Power Supply and eating.

[Wuhanman]

I introduced myself on the forum the other day so i'm a total noob! Please excuse me if i'm asking dumb questions or ones that gets asked too often but i'm struggling with the amount of info/options available.

At the moment we are plugged into mains, sat on my parent's drive (it's Mid Wales but not exactly wild camping)!

The MH is a 2002 Rapido 972M and when the lights are on they are all pulsing - glowing brighter then dimmer. It's not very comfortable on the eyes. Does anyone have any ideas to solve this issue? I was thinking of switching to LEDs anyway. Will that help?

Also, we are hoping to hit the road soon but i need to sort more power. Can anyone recommend a kit for solar that i can get installed? We are a family of 3 with the average sort of electricity needs i would guess - lights, phones, laptop, etc.

And/or, is a small generator an option? Quite a few people seem to have solar and generators. In fact quite a few threads ive read on the forums also suggest a 2nd leisure battery.

So, i guess what i'm trying to ask is just what will i need to power us on the road for the next 3 months without electrical hook up and can anyone recommend good value for money places/brands to buy it all.

On to eating - unfortunately, we dont have an oven in the van, but we have a cupboard that was designed to take one. I rang a place and they quoted over £1000 to get one and for them to fit it! To me, this is crazy money. Any suggestions or should we just forget about enjoying all the lovely food an oven can provide?

I really appreciate people's advice on these issues... finding and buying a van was such a mission and now getting it ready is proving to be a challenge too and we are just so keen to get moving!

 

[Nabsim]

Hi and welcome, unfortunately you will find anything that has to do with Motorhome’s usually comes with Monopoly money prices as you are finding.

Lights are usually run from 12volts not 240v. On my van on hookup the mains charger will run to charge/top up the leisure batteries, most of the vans I have seen do the same.

I have 300w solar on the roof and 3x90ah leisure batteries. My power demands are above average due to the type of fridge and heating I have so don’t get hung up on that, you need to lol at what you want to use each day and note down power requirement. Change everything you can to run from your leisure batteries.

If you do not think you are capable of fitting solar yourself look at a folding panel you can put out when parked up. Solar will probably be enough on its own if you size it right to work until August/September unless we have particularly bad weather.

If you are going to be spending winter in the van off grid then you will probably need a generator but I would wait until you know for sure as if your power requirements are low you probably won’t.

Sorry missed the led bit, definitely change what you can to led but check power requirements as I nearly changed a Holocene strip for led but found the replacement was actually going to use more power. Usually though led is better

 

[quilkin]

At the moment we are plugged into mains, sat on my parent's drive (it's Mid Wales but not exactly wild camping)!

The MH is a 2002 Rapido 972M and when the lights are on they are all pulsing - glowing brighter then dimmer. It's not very comfortable on the eyes. Does anyone have any ideas to solve this issue? I was thinking of switching to LEDs anyway. Will that help?

Pulsing lights suggest a real problem with the leisure battery charger or similar. Does the pulsing stop when you unplug from the mains? Do the lights even stay on?
Once that's sorted, yes LEDs will use a lot less power than anything built in 2002.

 

[delicagirl]

there is a huge campervan second hand parts/repair shop near to Big Pit in Blaenavon... they do good repairs also and dont rip you off... The Caravan Centre, Blaenavon, Unit 3A Gilchrist, Thomas Ind.Est

i dont have an oven... i have 2 gas rings and i manage fine on my own..... many vans have 3 gas rings.... i guess in a rapido you could put a microwave in - but that would only be useable when on electric hookup

you could ask them if they have any second hand ovens in stock.....

 

[floatingaround]

For a Solar set up I can highly recommend bimble solar (Bimble Solar)

Have used them a couple of times and found the service to be excellent and the prices to be the cheapest around.

The websites got some useful tools if your not to familiar with solar systems - there's a calculator to help you figure out how much power you use and what size system you will need as well as some other introductory info on solar systems.

If you have the space on the roof and it's possible to fix one up there I'd personally go for the larger residential panels - you get a lot more power in watts per £ than the smaller panels aimed at the motorhome market

 

[QFour]

First thing you have to realise it's a MH and runs off 12v electrics so anything that runs on 240v needs leaving at home. Using an inverter will consume a fair bit of power as will using non led lights. You can convert strip lights to led by just removing all the bits from the fittings and then sticking a strip of led lights in place and wiring it back up. Its a very simple job. You can also change many of the bulbs now for the led version.

The electric circuits in the MH run off from the 12v battery and a battery charger will be charging up that battery. Your EHU cable will be supplying power to the fridge and 240v sockets.

If you unplug your EHU cable do the lights stay on or start to go dim? If they go dim and battery voltage drops very quickly then your fault maybe just a new battery is required.

 

[Wuhanman]

Thanks for the info. so far.

