12v Caravanning

[judsley]

I've only been a fair weather caravaner who has opted for serviced pitches, toilet blocks, EHU etc so I'm really interested how people get on "in the middle of a field in the middle of no where".
How long does your 12V battery last and what do you do when your toilet, waste master etc need emptying? What about your microwave (assuming you've got one - my last 'van didn't). Have people got solar panels to charge the battery or is there other ways in doing this other than hooking up to the car.
Have people bought 12V TV's or do you go back to the old values of talking to each other, playing games, reading books etc?
I only ask because I passed a rally a few weeks ago near Leisure Sales in Sandbach and wondered how people got on.
We've got a really comfy 'van now and I'm very serious about making the most of it in all weathers/locations/facilities etc.
As you can tell by the above, 'novice' is my middle name.
Any tips, antecdotes, etc would be very gratefully received.
Or if you can point me towards other forums then please do.
Thank you
Jon

 

[chrisbee1]

There is an alternative to 12v caravanning. I tend to stay on CL sites that have EHU, I get the best of both worlds then. The peace and quiet of a farmer's field without a whole raft of petty rules and regulations that you get on some sites which look like a housing estate with all the 'vans neatly lined up facing the same way at measured spacing. Okay, so I have to use my own facilities but that's no hardship. I don't take a TV, I read, play scrabble and most importantly I talk to my better half. A lot of the CLs now have toilets (some also showers) and most have fantastic views. Give it a go, you won't want to stay on a commercial site again

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Jon.

Welcome to the world of caravanning.

There's no simple quick answer to how long your battery will last, It is entirely dependant on what appliances you use, and how long you use them.

Items such as the Fridge, water and space heaters should be run on gas. The caravan battery simply does not have the capacity to run items like the microwaves, electric kettles or room heaters. and other items such as TV's and computers can be run on the 12v system with a power inverter, but they will severely reduce the batteries charge.

Lets try to put it into perspective; Most caravanners will opt to fit the largest capacity battery they can. This is typically 110Ah. However due to battery ageing and the charging systems fitted to caravans, its more likely to be only about 80% of the stated capacity when you arrive on site.
So you are looking at about 85Ah for 110Ah Battery and only 64Ah for an 80Ah battery (the two most common sizes of leisure batteries)

In theory if you take the batteries capacity and divide it by the current being drawn you will calculate the length of time the battery should last. So for example a battery capacity of 85Ah being used at a continuous rate of 8.5A should last 10 hours. I warn you its not an exact science as there are a number issues that affect the battery capacity but its a good enough guide for most caravanners.

You now need to work out how many Ah of current your appliances will use each day.

Most appliances will have a data plate that tells you its rated power consumption. If it quotes it in Watts (W) then divide that figure by 12 to get the current(A)

Now multiply the current by how long the appliance will be turned on (in hours) each day, and this will give you its daily power consumption in Ah.

Do the same for all the 12V appliances and add the figures together to get your total daily power consumption in Ah.

You simply divide the batteries charge capacity by the daily demand to find out how many days it should last.

Just as a guide, each filament or florescent tube in the caravan is typically rated at 1.2A, as is the fan unit on the heater and the kitchen ventilator. These items tend to run for extended periods and so have a significant impact on the batteries duration.

If nothing else the exercise will enlighten you about how we use power.

It really does require a considered approach to power usage, however when on a organised rally there are often plenty of things to do away from the caravan which means you won't necessarily need to deplete your battery so quickly.

You can often offset the power usage by installing a solar panel. Without going through all the calculations again, it is often found that a panel with a 50 to 60W rating is enough to extend the capacity of the battery for several days if not weeks. Generators are not generally welcomed on caravan sites, besides which they cost a lot to run and especially cheaper models don't have adequate voltage stabilisation and can damage electronic components inside the caravan.

 

[Parksy]

Hi Jon
We've often gone on C&CC rallies which are off ehu although I have to say that we are selective as to which rallies we go on.
Rather than pitching 'in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere' we choose rallies which have some form of entertainment or are in locations which interest us such as the grounds of castles or stately homes or near to places or events that we want to visit.
When our toilet cassette or wastemaster need emptying we do the same as you would and empty them.
Rallies these days are usually held at venues which have at the very least fresh drinking water tap and an Elsan emptying point away from the drinking water.
If there is no dedicated grey water emptying point the accepted practice is to empty the wastemaster along the base of hedgerows.
A fully charged 110 amp/hour leisure battery in good condition will power 12v lights, the water pump, the electric flush and should easily last for a long weekend. Battery life can be extended by fitting low powered led lights and many rally regulars use solar power to maintain a charge in the leisure battery.
I installed an 80 watt solar panel onto the roof of our caravan and hard wired it in so our 110 a/h leisure battery could last indefinitely in the lighter months.
We use a normal 240v 14" flat screen tv via a power inverter which converts 12v to 230v but we only watch the news and one or two other programmes because we don't go away in the caravan to sit indoors and watch tv.
On rallies we use a gas hob whistling kettle, the fridge and water heater run off lpg as does the caravan heating and cooker. We don't use the microwave oven and often use our gas bbq from the fitted lpg bbq point at the front of the caravan.
My o/h and myself are both avid readers, and usually fellow rally goers are happy to sit outside in good weather to share conversation, beer, wine and food, you should try it sometime.

