To keep a long story short, he needs some form of power station so that he could use a low wattage (about 90W) heated throw for the really cold nights to supplement the heat output of an indoor butane heater at short bursts to take the chill off (NB: he has been well-drilled on gas/CO/fire safety by his dad who was a fireman).
The van is not capable of hooking up to the mains currently, and it is not drivable.
Can't use a diesel generator and it is too noisy for the neighbourhood where the van is currently parked, as well as being too expensive.
He is able recharge a portable power station using mains electricity and bring it back to his van.
His budget for a power station is not very big, and will not stretch to one of the really good ones that UKCS had given away as prizes in the past.
This is what I have found for him, based on the brand of power station UKCS had given away as prizes recently:
It looks like it is a newer design with USB-C and more compact.
I like it as it can be recharged using AC as well as DC, and can be recharged using a compatible solar panel.
According to specifications, it should run a heated blanket (wattage not specified) for 1.9h on full charge.
He can add a solar panel at a later date when we have more sunny periods.
Upgrading his van's electricity set up and fixing the issues with the base van itself will cost a lot more than this power station.
The priority for him is to get through this winter without forking out substantial amount of money to fix his van.
I can get this power station for him in exchange of music lessons over the next three months.
Thanks for your help in reviewing this power station in advance.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
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is he parked on a driveway? at home but away from the house? if so then the cheapest way to give him heat would be to get a camping ehu lead and plug into the house and then run a oil panel heater, no noise to disturb anyone then
I haven't used that one and I'm not going to comment on the spec because you've worked that out. I've owned quite a few bits of Anker kit over the years and they've all been excellent. So if it will do what you/he need I'd go for it.
Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 27/11/2024
is he parked on a driveway? at home but away from the house? if so then the cheapest way to give him heat would be to get a camping ehu lead and plug into the house and then run a oil panel heater, no noise to disturb anyone then
Not sure if the van is parked near a mains outlet currently to be able to hook up to a mains socket.
Would need to purchase a oil panel heater (I have found compact small ones that do not cost a lot), as well as an EHU kit with a RCD (don't have one anymore to lend him).
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
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* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Quote: Originally posted by seanfdh on 27/11/2024
I haven't used that one and I'm not going to comment on the spec because you've worked that out. I've owned quite a few bits of Anker kit over the years and they've all been excellent. So if it will do what you/he need I'd go for it.
Great, thanks for the recommendation of the brand itself.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Quote: Originally posted by Paul_B on 27/11/2024
Have they considered a diesel heater for the van
It will cost money to add a diesel heater to the van as far as I am aware.
He got the van on the cheap in a hurry and out of desperation.
Had he asked me to assess its spec, I would have told him to stay clear of it with no heating or the ability to hook up to the mains etc...
However, he did not ask me, and hindsight is 20/20 etc...
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
“His budget for a power station is not very big, and will not stretch to one of the really good ones that UKCS had given away as prizes in the past.”
We were lucky to win one of these, charged it up once in the spring & it’s run power tools & a lamp in the garage all summer. I’m guessing your suggested cheaper one, would need charging more often, but that won’t matter; we’ve also not used a heating element (eg kettle for a hot water bottle or hot drink) to know how quickly it would drain the power bank. Ours has USB sockets - I’d recommend those.
My advice, given our win is (probably) over budget, is to be aware of its weight. The one we won is heavy enough to need heavy lifting training.
Sorry for not being specific about our model; I can go out & look if needs be.
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 27/11/2024
“His budget for a power station is not very big, and will not stretch to one of the really good ones that UKCS had given away as prizes in the past.”
We were lucky to win one of these, charged it up once in the spring & it’s run power tools & a lamp in the garage all summer. I’m guessing your suggested cheaper one, would need charging more often, but that won’t matter; we’ve also not used a heating element (eg kettle for a hot water bottle or hot drink) to know how quickly it would drain the power bank. Ours has USB sockets - I’d recommend those.
My advice, given our win is (probably) over budget, is to be aware of its weight. The one we won is heavy enough to need heavy lifting training.
Sorry for not being specific about our model; I can go out & look if needs be.
Thanks Fiona for your input and advice - I was hoping you would pop in to provide feedback on your UKCS prize, so thank you.
My friend is not running any big electric appliance - he boils water on a gas stove. The power station is going to be used for his electric throw which is low wattage.
He wants to remain as independent as possible without hooking his van up to mains electricity where the van is currently parked. It's complicated and I can understand his reasonings.
Having a portable power station where he can take it to charge up is a viable option for him currently.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
I am a Fan of Anker Products, and I would get one if I was in the Market for buying one (I have the Everfrost 40 Coolbox, and the 300w battery lasts a couple of days, which I am more than happy with)
However, in 2021, as we were coming out of Lockdowns, and Rushed my decision and bought the Jackery 500 Power bank, simply because I needed to power my Cpap and we had no EHU. The I had Cpap at the time, would last about 7 days on DC, or 3 on AC, My New CPAP only last 3 days on either.
Whilst very happy with it, I would Suggest getting bigger, especially as prices have generally come down quite a bit over the last few years.
If I was buying now, I would get a 1000w as a minimum, probably a 2000w, not only due to the high capacity, but the more outlet sockets available. (mine only has a single 3 pin socket)
Whilst the primary use was for Camping, it has become very useful for recent Power Outages we have had, and the wife takes it with her when she has her market stall, so thing beyond just a Camping power source.
Quote: Originally posted by cllr_gyppo on 27/11/2024
I am a Fan of Anker Products, and I would get one if I was in the Market for buying one (I have the Everfrost 40 Coolbox, and the 300w battery lasts a couple of days, which I am more than happy with)
However, in 2021, as we were coming out of Lockdowns, and Rushed my decision and bought the Jackery 500 Power bank, simply because I needed to power my Cpap and we had no EHU. The I had Cpap at the time, would last about 7 days on DC, or 3 on AC, My New CPAP only last 3 days on either.
Whilst very happy with it, I would Suggest getting bigger, especially as prices have generally come down quite a bit over the last few years.
If I was buying now, I would get a 1000w as a minimum, probably a 2000w, not only due to the high capacity, but the more outlet sockets available. (mine only has a single 3 pin socket)
Whilst the primary use was for Camping, it has become very useful for recent Power Outages we have had, and the wife takes it with her when she has her market stall, so thing beyond just a Camping power source.
Just my thoughts :-)
Cheers
Nathan
Thanks for the advice, unfortunately, his budget does not stretch that far for the foreseeable future.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
A diesel heater is a very effective way to heat a van/caravan. I fitted one to my caravan. They can be purchased for £90 and with a few upgrades DIY installation would probably cost another £30. They can chuck out a lot of heat but the fan noise and clicking fuel pump might be an issue at night when sleeping. Definitely worth considering though.
Quote: Originally posted by gari on 27/11/2024
A diesel heater is a very effective way to heat a van/caravan. I fitted one to my caravan. They can be purchased for £90 and with a few upgrades DIY installation would probably cost another £30. They can chuck out a lot of heat but the fan noise and clicking fuel pump might be an issue at night when sleeping. Definitely worth considering though.
Possibly, however, I do not believe he would be capable of carrying out an upgrade like this himself. He is very risk averse and knows his DIY limitations when it comes to safety with involving gas and electricity, being a fireman's son!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
He has purchased the power station I mentioned, thanks everyone for your advice and comments.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
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Topic: Is this power station a good spec?
via mobile 27/11/2024 at 1:18pm
