Help with almost everything – complete newbies!

[Kal and Paul]

Hello everyone,

We are brand new to motorhoming and have bought a Burstner T620 to travel Europe for at least 1 year. Jumping in at the deep end or what….We aim to wild camp where possible and use the aires when necessary.

We had our first real go in our motorhome last week and have many, many questions that we just can’t seem to find an answer to. If anybody can help or even just point us in the right direction, we would be very grateful!

I’m sure this is only the beginning of our questions but here goes…

1. Solar panels. We have decided we would like to use them rather than a generator but have no idea where to start. Have tried looking at other threads but as we are no good at DIY, the lingo means nothing to us.

We have one 12v leisure battery and are looking to run a lights, heating, water pump, laptop, hairdryer, iron, small radio, and possibly straighteners. Is this realistic? Also, does anybody know of someone in the Cheshire region who could figure out what solar panel we would need and be able to fit it for us?

2. How do we run our normal appliances off a 12v battery? Is this possible?

3. We tried to heat our water without using an electric hook up and did not manage to get any hot/warm warm water. Is this because we were not on ehu? Will it take a lot longer off battery?

4. We have a three way fridge and have found that when running off battery it is nice and cold however, when we switch to gas – not cold at all. Is this typical?

5. Gas – we have tried to read about and understand the different gases available in Europe but just can’t get our heads around it. Do we need to convert our current system or just buy lots of new connectors?

Many thanks

 

[The Grand Wanderer]

Hello everyone,

We are brand new to motorhoming and have bought a Burstner T620 to travel Europe for at least 1 year. Jumping in at the deep end or what….We aim to wild camp where possible and use the aires when necessary.

We had our first real go in our motorhome last week and have many, many questions that we just can’t seem to find an answer to. If anybody can help or even just point us in the right direction, we would be very grateful!

I’m sure this is only the beginning of our questions but here goes…

1. Solar panels. We have decided we would like to use them rather than a generator but have no idea where to start. Have tried looking at other threads but as we are no good at DIY, the lingo means nothing to us.

We have one 12v leisure battery and are looking to run a lights, heating, water pump, laptop, hairdryer, iron, small radio, and possibly straighteners. Is this realistic? Also, does anybody know of someone in the Cheshire region who could figure out what solar panel we would need and be able to fit it for us?

2. How do we run our normal appliances off a 12v battery? Is this possible?

3. We tried to heat our water without using an electric hook up and did not manage to get any hot/warm warm water. Is this because we were not on ehu? Will it take a lot longer off battery?

4. We have a three way fridge and have found that when running off battery it is nice and cold however, when we switch to gas – not cold at all. Is this typical?

5. Gas – we have tried to read about and understand the different gases available in Europe but just can’t get our heads around it. Do we need to convert our current system or just buy lots of new connectors?

Many thanks

My oh my what a can of worms you are asking about.
1 Solar panels. Your van being german will have an Elecktroblock which is a box of tricks that control all sorts of electrical things in the habitation part of your van. Buy biggest panel you can afford that fits on your roof and connect it via a schaudt solar panel controller direct to the Elercktroblock. That way both leisure and van batteris will be charged when sun hits panels.
2 Yes use an inverter, but beware they consume a lot of power so not really a good idea for the likes of hair dryers, irons or hair straightners. Use drip dry clothes and a short haircut.
3 Some heaters have an energy selection switch, so it must be set to the correct position. Find heater note model no and do search on tinternet for a manual.
4 Fridges when old refuse to let the flame stay lit when running on gas. Cleaning jet often cures this.
5 Yes different types of bottles used in Europe, but there are only two types of gas Propane (red Calour gas Bottles) or Butane ( blue camping gaz bottles). Our solution was to go for refilable gas bottles with a fixed filling point on the skirt of the motorhome.

One of the best ways to learn about your beastie is to go to a motorhome show. You will be parked in a large field full of knowledgable folk who will be bursting to explain and help you as well as seeing all the latest kit tahts available for your hobby.

