Sorry about the long post! Lots of advice needed.We have just returned from our first trip in our caravan. We had a good time and we are hooked! I do have a couple of questions though.
1) When I come home with my van we have to turn round at the end of the road with a load of pushing and pulling ( with car). I did seem to get the smell of the clutch burning. Obviously I have to ride the clutch a bit. Is this nomal? I dont want to have to replace the clutch too soon!
2) The first couple of nights was quite windy. Every time the wind blew ( which was most of the time) It came straight through the top of the fridge vent. It also came trhough the back of the cupboard it is in. This seems to be coming away from the wall slightly. Is this normal?
3) I seem to have busted the water pump. It was running when we bought the van. I ran all the water out so it would not freeze. However, when I refilled the tank last week the pump would not work at all. I checked the swithces any possible fuses. Nothing made a difference. Any ideas.
Can't really help you but will be interested to see what replies you get about the clutch cause we had the same problem when we got back today from our first trip out. We had a good time too with a couple of mishaps but we're still here so must of done ok lol
------------- -x- Diane -x-
May 13 - Cala Gogo, St Cyprien (didn't go, hubby too ill to travel)
May 14 Ranc Davaine
August 14 Les Sablons
August 13 - Camping Playa Brava, Pals
Apart form the initial teething problems that we all get at first i hope you still had a good time!?
I can't really help with the first two questions about the vent etc as i have the same problem myself on occasion if the wind is blowing in the right direction, I found situating the caravan in a suitable direction and having the car or a windbreak etc infront of the vent helped somewhat....
In regard to your pump, if you have tested the fuses and switches and all is fine then it may simply be an air lock, our pump often does the same after draining the system, I cure the problem by opening up the taps, switching on the pump, filling up the pipe outside and manually blowing the water through til it reaches the tap, - that gets mine working fine again. - maybe that's all yours needs too.
Yeah, we enjoyed ourselves. My wife wants to go again in a couple of weeks!
I did briefly think about air locks or something. I think the pump is switched i.e. when you lift the tap it is supposed to run. I can see cables running from the taps. When we first tried it the pump made a noise but it does not do anything at all now. I will try blowing through the pipes, however, we have an onboard tank. Not quite so easy! Thanks Grub
2 the back of the fridge should be sealed so air can't get into the caravan , just flow air in and out of the vents to cool the fridge cooling fins down , there is normally a baffle plate that directs the hot air out through the top vent , but when caravans are built the baffle isn't made to seal the back of the fridge very well , hence you get air blowing into the caravan . Air can also be blown past the sides of the fridge and underneth the fridge ( cupboard under the fridge ) see picture in my profile .
3 if you've used the pump and it's run dry you may have bust the pump , the pump needs to be in water to stop it damaging the bearings .
As regards the air-draught, i replied in your other thread.
The clutch should not be smelling. A little once will not hurt, but a clutch actually can be burnt in second. If possible 'slipping' should be prevented, one should let the coupling grip as much as possible.
I know the problem, had a bit of smell myself sometimes too, but in general keep the number of revolutions as low as possible if a slipping clutch cannot be prevented.
My proble was a partner wishing to have the van too exactly on the spot backwards on a nasty slope, when pushing to the rear.
You should not mind one or one and a half metre wrong placing when pushing upward a slope. If the situation is complicated, give the clutch some time to recover in between by taking your feet of just letting it run for some time in its own oil-basin. This cools the plates.
I can't say anything about your pump. The UK pumps usually are part of some pressure system. Mine just reacts to the switch in the tap, no pressure stuff. If it fails either the micro switch is broken down, which obviously is the case if the other tap still works, or the pump itself. I always carry a spare pump. Cost me about 7 euros (much cheaper than most pressure-type of pumps)
I get the clutch burning smell every now and then. It depends on how good I am at reversing the van up the drive. I'm on the same clutch and I've been caravanning for two years with this particular car.
Thanks Wizard, the caravan movers seem like a nice idea but quite expensive. I'll have to avoid going backwards up hill.! Once its on the drive I can cope. As Wlee says, I'll have to let the clutch cool/avoid high revs.
I am thinking I have burnt out the pump but in the book it tells me to empty the system in winter but running the taps ( and therefore the pump)! The only other thing is that when we bought the van the guy said that he had had a special socket fitted and a pump made up to pump water from the aquaroll into the on board tank. This was how I found out the pump no longer worked as this one did not either!
>>I am thinking I have burnt out the pump but in the book it tells me to empty the system in winter but running the taps ( and therefore the pump)! The only other thing is that when we bought the van the guy said that he had had a special socket fitted and a pump made up to pump water from the aquaroll into the on board tank. This was how I found out the pump no longer worked as this one did not either!
Hmm not to sure how you'd go about draining a onboard water tank , is your pump inside as well ? if it is i'm not to up on these types of pump . I would have thought to drain the water out of the pipes it would be just a matter of opening the taps and letting the water drain down into the onboard tank , but like i say i don't really know the in's and out's of an onboard system .
Reversing up a slope is bad news with any caravan I have ever had, and I have had 32 years of them. Despite what the manufactures tell you the caravan brakes brakes may come on. Caravan movers are great and may be cheaper than a new clutch.
You say there is no other way to drain the tank except via the taps !!!!
Somehow I don't think so as it would damage the pump, pumping dry.
Check the outside of your van, probably near where your pump is connected. There should be the back end of the pump (vents ect). look at the bottom corner for a round plastic screw with a slot for a flat blade screwdriver (or a 20 p piece). On mine, this is where I drain the hot water tank.
Also on mine the hot water tamk is under one of the benches. If I lift the cushions I can see it. On the end (very obvious) is a push in, reset button. I once ran mine when it wasn't full and had to press reset button.
> but in the book it tells me to empty the system in winter but running the taps ( and therefore the pump)!<
Seems a bit of a contradiction but it is not. Point is that that there should be a connection/plug in the wiring just before the pumnp. A switch would even be better.
The other possibility is that you disconnect the battery, to take power of the pump.
I disconnect the battery only later as to keep lighting in my van when cleaning up, which may be at home in the evening, but it may be handy to do it directly. They don not want connected batteries in storage (pity, as the solar panels would keep my battery charged).
In my caravan the plug was hidden behind a plate meant for neat finishing the inside of the front locker. They took it just out. Now I disconnect that plug when draining, just before of just after, depending on whether I need the pump to empty the tank or whether it is nearly empty, so that I can empty it by hand. It's just a jerrycan in the front locker, but I don't like having 15 or 20 kgs lifring on my back, as I have to bend over to reach it.
Using the pump to empty the tank won't harm it: it is made for the job.
Opening the taps is meant to better drain the system. Letting the air in on the top of the system by opening the taps, implies that it drains better, no vacuum in the top of the system, so all water flows out. Leaving it open also is meant to prevent freezing of the taps itself in winter.
> There is no drain point! <
There should be.
They seem to be easy to make yourself, stuff easily to be bought in good campingshops.
Another possibility is that the manufacturer applied very low positioned pipe-connections to the boiler and aplied drains just after the boiler. Im that case you drain the system by opening both taps at the boiler; these lead through the caravan floor. This way probably also the main water tank will be drained.
Look where the connection to the boiler is made. But when draining you should tilt, or rather 'unlevel' the caravan towards that side so that the tank empties as much as possible. The remaining water should be wiped out by cloth or something like that.
One thing: try to do the draining just at leaving the campsite and leave the draining taps and normal taps open (power disconnected) during the drive home. Or do it at home just before bringing the van to storage.
The movements of the van during the drive will empty the system even better.
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Topic: Just returned from our 1st trip!
