Caravaning with no Electric

[Mo_374427744]

Hi All,

We are planning to go on a 10 day camping holiday with our caravan, and at none of the locations will there be electric, please can someone give any suggestions of how we can charge things like phones laptops and possibly have the tv on in the evenings, we were looking at a generator but have no idea on what we need to look for, or solar panels but we are unsure if these will provide enough power to charge any of the above or the battery.

please help any suggestions welcome

thanks

mo

 

[Zafiral]

How many days are you spending at each location, if you are touring around and have either twin electrics or 13 pin electrics, the battery will charge from the car while driving.

 

[swpostie]

Hi Mo,

We just about managed a week without hook-up. We have a 110Ah battery and used as little electric as possible.

The battery was almost flat by the end of the week and we tended to sit in the dark in the evenings to conserve battery power! (a battery lantern would have been helpful)

It was really surprising how little you get out of the battery - we were only using it for the water pump, toilet flush and an occasional light.

A generator would probably be your best bet. Kipor seem very popular, they're a copy of the expensive Honda generators. Have a look:

https://www.kmsdirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=168
Zafiral's right, of course, about the battery charging from the car. I don't know how much it will charge or how quickly, and I would think using the TV (on 12V) will really give the battery a hammering!

Another thing to consider is are other people likely to be using generators at these sites? You're not going to be very popular if you're the only one!

 

[Mo_374427744]

Hi Rupert,

yes there will be other people using generators, and we will only be at 2 sites one for 7 days and then one for 3 days,i will have a look at the generator thank you for that, i have no idea where to start,

I have seen people on other campsites etc with genorators and tvs home away from home, so hope it will be possible

thanks

mo

 

[Damian]

If you do decide to go the generator route, you should get one which has inverter technology built in.

Cheap two stroke generators can cause spikes of electric up to 390v which will severely damage your van electrics.

Expect to pay upwards of

 

[Guest]

Unless the generator is being used in some remote wilderness CL expect to annoy a lot of your fellow caravanners and campers.

The hum of so called silent gennies is enough to drive any relaxing camper to extreme actions.

A good sized solar panel (not cheap but nor are good gennies) and charge regulator and 110ah battery will power a battery and flat sceen TV with no problem. Use LED replacement caravan lights to reduce power consumption. Phones will charge in the car as will laptops with a cheap inverter or additional car charging cable. A second battery in a secure battery box in the car with a connection from the caravan connection will give a back-up.

We stopped on a UK site with a rally field and were driven mad by generators, but they can be quietened by adding sugar to the fuel tank I'm told. But then you have the sound of the pull start being pulled time and time again.

Me, I would ban generators from all caravan sites.

 

[Chris_374224489]

We have caravanned for 30 years and until last year have NEVER taken either a generator, a 240v power lead nor had a battery in the caravan. We use the car most days & the car battery has always been sufficient. Our last car battery lasted us for 12 years & the current one has been around for 4 years so far. We have owned the same car for 19 years so I can be sure of my facts.

We have always had an extension lead that takes power from the car white socket to the caravan white plug which gives us 12v in the caravan. We have done this because we needed to travel light & because we have never stayed on sites with hookups. It is only the fact that we have a new energy inefficient caravan & are now forced into paying for hook ups that has persuaded us to carry a hook up lead. Oh yes - the new caravan is an ecological disaster where the spot lights consume 10 watts each & they are so poor you seem to need about 6 on at any one time. That is 5 amps for lighting! The water heater is also horrifically inefficient because of poor insulation which makes the bed very hot if you go to bed with a tank of hot water.

We know the wattage of our products, have a small 10" 12v Tv, the fridge works on gas, we run the water heater for 20 mins twice a day.

My wife quite likes hook ups - we now have an electric kettle etc but they are not totally necessary. It all depends on what sort of caravanner you are.

One of my pet hates is caravnners who choose a quiet CL & then run a generator all evening to watch TV. Please don't do it.

 

[AlanChristine]

Hi Mo!We have just spent 10 days over the whitsun period on battery power.I have a 85amp batt for tv use only which(used conservatively) lasted for 17hrs before needing a top up.The van batt 110Ah was used for toilet flush,water pump radio and lighting.Gas was used for hot water,fridge and all cooking.We use a generator for topping up batteries but it is used responsibley!It is never used before 9am and only for a couple of hours.Generator is used between 6-7pm until 9pm but this is to ensure that there is enough batt power to power my OH's medical equipment over night.Unlike some,most vanners do not object to generators if they are used responsibly!!

 

[stephen_374371614]

Hi there,we bought a solar panel(45watt),approx 18ins x 36ins.A friend picked it up at one of the caravan shows at the end of the show when they reduced them by

 

[Arthur_374325272]

Hi Mo.

I always go on sites without Electricity and have no problems.

I have a connection in my car to charge a spare battery, also a lead from the car to the white socket and a small briefcase solar panel - 13 Watt

One of my friends has a Solar Panel (briefcase type) which emits 60 watts and is strong enough for all normal needs.

These are obtainable from Allsolar.co.uk and cost

 

[WilliamLX]

I have caravaned for 5 nights during the winter (ie more need for lights) with 110ah battery without it showing any signs of going flat. Best way is to forget the TV. Why do you want TV when caravaning?