Regards,
wanderer

 

[vera]

Help

You could try getting in touch with Trevor at Cheshire Motorhome services he will be able to answer a lot of your questions,
we have met him a few times at different motorhome shows.
You will need an Inverter to run your straightners etc on 12v
You should be able to heat your water using your gas, we have a Burstner i684 and the gas heats quicker than electric, I have not noticed any difference with our fridge when on gas or hook up.
Maybe you should give Trevor a call to look over your van and check it all out.
We have refillable gas bottles in our van for touring Europe and just carry all the Foreign adaptors with us.
Sure others will be along soon with more answers.
Good Luck on your journey
Sue

 

[David & Ann]

Hello everyone,

We are brand new to motorhoming and have bought a Burstner T620 to travel Europe for at least 1 year. Jumping in at the deep end or what….We aim to wild camp where possible and use the aires when necessary.

We had our first real go in our motorhome last week and have many, many questions that we just can’t seem to find an answer to. If anybody can help or even just point us in the right direction, we would be very grateful!

I’m sure this is only the beginning of our questions but here goes…

1. Solar panels. We have decided we would like to use them rather than a generator but have no idea where to start. Have tried looking at other threads but as we are no good at DIY, the lingo means nothing to us.

We have one 12v leisure battery and are looking to run a lights, heating, water pump, laptop, hairdryer, iron, small radio, and possibly straighteners. Is this realistic? Also, does anybody know of someone in the Cheshire region who could figure out what solar panel we would need and be able to fit it for us?

2. How do we run our normal appliances off a 12v battery? Is this possible?

3. We tried to heat our water without using an electric hook up and did not manage to get any hot/warm warm water. Is this because we were not on ehu? Will it take a lot longer off battery?

4. We have a three way fridge and have found that when running off battery it is nice and cold however, when we switch to gas – not cold at all. Is this typical?

5. Gas – we have tried to read about and understand the different gases available in Europe but just can’t get our heads around it. Do we need to convert our current system or just buy lots of new connectors?

Many thanks

Is your Burstner a German model (left hand drive) or German built for the British market (RHD) Then you should have an electroblock.

Solar Panels: I suggest an 80w or 2x60w panels laid flat on your roof. Get the wiring and fitting by a professional.

Battery: I suggest 2x12v,110AH batteries. This would be sufficent for the items you have mentioned in your post. These should be connected to Starter battery and Solar panels. Best done by a professional.

Heating & Hot water: This small panel should have a dial for temp: adjustment and a switch/lever on the right side. Up for water and heater and down for heater only. On the left side should be another switch/lever for 40º or 60º
So, you should be able to heat your water of gas when not on EHU. Note: I have given this info: on the strength of the panel/Dial I have in my MH which is German.

Gas Fridge: Have you got your settings right when you use gas. I myself set the gas setting and leave it in that position even when I run on battery and EHU. I don't play around with the dial for each occassion.

Gas bottles: If it is a German model, 11.5 kgs bottles are the norm. Usually Butane is used. The bottle colours are Orange and Grey. The pipe connections should be 30 Bar. If you have a doulble bottle compartment, both bottles should have dials on them. One should be opened and the other closed, when one is empty, shut it and open the other.

Gas bottles connections: If German connecters, they have LH threads. When I am in Spain, I have one normal connecter to the one German bottle, the other is my Spanish connector. I use a German connector with the LH thread the other end I cut away and have a Spanish connecter, which is the plunge and lock type. This is secured by crimping . I have other connectors, some I connect with jubilee rings.(not legal)

Inverter: Yes you can use hair curlers or whatever you wish. Important: Note the highest current you will need on your travels. Example: 700w Electric kettle; then you should have an Inverter 3 times the power of 700w which is a 2500w Inverter and so on.

All suggestions are based on the German model MH and the way I have things set up in my rig. Hope this helps.

 

[maingate]

If you are touring abroad for more than 1 year, check out the insurance side of things. Most companies only insure for 90 days, some a little more.

What about Road Tax and MOT? You may have to briefly pop back home to keep yourself legal.

 

[kag888]

Most of your questions have been well answered and I am just like you in the DIY dept!
However on the fridge question I find that my Electrolux fridge only cools and creates ice if I leave the setting set to high when using gas. On the low setting it cools but does not create ice - I drink my Scotch and dry without it!!

 

[Firefox]

Hi

Some brief answers/alternative answers:

1. You'll probably only be able to run lights, TV, and water pump or other low current devices using a solar panel as your charge source, and this probably only in the the summer/autumn/spring without alternative means of charge eg Vehicle Engine/Hook up. Of course you can use irons, hairdriers etc but you'll find they take too much out of the battery and that wont get replaced by your solar supply which is just a low charge rate in the day.

