As this is our 2nd year with the van we have decided to try one of the rallies with our local cc centre for the fireworks in november. We have never been to a rally before, or not had ehu, so would welcome any tips from forum members. We intend to change our internal bulbs to led ones this month and also wondered of its ok to run the heating on gas overnight? We have a 2yr old so the OH is worried that he wont get to cold at night! We have a co2 alarm for safety if that helps. Also should we invest in a cover for the aquaroll and is the wastemaster likely to freeze if it gets cold?
Having rallied for several years, I would recommend changing the bulbs to LED if you plan on rallying regularly, but for weekends if you use some common sense when it comes to your power usage you should be ok with the standard bulbs.
As regards the heater on overnight then it will be fine, but I suspect you will be far too hot if you leave it on overnight. We have never used a cover on the aquaroll or wastemaster and I don't recall ever seeing them on a rally field either, even over new year. I really don't think you will have any issues in early November.
It used to be quite common to see generators on the rally field, but now you see fewer and fewer generators and more and more solar panels.
If you plan on doing a lot of rallying in the future, a roof mounted solar panel is a worthwhile investment. We just returned from a week without EHU and the 50 watt panel on the roof kept our battery at 13.8 volts throughout, despite several hours of watching TV every evening.
On the bonfire night rally you won't use much power anyway. You will be gathered around the bonfire on the Saturday night and if you are anything like me Friday night will be spent chatting to the other ralliers over a can of 3.
If you mention your concerns to the rally officer on arrival, they will offer you all manner of advice. If you are unlucky enough to have a problem, don't be afraid to ask for help. You wouldn't be the first person to arrive on a rally field with a flat battery (I did it myself on our first rally) someone will have a spare battery they will be willing to lend and failing that someone with a generator will gladly recharge a battery for you (I certainly would if I were able to assist)
Despite the myths surrounding ralliers, the vast majority are very helpful and friendly. They have all been in your position on their first rally and know full well that you will not know anyone there and will have concerns about managing your battery. The truth is most of your concerns will be unfounded.
I would recommend you try to speak to as many people as you can though. As I said previously, the will generally be a friendly bunch and more than happy to make you feel welcome, but if you don't speak to them, they may think you want to be left alone.
When I used to run rallies, we made a point of explaining to new ralliers that they would be more than welcome to join in with anything we did but that they were not under any obligation to join in.
A lot of people come on here and complain that they went on their first rally and no one made them feel welcome. The truth is that if they locked themselves away in their caravan all weekend then what did they expect to happen. Fortunately you have chosen a rally with a great social event so you can't really avoid making a few friends there. The only thing I find with the bonfire rally is that a lot of the people there only ever go to the one rally a year so you don't see them until next year.
Dave, many thanks for the excellent advice. I am hoping that if the OH likes rallying that its something we can do all year. I am ordering led bulbs this week so will have them all changed before november. I will hold off on the auqaroll insulation so thanks for that.
during the winter i just leave the pilot light onall night if its really cold.you shouldnt worry about the gas fire caravans have vents built into the floor to allow any fumes to drian away should this happen , your idea of an allarm is a good one, . have rallied many times. make sure you take a spare leisure battery. and spare torch,
Excellent advice from 'DaveCoaches' and although I attend many and have run rallies myself on behalf of two clubs, one being the C&CC I always take a Honda suitcase generator with me merely as a back up for myself or anyone else for that matter which I have done in the past with ralliers who have had battery problems plus I also carry a spare water pump as well. Solar panels are a good investment but what you have to realise is they only operate on daylight hours and we all know too well that we alter the clocks at the end of October so your daylight hours are even less from November onwards. Generators often have negative reviews but you will be amazed just how many ralliers do carry them for keeping their battery topped up in the afternoon. I have got an insulating cover for my water barrel which came in use in the winter of 2010 as the temperature plumetted well below freezing but it's not just the barrel that you have to keep warm but also the water pipe from the water barrel to the water housing. The best way to keep this warm is to cover it with sponge pipe insulation which you can purchase from most DIY outlets. We normally just keep the gas fire on very low most of the day and night which helps to keep the caravan warm without being over powering. Rallies are not every ones cup of tea but if you go out with the right intention then 'Dave Coaches' comments are an accurate description of what rallying is all about. Personall I think you will enjoy it especially if you are looking for new friends.
We rally alot about 25 times a year so we have LED lights and a solar panel. However if you are going on just a single weekend rally I wouldn't worry a charged battery should be fine and you won't have a problem. This assumes thst you can switch off lights when not in use and you are not going to use the tv 24/7. As for gas the heater is designed to be used and all the combustion takes place outside of the van so should be safe. You will use a more gas than you expect so take a spare.
Our first rally was a bonfire and we survived with out Led's generators solar etc. But if you do run into probelms ask for help and someone will sort you out
Personally I wouldn't leave a gas fire on overnight with a two year old but we are all different. Decent pyjamas and a duvet will keep everyone plenty warm enough inside whilst sleeping
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Topic: 1st time rally tips required
