Hi We purchased our caravan at the end of the season last year. We have absolutely no idea what we're doing!!! haha Can we use the leisure battery to power the sockets when we have no EHU? we've played about with the battery and switches but cant make the sockets work. If we cant how do we boil the kettle or watch the tv when were on a pitch? Sorry for sounding blonde but if the cap fits lol. Please help as we're itching to get going but dont want it to be unpleasant and put us off!!! cheers Chris
no, the mains sockets will not work from the battery, to watch tv you will need either a 12V TV, or use an inverter to get 240V
be aware that the battery will not last forever, especially if ytour matching alot of TV on it.
I can do a week without a recharge, but i have converted all my lighing to LED, and dont use a TV, using the TV for a couple of hours in an evening drops it to 3-4 days
Ok So how about a generator? Im looking at a second hand one and its 2.8kw? What will that do for me? If anything?? xx (and thanks for your patience) xxx
If you intend to go without EHU on a regular basis it would be worth getting a larger battery (110 ah) as this would last longer and give more power for tv lights etc.
As for the kettle you need to use one on the gas hob
ooo, now youve opened a can of worms ;)
Genny can be considered a bit antisocial, alot of site ban them outright, or restrict their usage to a fgew hours a day, typically for Caravan and camping club sites 12-1 and 5-6, primarily to charge a battery.
2.8Kw is pretty hefty for a genny, so will power most things, possibly not your kettly (depends on what power it is)
really though, if your going to get away to a site that has no electric, you need to learn to cope without it, use a solar panel to recharge batteries or similar.
No the sockets are 240v meant to plug in a kettle when on ehu they wont work other wise unless,it says 12v on them then power from the battery will be taken.
When your on site and have rigged up the ehu cable you should have a switch that says CAR and Van...set this to Van as it will charge the battery with the charger if you have one also,it will power your lights and water pump as they run on 12v from the battery.
use gas for water heater/cooking/fridge/gas fire.as said even a good battery will only last 3 to 4 days.you can get 12v tvs.kettle can be a gas one.12 volt water pump/lighting water heater/internal strip lights/tv/outside light.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Oh blimey this is getting complicated!!! I have absolutely no idea about inputs and outputs and so forth. I would usually go for sites with hook up but we're bikers and love going to the BSB and WSB and the tracks have camping but no hook up. We can probably survive with no tv but need our phones charging as we both have mega family issues. The kettle like you say can be boiled on the hob so no biggy there. Ive seen a briefcase solar panel thats 13w and £50 is that any use to me?? xxx
Hi Chris
We are new to this as well having just bought our first caravan. Being sited on a seasonal pitch next week. Our first visit to it is next Friday and I am hoping and praying that we have everything we need! I will watch your post ( been watching all other newbies posts as well) for as much info as possible. I'm sure this time next year we will be helping other newbies but right now it is a bit daunting.
Chris.
theres usually a 12V socket somewhere in the van, eveing if it isnt a cigar lighter type, adaptors are avaliable to make it into one, then use an in-car charger, or, if your usiang a smart phone, a cigar-USB adaptor is only a couple of quid, if you need to charge both at once, 2 port ones are avaliable.
13W is on the low side, depends on how long you want to be away for, a weekend, fully charge the battery before you go it will be plenty for a weekend.
Quote: Originally posted by Monty8 on 06/4/2013
Hi Chris
We are new to this as well having just bought our first caravan. Being sited on a seasonal pitch next week. Our first visit to it is next Friday and I am hoping and praying that we have everything we need! I will watch your post ( been watching all other newbies posts as well) for as much info as possible. I'm sure this time next year we will be helping other newbies but right now it is a bit daunting.
Chris.
Cheers bab its so good to be able to ask people questions!!! I only know one other person with a caravan and hes not very approachable. We managed to go out once at the end of the season last year and it was a hook up site and the manager came and helped us assemble our awning cause we looked so puzzled!!! We found everyone on site so helpful and friendly it made us glad we had bit the bullet and invested. xxx
If you are a newbie and have no idea about caravanning then it may pay you to invest in the Haynes 'Caravanning Handbook' by John Wickersham as it explains absolutely everything you need to know regarding leisure batteries and 12 volt power, 240 volt mains electrics, Butane and Propane gas, water systems etc. and the list goes on. This is what I did when I started caravanning so much of my knowledge has been gained through reading the book on various topics plus it's a handy book to keep for future reference.
just remember that if your drawing power out of your battery for gadgets and lights etc ,you stand a very good chance of dragging your battery down to the point of to low to recover .i.e under 12 v and its basically had it .yes if your on wild sites as it sounds you may be a genny will do the trick for most things .
p.s don't put your electric kettle on the gas to boil the water .get a gas one .and thats not a wisecrack it has been done by someone i know
Hahahaha yes I already have a gas kettle so wont be making that mistake Mr black fox but thanks for the heads up. I will be having a nosey at the haynes book thank you as well Tango55 I think we're going to look into the solar option and weve just realised that the tv I brought the other half two xmasses ago for his truck is also 12v so we can use that if we really need to(another thing thats never been out the box!) xx
Right so next question......If im looking at buying a solar panel what watt should I be aiming for?? Not got an endless pot of money so cost is a factor xxx
What you have to remember with a solar panel is that it only charges during daylight hours and that all depends too on how clear the skies are as on dull days they will produce less charge than that of a bright sunny day so during winter you have less daylight hours but the demand for power is greater regarding using internal lights etc. so a generator is more beneficial under the circumstances. Again, all this information is in the Haynes 'Caravanning Handbook' and explains the advantages and disadvantages of both solar panels and generators so then you can make your own choice as to what rating solar panel is best for personal needs. If your toilet is an electric flush then more power is required than that of a toilet with a manual flush so it all depends as well on what devices you need to run, how many people using the toilet and what appliances you depend on as to what power you will consume so everyones demand for power are not identical. This of course becomes difficult to state exactly what size solar panel you need but caravanning in general is not about 'one size fits all' as people's lifestyle can be somewhat different in many ways.
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Topic: Using the battery when no EHU