2. Yes you can use an inverter to run other household things stepping up your 12V to 240V. But this increase in voltage doesn't come for free. It takes huge current out of the battery. Therefore aim to get household appliances less than 1000W. Even with a 1000W inverter you should really have two leisure batteries wired together. With only one battery a 500W inverter is more suited just to run lap tops and chargers etc. You can use a 1000W inverter with one battery but it means you can only run your appliances for very short periods.

To give you an idea, running an 800w appliance off a single12V battery will flatten a typically battery within 20 to 30 mins.

3. 12V batteries are not generally used for heating water, there's not enough power available. Your heater will use gas or the hook up as the power source.

4. As mentioned previously you may not have selected the power source correctly on your fridge. But the fridge should only ever work on 12V off the engine battery when you are on the road (alternator running). Otherwise you will flatten your battery within 1-3 days of fridge use depending on the fridge and the climate at the time.

 

[Deleted member 3011]

A few basics.

A typical 12V 85Ah leisure battery will allow you to take out say 50Ah each evening - provided you can charge it up the next day.

What does that mean? Well for a start FORGET hair dryers, coffee machines, and any other appliance with an electrical rating of more than say 400 Watts because you will wreck your battery very quickly. Computers will be OK for a couple of hours (but are better charged up when you are driving. Lights - usually not a problem provided you are careful and water pumps only run for a few minutes anyway so are rarely a make or break item. Three-way fridges draw up to 15 amps from the battery so run on 12V only when the motor is running (your rig is probably only set up to do that anyway) and use gas the rest of the time. TV and entertainment systems can draw several amps so you will also need to be sparing with those too.

[Running a 1000W inverter off one normal leisure battery is not only going to run your battery flat very quickly, but will physically damage it as well.
Double your battery capacity and add a couple of 80 watt panels and depending where and when you are camping, you may be able to be less frugal with the power, but winter anywhere in most of Europe is not going to provide much in the way of solar power anyway. the way you run your RV lifestyle has too much bearing on your power consumption and supply to be able to answer most of your questions here.

The subject is very broad and there are a lot of shonks out there pretending to be experts on solar power and RV electrics but what they are mostly good at is lightening your wallet.

Yes, I know I haven't told you about Amp-hours yet but ...

Do some research on motorhome electrics or 12V solar systems - there is a heap of information on the web - and educate yourself as far as you can first, and then you will be in a much better position to know what you want and how to achieve it.

 

[dogpiper]

Electrolux fridge on gas

Yes i have found that i have had problems with the fridge when run on gas .
When it is on 12volt its fine but that only works when the engine is running and you are driving .
So switch it to 12 volt when you are driving to your destination so you have built up some ice in the ice box and some coolness in the fridge.
If the van has been lying up for a long time the burner of the fridge needs some attention.

SWITCH OFF THE GAS BEFORE DISMANTLING ANYTHING ON THE GAS PART OF THE FRIDGE.

But if your not sure what you are doing please get a gas service person that does know because if you damage the small hole that the gas comes out through you adjust the rate that the gas comes out to the burner at and this will make the flame too high and not burn clean or correctly .
and is very dangerous .
remember you wont smell co2 it will kill you as you sleep .

just a word of warning .

If the ignitor isnt lighting the burner it could be the spark is shorting back to the body of the burner and not out across the path of the gas comming out .

The other thing i have found is a build up of rust in the burner flame outlet part where you will see multiple holes as you look down into where the flame should be comming out of clean these gently with a small piece of 5amp fuse wire or similar wire.

so the spark contact should be clean lightly sand the metal bit .

the wire should be tight on the other end of that so the spark travels to its tip to light the gas.

switch off isolate the gas before you start .

use proper size spanners to remove the gas pipe to the burner and check the inside of the gas pipe for rust and dirt build up .

Remove any dirt blow through the burner to see that the jet is clear .

If the spark isnt hitting the correct place to light the gas you can adjust the position of the spark contact.
Hope this helps
Its amazing how quickly you will learn about all the stuff that can go wrong in the camper van .

I bought some great lights for inside the van to replace the old german ones
got them on ebay ops maby shouldnt have said that. but you need to know .

Dogpiper.