advice or help needed

[Youngblood]

Hi all

Im looking to convert my water system to mains my caravan is a 1979 bailey meistro c what steps would i need to do to convert to this system? would i need to change the taps to cope with the pressure or would the existing kitchen sink tap and fittings cope??
Any help advice with this will be greatly recieved
Kind Regards Nick

 

[Damian]

You cannot change the caravan to take mains water presssure, simple as that.
What you can do is either use a special inlet hose which has a pressure reducer built in, or adapt an Aquaroll and fit a Torbeck valve which is connected to the mains tap to keep the Aquaroll half full and use the normal pump to supply the van from the Aquaroll.

Warning: IF you try and put mains water pressure throughthe van pipework you will blow every joint and spend the rest of the year drying it out and tracing every join and re fitting them.

 

[Youngblood]

Where can i get a pressure reducer from Damian?? would it make any difference if i changed the pipework to proper plastic pipes and use a pressure reducer as well? i know quite a bit about domestic plumbing so could i use the same sort of principals of this type of supply in the van? The reason i ask this is i cant seem to get the 12v system working properly as ive had to change the 12v lights to mains so the water pump that i have wont work either but the pump itself is sound

Regards Nick

 

[Parksy]

It would probaly be a much simpler job to get the 12v working Nick.
Check that the leisure battery is fully charged, then test the fuses and the battery charger if one is fitted.
Did the 12v work before? Is there a habitation switch to switch between car when the caravan is being towed and the caravan 12v system?

 

[Gafferbill]

Hi.......I do not know what make of water supply fittings your caravan is equipped with but this kit can supply mains water to many caravans with Whale or Carver/Truma2 fittings

 

[Youngblood]

It would probaly be a much simpler job to get the 12v working Nick.
Check that the leisure battery is fully charged, then test the fuses and the battery charger if one is fitted.
Did the 12v work before? Is there a habitation switch to switch between car when the caravan is being towed and the caravan 12v system?

Yes the 12v system did work the battery did have charge in it but thats when things started going wrong so i installed mains powered lights inside it maybe a bit agricultural but it works for us i would like to get the 12v system working again but my electrical knowlege is limited.
To answer your question about the 12v from car to caravan there isnt one i just have the usuall lead for the road lights my fridge is powered by Gas only

 

[Youngblood]

Hi.......I do not know what make of water supply fittings your caravan is equipped with but this kit can supply mains water to many caravans with Whale or Carver/Truma2 fittings

Its a Whale system Gafferbill

 

[Damian]

The cost of changing, and the time to do it, would be prohibitive, all new pipework, new taps, and at the end of that, a van which is not saleable to anyone else.
It would be much more sensible to get a mobile engineer to sort out the electrics.

Having seen your earlier post about installing mains lighting, Ihope you have not used ordinary domestic type twin & earth wire, that is illegal, it MUST be multicore flex.

As you say your electrical knowledge is scant, I would very strongly advise getting a qualified engineer to sort all your electrics out,,,,,,it may just save your life, and that of your family.

 

[ProfJohnL]

........ i installed mains powered lights inside it maybe a bit agricultural but it works for us......... but my electrical knowlege is limited.
y

I do hope I'm wrong, but your addmission that you only have limited electrical knowledge does concern me. Wiring any mains system
should must done properly for you and your families safety. I strongly suggest you have installtion checked by a professional, as a missed earth or wrong connection could have lethal results.

 

[Youngblood]

The previous owner had installed a consumer unit for the mains powerd plug pionts and had asured me that it was all done proffesionally but now thats been highlighted to me i will get it all checked out ASAP

Regards Nick

 

[Parksy]

Hi Nick
Click Here to find an approved mobile caravan engineer near to where you are, you will be sure that you will be safe and the mobile engineers charge reasonable rates.
If you're getting the electrics checked ask the engineer to have a look at the 12 volt system, it's probably an easy fix which won't cost much money to put right.

 

[Youngblood]

Thanks Parksy i will be getting in touch with the local engineer get it all checked out

Regards Nick