There is an alternative to 12v caravanning. I tend to stay on CL sites that have EHU, I get the best of both worlds then. The peace and quiet of a farmer's field without a whole raft of petty rules and regulations that you get on some sites which look like a housing estate with all the 'vans neatly lined up facing the same way at measured spacing..............

We also prefer to use peaceful certified sites in the countryside, in fact we've just come back from an idyllic weekend near to Bourton on the Water in the heart of the Cotswolds.
Rallies have an undeserved reputation for being 'regimented' with the caravans neatly lined up with measured spacing.
The only rules that apply on rallies that I've been on are to do with the normal courtesy and consideration that caravanners should offer to and expect from fellow caravanners anywhere, and the spacing on rallies is done to ensure that each pitch has a space enough for a modicum of privacy and that fire regulations are adhered to for safety reasons.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

I've only been a fair weather caravaner who has opted for serviced pitches, toilet blocks, EHU etc so I'm really interested how people get on "in the middle of a field in the middle of no where".
How long does your 12V battery last and what do you do when your toilet, waste master etc need emptying? What about your microwave (assuming you've got one - my last 'van didn't). Have people got solar panels to charge the battery or is there other ways in doing this other than hooking up to the car.
Have people bought 12V TV's or do you go back to the old values of talking to each other, playing games, reading books etc?
I only ask because I passed a rally a few weeks ago near Leisure Sales in Sandbach and wondered how people got on.
We've got a really comfy 'van now and I'm very serious about making the most of it in all weathers/locations/facilities etc.
As you can tell by the above, 'novice' is my middle name.
Any tips, antecdotes, etc would be very gratefully received.
Or if you can point me towards other forums then please do.
Thank you
Jon

hi jon, there is nothing wrong with the way you are caravanning, just try different smaller sites Like CL's ,
I am one of those that have been caravanning for over 40 years, in the early days in fact right up to our last van, things were very spartan no EHU, no toilet or showers, and no heating to speak of, lights were gas mantles in early vans or a 12v flouresent strip light put in DIY style, a spare battery was needed for stays longer than a week, and the ability to change one for the car to charge it up ad hoc, for extended holidays. these were usually on a farmers field where the only facility was a tap in the farm yard, and a toilet tent with shovel.
however things have moved on a bit, our present van new in 2005 has 240v on tap via a EHU, so in goes the electric kettle,microwave, forman, satellite TV, laptop with broadband, hair drier, ect ect, it has good heating, and that many lights it,s like blackpool illuminations if you turn them all on at once constant hot water and a mains pipe to feed it all,
so I ask you given all of the above why would you want to go back to roughing it in a farmers field!!! and a 12v battery

no thanks.

 

[judsley]

Hi Colin,
Thanks for your reply.
With a 3 year old daughter I can't see me doing the "roughing" side any time soon as we've chosen sites with her in mind such as near a beach, good childrens play area etc. Like yours, our van is so up to date that I love the luxury side of it. To quote my mate, "you'd pay quite alot per night in a hotel to get what your caravan has!".
My wife and I used to joke in the old camping days when we saw people sat in their vans with the TV on etc but now, I've turned hypocrite and enjoy doing the same! That being said, we're off to Penryhn Bay in Anglesey this weekend and have dug out the crib board, scrabble and other board games to get into the proper ethos of caravanning.
I will try the field in the middle of nowhere sketch though as it has a great romance about it and I get a feeling of envy when I see a 'van parked up all on it's own with the owners sat outside reading (or heaven forbin even talking to each other!).
Year 3 of my caravanning career and here's to many more!!

 

[judsley]

Hi Chrisbee 1,
You make great points in your reply, thanks!
We've got 4 trips away over the summer at fairly big sites but I like the idea of a CL maybe over the autumn / winter period.
Not sure what talking to the other half is all about though? (ha ha)

 

[judsley]

Two things I might look at adding to my caravan inventory, Parksy.
1) A power inverter
2) A whistling kettle!!
We're going away this weekend so I'm going to give the talking to the other half a go, that's to say if I can get a word in!! Thanks for your tips.

Thanks Prof John for the lesson in battery life although I am a simple soul and might just stick to EHU for now!!

 

[Martin24]

Yes we have a solar panal and all lights are LED. The TV stays at home and we play games etc. The children bring their Ipods and kindles but know that when they're flat that's it until we get home. We are usually out all day exploring and then all together in the evening in the van.

Some people use a generator but the noise can be annoying to others especially if the idea is the peace and quiet in the middle of knowhere.

As far as toilet emptying goes only ever been on one rally that didn't have an elsan point of some description and on that occasssion we dug a large pit! (well in true woosie style others dug a large pit) Grey water around the edge of the field, watering trees, plants etc as instructed, either using a long outlet pipe or your wastemaster.

