Returning after a few years out, we used to tent a bit but now with a young son we decided a caravan was a better option.
Having bought a 2000 Swift Lifestyle 400 I've a few questions that are probably a bit basic but after a bit of searching I'm still left wondering.
1) The van has a 3-way rocker with van, car and off positions. Now I originally thought I'd need to switch it to car to get the fridge working on 12v, but after a bit of reading it seems it doesn't matter where this rocker is because there are relays in system that handle all the tomfoolery as soon as a connected car is started. Does that sound about right? So I can just leave my rocker at off and the fridge will work at 12v (so long as 12v selected on fridge)?
2) When connected to 230v what should I do with the charger switch? Should it only be on 'charge' when the leisure battery is getting a tad low or should it be constantly left on? When connected to 230v I can't see any reason why the leisure battery would discharge (except through its natural discharge of course) as surely the 230v input handles the 12v stuff too through an inverter?
I think that's it for now, I think I'm taking most info onboard (there's an awful lot to take in when starting out!) but these two thoughts have left me wondering.
Are you sure you have the right manual? If you have the 3 way switch i dont think you will have a relay that will override that.
It needs to be switched to car when towing and van/aux when on site.
The charger can be left on 24/7. The battery could discharge because the lights and pump will be using the battery not the mains.
If the charger is off, the battery will be powering them all the time, with the charger on ther charge will take some of the load and topup the battery as well.
From my reading a relay will automatically sense voltage when the car is started and then due to European regulations switch off all 12v circuits in the van except for the fridge and leisure charging. From what I've read, the car rocker is to draw power from the car battery when it is not started.
As for the battery draining, does the 12v not come from the 230v via a transformer, or is that in newer vans? I've read the 12v works in vans when connected to 230v even when the leisure battery is disconnected.
Just looking through the manual again and I don't think it's too clear but it does say rocker should be in off when towing which tells me it handles the fridge circuit automatically via a relay.
It really doesn't matter in which position the rocker switch is set when travelling because when the car engine is running this should power the fridge and charge the battery via a split relay. It is safest to travel with the switch in the off position as this prevents either the car or caravan battery being drained accidentally with the engine off. The car position is only really for emergency situations and provides 12v power from the car battery when the caravan battery is flat or there is no caravan battery in circuit.
The battery charger/transformer can be used to provide 12v power without a battery, although it is often recommended that a battery should be left in circuit. The charger can be left on when connected to 230v, although it is not necessary, especially as some chargers can hum and get quite hot, which may be annoying if situated under bed slats.
Thanks HW, so by leaving the charger on I'm not going to fry my battery? I think I'd rather switch it on and off as needed to be honest though, at least to be safe until I get a better understanding of how my van works.
Most older fridges had a green switch and a red switch. The red switch was for running it from the car when the engine is running.
The green switch was for running it from the mains.
A light came on in each switch when they were operating.
So if you plug the caravan into the car and have the red switch on and the green switch off you should be able to look through the caravan window and see the red switch lit up.
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Topic: Couple of Basics
