We are quite new to going on rallies! I was just wondering about the hot water! I no it runs on gas (good start!) But do I leave it prementaly on or just turn the water heater when we need it? Surely I'm going to use a lot of gas if its always on? Maybe I'm missing someting! All suggestions greatly received! Thank you everyone!
I believe its thermostatically controlled when on gas ,the same as on EHU So it will only fire up to maintain the correct temp. sure someone will correct me if i am wrong
I am also interested in responses as we will soon be doing 5 days without EHU ,relying merely on battery & gas .
The boilers are not that well insulated so lose an amount of heat. This means it does take a bit more gas to top up the temperature, can be irritatingly noisy during the night and on occasion make the van/bed too hot. They are thermostatically controlled on gas.
We use ours to suit our day, putting it off if we don't need it for a fair while or meeting a big demand like showering. I also feel smugly that its a little less I shell out to that Mr Calor.
They can lift water temperatures quickly if needed and a kettle is ideal for washing up type quantities.
Hi mandi.martin, you will use gas as fridge on. Use gas for heating water and cooking when needed, skittlez, yes you are correct, If it is first time with no hook up, and you are going to use TV/Radio, they can drain the battery quickly if used for long periods, If you have no means of charging your battery then take a second one, and make sure that both batteries are fully charged, store securely in van. I would suggest you take 2nd gas bottle (if unable to determine how much gas you have left, or unsure how long gas will last.) When on the rallying or meet sites, ask fellow campers what they do. Others with more experience of rallying should be along shortly with some good tips and advice to help you further. Hope this has been of some help.
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I just put the water heater on when needed. A lot of ralliers carry the bigger 13kg gas bottles. I carry a 6kg and a 3.9kg, I use the smaller one for the BBQ as it is easier to lug about. I emptied my 6kg bottle at the beginning of a rally so used the small bottle which was fine for a weekend cooking, running the fridge and heating the water - still over half full.
We've recently got into rallying and really enjoy the freedom,cheapness & companionship. We take 2 x 7kg gas bottles & two batteries. We put the water heater on when we wake up ready for the morning ablutions & then switch it off. For washing up we boil a kettle, and then switch water heater on again in the evening for about 30 minutes if anyone wants a shower.
Our first rally was 4 nights/5 days - the battery lasted and had plenty of power left for the motor mover when we got back to storage. We didn't watch tv but had the radio on & watched a portable dvd player on 2 evenings. We only needed one light on for a couple of hours at night.
Some friends have recommended a solar panel - they charge their battery up at the start of the season & the panel keeps it topped up. This works well for them & they watch tv every day when they're away and they go away most weekends & two weeks in the summer. So although I felt that we were managing fine with our set up my husband has bought the same panel & will be seeing how that works for us.
i put mine on in the morning then turn it off after showers on an evening (providing washing ups done. i sometimes switch it off during the day but thats down to remembering really.
I was told a while back that yes it will use more gas but not that much as its only keeping already heated water warm rarther than heating from cold.
i use a bigger bottle of gas than most and seem to find 2 bottles per season is plenty.(£50) worth but i do use caravan pretty much every fri sat sun from through to mid sept
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Topic: rallying