As a family of five the lack of electric is never an issue and we all prefer the field to the large commercial style site. It's a proper get away!!

 

[Parksy]

Our caravan was bought from new in 2008 and in common with all modern tourers could also be described as a well appointed en suite hotel room on wheels.
We often use commercial sites when we travel to the coast, where we can have a great time and use all of our onboard facilities, and not be told to be in bed by 11pm for fear of upsetting the people who never seem to have a problem when they stand outside other peoples caravans at 07.00 am talking loudly.

We've learned over our time spent caravanning however that it's sometimes nice to have a bit of a change from the bright lights, beer and skittles, which is why we also try to use our caravan to it's maximum potential.
This can mean being away from the electric umbilical chord when we can stay in some stunning locations where touring caravans would not normally be able to pitch. Having little or no tv but companionship and conversation, often with some very interesting and charming people, is not necessarily a backward step and we look on it as just another facet of our pastime which we enjoy but obviously wouldn't suit everybody.
We don't have young children but on most of the DA rallies that we've been on the children who are there quickly form friendships and they play happily together in perfect safety.
They are well away from roads and with plenty of ralliers with their eyes open, from morning until dusk so in a way their experience could be said to be a step back in time.
Vehicle movements on rallies are usually monitored to some extent and a 5mph speed limit applies at all times. Strangers who are not camping would stand out a mile and would be noticed straight away.
Their time travel is back to the situation that many older caravanners would recognise, when as kids our parents would have to try to round us up or call us for mealtimes, because instead of being stuck indoors with boring adults and electronic toys for company all day long the children that we see play outside and little gangs of them play similar games to the ones that many of us would have played.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Jon,
although my reply was meant to be tongue in cheek, there is a lot of truth behind it. the early days are still vivid in the mind from when we used to holiday with the kids, we had fantastic holidays even though the creature comforts were quite crude.
we sold our last van in 94 by then it was 15yo and ridddled with damp having had several repairs to keep it going, mainly because the kids had grown up and no longer wished to go, I bought an old motor home and after rebuilding it inside and out, used it for the next 10years, at first touring around the country never staying anywhere more than 2 days before moving on (inc many weeks wild camping as the van was self contained and the battery never ran flat).
later on though we stayed longer in one area, and realised how much of a bind it was decamping every morning, and finding parking spaces big enough (20ft long x 10ft high) while we were out, plus the cost of running such a large vehicle became so prohibitive. it was time to go back to a tourer.
so in 2005 we started looking and found the Ranger, "wow" new vans were a revelation all this stuff in van so small it would fit in the garage (built for the m/home) yet have all the comforts of home, we loved it!!!. and have toured with it ever since,

the point being if the van has all this modern stuff via the EHU why leave it all redundant and use a battery!!!! luckily more and more of the smaller sites CL's ect now come with EHU, showers and toilets (for a woosie this is a big issue) and so we now exclusively use these. the wife is now disabled so the onboard facilities get used less and less as time goes on,
there is absolutely nothing wrong with going off grid and rallying if thats what appeals to you solar panels are getting better as is all the other 12v systems so far spoken off, but to me vans have moved on from the days of toilet tents, we like the micro and forman and would not be without satelitte TV and mains electric, everyone is different good job as all the CL's would full

as for talking to the wife,

isn't that what the commercial breaks are for,

.

 

[judsley]

The beauty of it, as you say Colin is that what suits one, doesn't necessarily suit another!
I definately want to try the "off roading" at some point, but being fairly new to caravanning and my new 'van, i'll use the next few trips planned to get my head around all aspects of my 'van and become as proficient as possible.

Great tips and tales from you all, certainl food for thought!!

But still.... having to talk to the wife?

(only joking

)

 

[chrisbee1]

.

There is an alternative to 12v caravanning. I tend to stay on CL sites that have EHU, I get the best of both worlds then. The peace and quiet of a farmer's field without a whole raft of petty rules and regulations that you get on some sites which look like a housing estate with all the 'vans neatly lined up facing the same way at measured spacing..............

We also prefer to use peaceful certified sites in the countryside, in fact we've just come back from an idyllic weekend near to Bourton on the Water in the heart of the Cotswolds.
Rallies have an undeserved reputation for being 'regimented' with the caravans neatly lined up with measured spacing.
The only rules that apply on rallies that I've been on are to do with the normal courtesy and consideration that caravanners should offer to and expect from fellow caravanners anywhere, and the spacing on rallies is done to ensure that each pitch has a space enough for a modicum of privacy and that fire regulations are adhered to for safety reasons.

Sorry Parksy, I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't referring to rallies but to certain club sites.

 

[ProfJohnL]

......... we're off to Penryhn Bay in Anglesey this weekend and have dug out the crib board, scrabble and other board games to get into the proper ethos of caravanning............

Hi Judsley
There is no "proper ethos of caravanning" It's what YOU want it to be.

There is some etiquette, which basically say's don't annoy other campers, but that just common decency. apart from that its your caravan to use in any way you wan't too.

Provided what you do is legal and socially responsible, if others don't like the way you use it, frankly that's their problem.