire.
- 2 - With a utility knife , strip off ~1" of the 2/0 wire jacket to expose the bare wires.
- 3 - Place the provided heat shrink tubing over the 2/0 wire.
- 4 - With a hammer & lug crimper, crimp a 3/8" lug onto one of the wire ends.
- 5 - Place the heat shrink tubing over the lug & wire connection point and use a heat gun to activate the heat shrink.
- 6 - Repeat this process for the other end of the 2/0 wire.
- 7 - Attach one end of the 2/0 wire to the inverter's positive terminal and the other end to the positive bus bar.
- 8 - Repeat this process for the BLACK 2/0 wire.
After activating the heat shrink on your 2/0 wire ends, the final result should look similar to the image below.
Following the above process, your inverter should now be connected to your bus bars.
For information how to connect the bus bars to the batteries, check out our 12v wiring installation guide.
Step 3:
Wiring Inverter To Shore Power
In this section, we show about how to connect an inverter to shore power. This is only required if you specifically purchased an ‘inverter/charger’ model that is capable of charging batteries from an outside power source. Below are three inverter/charger models that we recommend.
Recommended Inverter/Chargers
Note: If you opted for a non-Inverter/Charger model, you can skip this step and go straight to step 3.
Wiring Diagram: Inverter To Shore Power
In the wiring diagram below, you can see how the inverter is connected to a power inlet plug. You can then connect the power inlet to a shore power socket with an extension cord.
Materials & Tools List
To see the required materials and tools list, select your inverter/charger’s wattage rating. The recommended parts are tailored to the size of the inverter.
Installation Instructions
- 1 - With the wire multi-tool, cut an appropriate length of 12 AWG wire to connect inverter to power inlet.
- 2 - The 12 AWG wire we recommend includes three individual wires for positive, negative, and ground. With the same multi-tool, strip ~0.75" off the wire jackets for each of the three individual wires.
- 3 - Connect the positive, negative, & ground wires to the appropriate 'AC IN' terminals. (See note 1)
- 4 - Strip off the individual wire jackets on the other end of the 12 AWG wire and attach to the approprite terminals in the power inlet device.
Following the above process, your inverter/charger should now ready to connect to shore power to charge your house batteries.
Good To Know!
Get a high-quality 12AWG extension cord [Amazon]. Cheap cords come with thinner wire strands, which may not be safe to support large wattages for long periods of time.
Step 4:
Wiring Inverter To Power Outlets
In this section, we show you how to connect your inverter to power outlets so that you can plug in and run your 110v devices.
Good To Know!
Our tutorial shows how to wire an inverter to standard household wall sockets. But many inverters, like AIMS model, already have built-in sockets, which is much simpler, DIY-friendly, and cost-effective.
Wiring Diagram: Inverter To Power Outlets
In the wiring diagram below, you can see how the inverter is connected to a 15A circuit breaker and then to the power outlet.
Materials & Tools List
To complete this step, you will need the following materials. You can locate each of the below listed materials in the above wiring diagram.
- AC Out wire: We recommend using 12/3 AWG wire, which will safely carry the current (amps) required to power all standard 110V devices.
- Circuit breaker box: This will house the 15-Amp circuit breaker.
- 15-Amp circuit breaker: This breaker ensures your 12/3 wire and all downstream devices stay safe during over-current situations.
- Electrical socket
Installation Instructions
- 1 - With the wire multi-tool, cut an appropriate length of 12 AWG wire to connect the inverter to the circuit breaker box.
- 2 - The 12 AWG wire we recommend includes three individual wires for positive, negative, and ground. With the same multi-tool, strip ~0.75" off hte wire jacket for each of the three individual wires.
- 3 - Connect the positive, negative, & ground wires to the appropriate 'AC OUT' terminals. (See Note 1)
- 4 - Repeat the wire stripping process for the other side of the 12 AWG wire, and attach to the circuit breaker box.
- 5 - From the circuit breaker box, thread the 12 AWG wires through the holes in the back of the gang box and connect to the power outlet.
- 6 - Screw the power outlet to the gang box and then screw the wall plate to the power outlet.
- 7 - Insert the 15A circuit breaker into the breaker box.
Download our electrical eBook (with diagrams) to learn how to wire an electrical system in a camper van.
Step 5:
Wiring The Inverter To A Ground Point
In the final step, we connect the inverter to a ground point. But because we are installing this power inverter system in a camper van, we don’t have the same traditional ‘ground’ point as in a house. Instead, we can attach the ground wire to a designated point on our vehicle’s chassis.
We explain how to find these ground points further below in this section. But first, we will explain how to do the wiring, as shown in the wiring diagram below.
Step 4 Wiring Diagram: Inverter To Ground Point
Materials List
To complete this step, you will need the following materials. You can locate each of the below listed materials in the above wiring diagram.
- Ground wire: We recommend using 4 AWG wire
- Copper lugs: You will need to identify the size of the ground posts on your inverter and chassis, but M8 sized lugs should work.
Installation Instructions
- 1 - With the wire multi-tool, strip off ~0.75" of the 4 AWG wire jacket.
- 2 - With the same multi-tool, crimp a M8 lug and attach to the designated ground point on the inverter.
- 3 - Repeat the same process on the other end of the 4 AWG wire and attach the ring connector to a designated ground point on your vehicle's chassis.
How To Locate Your Vehicle's Ground Points
You can locate your vehicle’s designated ground points either in the van’s handbook or by doing a quick search online. Below is an image we found online with all the designated ground points for our Ford Transit van. We grounded our inverter by connecting to point #31 in the diagram below.
Were Our Inverter Diagrams Useful? There are more electrical diagrams in our eBook.
Alternatives To Heavy-Duty Inverters
Installing a large inverter in your camper is a big decision. Inverters aren’t cheap, they take up valuable space in your van, and they can take time to wire everything correctly.
If your only reason for installing an inverter in your camper is to simply power a laptop or other similarly low-wattage devices, getting a heavy-duty inverter may not be the right decision for you.
If that’s the case, there are several great, portable alternatives available on the market. Below are three portable inverter recommendations. They’re easy to set up, take up minimal space, and can be stored away when not needed.
What We Like
- No wiring needed: Simply plug in or clamp to your batteries and it’s good to go.
- Portability: Simply pack the inverter away when you’re not using it. No wires, no fuss.
- Price point: Significantly less expensive than a larger inverter.
- Pure sine technology: Safe for your more expensive devices, like laptops & cameras.
What We Don't Like
- Cannot charge batteries: Meaning you cannot connect these inverters to shore power to charge your 12v batteries.
- Power limitation: Not suitable for anything above 1000-1200W.
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Conclusion: Installing An Inverter Is Just One Piece Of The Electrical Puzzle
If you’ve gotten this far then congratulations on successfully installing an inverter in your camper van!
If you did it while also installing sockets into your van walls then that’s a fantastic achievement. The whole inverter installation process took us more than a week to complete and wasn’t easy!
But setting up the inverter is just one piece of the puzzle when putting together your camper van electrical system. For more, check out our other posts below.
Happy building!
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