I certainly need to get more of handle on the knowledge of electrics and how they all work. My son is asleep now, but i'll follow some of the suggestions tomorrow and see if i can find out more on the lights - leisure battery issue.

I shall check out that solar website and The Caravan Centre at Blaenavan sounds very promising as i expect to be that way quite soon.

 

[delicagirl]

if you have a cigar socket in your cab or your habitation area... you can buy something like this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ben-gi-Bat...ttery+tester&qid=1560202350&s=gateway&sr=8-31


this will measure how many volts are in your battery and will also give you a USB socket to recharge your phone in. Until you understand your electrics i would measure your battery an hour after you park (when it should have dropped to "resting level") . i am a very cautious soul and i dont let my battery drop below about 12.4 before i drove on to recharge the battery.

 

[Harleyboygaz3]

Regarding the oven, you could just buy one of those Lidl’s cheap grill / ovens they are about twenty quid or something like that. Over the years I’ve cooked all sorts in them they have bottom and top heat element options brilliant little things. Of course you will need to be on hookup to run it though, or maybe go for a Safari chef which has multi uses including an oven or even a double skillet which can be used as a small type oven , all cheap options... Good luck..

 

[Topmast]

Although I admit my present van has not got an oven and no where to put one I miss having the option of cooking a decent meal while away and as I never go on sites an electric hook up is not an option.If and when I next change vans a gas oven will be a priority.

 

[Channa]

LED lights put less load on the battery, another vote for Bimble solar some smart software on there to give an idea of your needs for an oven The Remoska or Grand Remoska check ebay some cheaper alternatives that work the same way.

Channa

 

[jagmanx]

Lots of good advice.

We have a gas oven but make minimal use of it.
Heating pasties etc cooking croissants 15 mins or so.
Never do a roast or anything major.
Think about alternatives.
Remoska uses some electric but careful management would make it ok and will do pasties etc (I believe)
Ridge monkey has its fans.
We use a cadac bbq but not as an oven.
A dutch oven can be used on the hob for casseroles/stews.

 

[trevskoda]

I have one of these ovens from go outdoors,i also buy gas for a pound a canister.
I bought mine when on a offer for £99
Can be stored or fixed,can also be taken out side to cook.

 

[Wuhanman]

Some good info on ovens, thanks for those. Something about a fixed oven appeals to me most, but the gas canister one looks good too. The oven is a bit further down my to do list now as i am still fretting over electrics and my parents are reclaiming their drive this weekend!

The lights stopped pulsing when i unplugged the mains. This is good news, and i will try at some point to change to LEDs and see what happens with those.

Less good was how my low battery alarm went off after about 30 mins of use of mains - 1 shower, some blown hot air and it was bleeping away. The guy i bought it from said the leisure battery was good and he was pretty honest about most things, so im confused (or too trusting). Any ideas? Is it a simple case of get my battery tested and then if required buy a new one?

I'm still checking out solar, but i did get myself a cheapish Honda ex650 generator from a neighbour. So tomorrow i'll test the genny and try to solve the leisure battery issue - if i can.

With luck we'll be out and about not too far from home in Ceredigion this weekend if anyone else is around, would be great to meet.

 

[Dowel]

if you have a cigar socket in your cab or your habitation area... you can buy something like this
Battery-Voltage-Cigarette-Voltmeter.

Rather than one of those plug into the cigar lighter socket meters I suggest you buy a multimeter. Need not be too expensive and will be much more useful as you will be able to check voltages at various locations, check for excessive resistance in wiring and make other useful tests.

Something like this cheap multimeter
DT-830B NCni Digital Multimeter AC/DC Volt Amp Ohm Diode hFE Tester Voltmeter PA | eBay
would probably do for occasional use although not as robust as say the ULTRICSÂ Digital LCD Multimeter which did OK in the comparison below.

Best Multimeters in the UK
Review & Comparison, Last Update May 11, 2019
5 Best Multimeters Reviews of 2019 in the UK - BestAdvisers.co.uk

Digital Multimeter Shootout!
Digital Multimeters Review, Page 1 - Robot Room
Demonstrates that an expensive meter is not essential for a casual user.

 

[trevskoda]

You may also find that the van has a old school onboard battery charger/come power supply,these are best ripped out and a more up to date 5 stage automatic unit fitted,they can be bought from £20 up,cetec ,numax or some from china ,al on ebay,i have one from china 20ah and a numax 10ah,the one from china is every bit as good as ones costing many times more.

 

[ricc]

ive got a couple of the cheap multimeters and also use a clamp meter .
ttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CM-2016-Digital-Clamp-Meter-Multimeter-AC-DC-Current-Volt-Tester-Alligator-Clip/263661307476?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D58656%26meid%3D8f62d0d677c047b48430e4b6d55837b1%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D253949311119%26itm%3D263661307476&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

beware some of the cheaper ones only measure ac currant not dc.