Hi all me an boy friend hav just got our first van but we jumped head first and havnt got a clue how the electric side of things work,,,ita a ford transit auto sleeper,,, 89 f reg,,,dose anyone in or near Pontefract fancy a free cuppa and choccy biscuit while the talk us trough it,,,I kno it's a big ask but we r desperate,,x
Awwww this was just like me a few weeks ago. Don't panic. Just mention your purchase to any friends and someone will know. Also we park up where other vans park near the sea front where other vans park and pick other people's brains.
I also had a practice night at a local campsite and chatted to people there.
We don't live near Pontefract but good luck in your search. It won't be long before it's second nature.
------------- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change. - Charles Darwin
Don't live near you but here are the basics, I'm assuming you know nothing about campervans, apologies if you do.
You have 3 sorces of power
12v from leisure and engine battery
240v from hookup cable when plugged into site supply
Gas propane or butane bottle for cooking and running fridge,
If you have a built in fridge it is probably a 3 way (but may not be) which means is can run on either 12v, 240v or gas.
You can only run fridge on 12v when driving as it runs off the engine battery /(will drain a leisure battery too quickly), put switch to 12v and once on site with hookup, change to 240v, if you don't have hookup you can run it on gas on site, you will need to ignite a burner which can be tricky if its not been used for a while. There will be a switch on the fridge to move from each type of power.
You will also (probably) have some lights which run from 12v (leisure battery) or 240v mains.
Depending on the vehicle there may be a control panel which shows how charged the batteries are and how full your water tanks are, but in an older van this could be basic and not have all the features I've mentioned.
If the vehicle hasn't been used for a while it may be worth getting a habitation check, to make sure the gas and electrics are safe. The connection from the regulator to the gas bottle is usually rubber and can perish/split, so may need renewing.
If you want to get a habitation check done at home then ring Andrew on 07734560525 website
He used to work on building coachbuilt motorhomes and is very knowledgeable. Great bloke - comes along with his wife and works well with a cuppa and a biscuit
I will bet he will be more than happy to instruct you on your van while he is checking it.
...just to add(and sorry if this sounds TOO obvious but people have asked the question about this before ),it does need pluggin' in for any 240v "mains" powered stuff to work(socket oulets,water heater etc).They don't work off the batteries and/or with the engine running....
We had an '03 Duetto(our first van) and I sometimes wish we had kept it..but as it was probably a different model (and it was 5+ years ago now!)I don't want to give you incorrect/confusing info' concerning which switch does what..
(.although I do recall that our "mains" water heater switch was hidden away, tucked at the back of the cupboard under the cooker!...it wasn't long before I re-routed it and positioned on the face of the settee base)..
Once you start working through it methodically...it's all pretty straight forward.
(..and as daft as it sounds,as you go through it, write stuff down and maybe label the switches,until you are more familiar with what they do...)
Ours did come with the original "hand book" but to be honest it was all but useless for us "first timers"...as it was poorly photocopied, incorrectly indexed, and seem to cover so many different switches and appliances that differed from ours, that it just confused us even more..
Although not model specific,this book by John Wickersham is supposed to be worth owning:
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: First camper van HELP MEEEEE,X
),it does need pluggin' in for any 240v "mains" powered stuff to work(socket oulets,water heater etc).They don't work off the batteries and/or with the engine running....
