Hints and Tips.
Living in a motorhome or caravan either when on holiday or full time is when you find out that though you are comfortable there are
things you wish you had or knew about before setting off. Experience is something that you build up in your travels and much of it can come
from folks who have been doing what you are doing for years and are happy to let you in on their secrets. Some Motorhomes use gas and
electricity in the home unit, normally you will have access to 12 volts DC (direct current) from a leisure battery and if the unit has been
wired for 230 volts AC (alternating current) mains supply, you can plug into a supply source on a site. Gas will come from one or two portable
gas bottles in a locker or from a fixed gas bottle under the vehicle with an outside connection to allow you to replenish supplies. Your cooker
and perhaps your frig will run off of the gas system though many refrigerators now run off both gas and electric. In the UK you will find that
the cost of a camping pitch will include electric hook up on most sites, so why use your bottled gas when you are already paying for electricity?
What follows comes from us and the rest from people we have met.
Motorhomes use gas and electricity in the home unit, normally you will have access to 12 volts DC (direct current) from a leisure battery
and if the unit has been wired for 230 volts AC (alternating current) mains supply, you can plug into a supply source on a site. Gas will come
from one or two portable gas bottles in a locker or from a fixed gas bottle under the vehicle with an outside connection to allow you to
replenish supplies. Your cooker and perhaps your frig will run off of the gas system though many refrigerators now run off both gas and
electric. In the UK you will find that the cost of a camping pitch will include electric hook up on most sites, so why use your bottled gas when
you are already paying for electricity?
Electricity.
On site connected to 230v mains supply you will find that in the UK it will usually be at least 10 amps, the equivalent of 2,000 watts ( 2kW ), but in
Europe camp sites can range from 220V 2 amps to 220V 16 amps,the average is likely to be 6 amps so if you take a 2kW kettle it means that on a
6 amp site you are over the limit. If you have a charger which automatically charges your leisure battery and your frig automatically switches onto
220V the current draw may be at least another 2 amps so you have to learn to compromise or you will trip the circuit you are plugged into. We have
found the best way for us is to purchase electrical equipment, as far as possible, at not more than 1,000 watts (1kW) ie. 5amp ( actually 4.4amps).
Some motorhomes have two or more leisure batteries and these can if you are off site camping, allow you to last two or three days before requiring
a recharge, this would mean (a) taking the vehicle on a decent run out to allow them to charge, (b) go to a site overnight and charge off the mains
(c) buy a generator or have solar panels fitted. Running on 12 volts and using 220 V equipment requires the use of an Invertor which converts 12 V
into 220 V, but at a cost to your leisure batteries which will run down more quickly than normal unless you can replace the charge. Using 12V
equipment will also drain your batteries, a 1200 watt Microwave would mean a draw of 100 amps, if you have only an 80 amp hour leisure battery
you are going to be hitting it very hard.
The formula to work out how many amps a piece of equipment uses is the same for 12 volts as it is for 230 volts, Watts
divided by Volts equals Amperes, obviously Watts divided by 230 volts gives you a smaller answer in amps but an
invertor as mentioned above would also give you a heavy draw on the battery. A generator to charge batteries
or to supply 230V may mean carrying a can of petrol or gas to fuel it, usually the more amps you want the bigger
the generator and the heavier it becomes, though there are lighter quieter units on the market but at a price.
Solar panels are light and fairly expensive but choosing the right one or even two will keep batteries charged up as long as there is relatively bright
daylight. Another thing to consider is that to get the best output they should be fitted so they can be angled at 50 degrees approximately to the Sun.
Having said that most panels are fitted flat on the roof of the vehicle and do their job but perhaps not so efficiently.
Hints 2