We’ve just returned home from 11 days in the caravan without electric! We were amazed that we didn’t need to top the battery up, other than with our solar panel. Previously we have managed 4 days but then had battery going in to red, even with a solar panel topping it up, and then have had to borrow a generator to top up with.
This time we still had the same solar panel, but had changed the halogen light bulbs for LED’s. We had been considering getting a new solar panel but decided having looked at them, we decided changing the bulbs was cheaper to start with.
Our 6kg bottle of gas lasted a week before it needed changing and that we used for all our cooking and powering the fridge during a very hot spell, not to mention heating water for washing and showering.
We even occasionally watched TV on battery (just a 10”) and we were also able to change batteries and a mobile phone from the 12V battery.
Aren't LED's a wonderful investment, having rebuilt our van from the floor up I invested in LEDs everywhere, the illuminum output is better than standard bulbs and certainly equal to halogen, we have only 2 240v lamps in the main bedroom (one each side of the bed) - the bunk room has LEDs and are perfect for reading, and they run so cool as well, combine that with a life cycle of around 30,000 hours and they work out very cheap at the same time.
What size solar panel have you got?
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
Yes, these second generation LED's are so much better than the first ones we got for our home kitchen (in terms of light out put). We also like the fact that unlike the halogen they are cool so I think a lot safer. We chose warm white for the living areas and the bright white for the washroom.
We still have 4 fittings we couldn't get in to change them! So just used the ones that we had been able to change.
I think we have just a 20 amp panel which is about 10 years old
We got ours from Aten Lighting http://www.atenlighting.co.uk/home.php they do a lot of the caravan shows and also you can order from them, he seamed to really understand and explained what he sells. We are very pleased with them.
We went for mainly the 6 LED versions, which we found more than bright enough for replacing the 20w halogen.
Still haven’t worked out how to get in to the outside lights (but we have solar fairy lights in the awning so don’t use them), the shower light or the bunk lights! - if you work them out can you let us know?
Forgot to say when we are off electric we have a battery carbon monoxide detector – for my piece of mind, plus torch and spare batteries in case we loose battery power in the middle of the night!
Now we also have a meter to check the battery which is reassuring – this last time we were impressed how much charge we were getting form the solar panel.
LED bulbs about 0.5 watt, 0.04 amps. Halogens 10 watt, 0.83 amps. That's a big difference.
The first thing we did when we changed our caravan is get rid of all the power hungry halogen bulbs. Got a load of LEDs from China on eBay. They averaged well under £2 each.
I got a mixture of both. Power consumption was similar on both types, but I could only get the old style for some of my lamps. The new ones with the yellow dots are much better though. They give off almost as much light as the halogens and the light is just as warm. The ones I got for the reading lamps and awning light are the old style which are a much colder light and not as bright, but these were to replace incandescent bulbs which were 15 watt each so they definately had to go (2 X 15 watt bulbs in an awning light!)
One other small point is that a couple of the LEDs in some of the bulbs don't come on. You would't notice unless you took the lens off the light. But I guess that's what you get for buying cheap tat from China.
On the other hand, I know people who bought some in the UK which all the LEDs work on but cost 3 times the price and they had one blow up.
Quote: Originally posted by steveiem on 08/8/2011
when you say the new type with the yellow dots , how are these distinguishable ?,,
Sometimes referred to as fried eggs they are distinguished by their yellow dot...
ermmmm.... the one on the right (which replaced the one on the left) other arrangements are available including various halogen and bayonet/screw type replacements and flexible strips
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
If your Geist is the same as ours in the shower, you just pull down the actual silver part round the light and it is on like a sprink clip you just have to keep pulling, slide your finger in and push spring up,You then untwist the outer shell of the light and you can get to the bulb, However these bulbs are like the little filament bulbs you get in cabinet lights etc.
Hope that helps.
------------- Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
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Topic: Non electric
