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Topic: First time motorhome user…

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Dids1234

via mobile 17/7/2023 at 4:29pm
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Joined: 17/7/2023

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Hiya, you might have to excuse me for some of the silly questions i’m about to ask but we’ve rented a motorhome (Fiat Ducato 2.3 TD) for the weekend to attend a festival in a few weeks time, however it’s the first time we will have ever used one.

We essentially wanted it as a nicer bed for the night originally…but now we’re wondering what else we might manage to use it for while we’re away so I’ve got a few questions! As a bit of background, the site we are staying at has a water point and chemical disposal point but no electricity or direct water hook ups.

1- I presume we will still be able to use the onboard toilet with no issues as long as we are able to dispose of the “outputs” correctly?
2- Will we be able to use the shower or will the leisure battery not sustain that? If we can use the leisure battery, will it drain it?
3- if we use the leisure battery how long will it last just for charging phones/having lights on/having the fridge on?
4- can we just turn the van on to recharge the leisure battery? Or does it need to be driving?

Dave and Cyn

via mobile 17/7/2023 at 5:39pm
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1, Yes.
2, Yes. Heat the water on gas. The battery will run the pump. Submarine style shower, wet, soap, rinse. It's only a small hot water tank.
3, Run the fridge on gas. Hopefully it will have a solar panel to recharge the battery.
4, Check re solar as above.

Fiona W

via mobile 17/7/2023 at 6:18pm
Location: Ayrshire
Outfit: A2DS+Nuevo

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Battery won’t run the fridge, hence the advice to use gas.
We found the water pump drained the battery quickly, we’d watch our lights dim when we run water. I see you have solar for recharging it, but you might have to have a strip wash rather than a shower. It takes about 20 minutes to heat the tank too, so two showers might take an hour altogether.
You’d annoy your neighbours running the engine long enough to recharge the leisure battery, not good manners.
And few sites have direct water hookups at each pitch (“fully serviced”), certainly EHU would come first if a site is being developed.
Make sure the MH comes with a black canister for grey water, as there won’t be a drive-over drain. Otherwise, get a folding bucket for taking the grey waste water to dispose of it. The site might tell you to put the grey water (from washing up or showering) under the hedge, but emptying it straight out onto the ground under the MH is bad practice & can get you asked off commercial site: no one wants to step in someone else’s toothpaste or bacon bits.
Enjoy your adventures!

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Lukeledge

via mobile 18/7/2023 at 9:14am
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If the battery is in good condition and fully charged it should last a festival weekend, including charging phones etc. If you have a solar panel then no problem. If not you could run the van engine for a bit to top it up.
Your water tank might need refilling over the festival if you use it for showering, take a water container that you can transfer water into the tank from.
We use MH for festivals and it makes them much more comfortable, especially the showers !

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