We have an Adria Action van and as we always use sites with electric hookup we decided not to renew our dying battery. However we have been told that due to the curcuitry(apologise if spelt wrong)of the van we had to have one even if we never use it. Is this true ??
Do we need a battery
- Thread starter bagpuss40
- Start date
What size of battery have you got fitted ?
Do you have anything that runs on 12v ?
What is the type of power supply that is fitted to your van ?
Do you have anything that runs on 12v ?
What is the type of power supply that is fitted to your van ?
- Apr 20, 2009
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Hi bagpuss even though you will be on EHU consider that you will proberbly need 12 volt for
The water pump
The flush for the Toilet (if you have that type)
Think also the fan heater will use a certain amount
Ok you could manage without the 12 volt lighting but what if there was a power cut on site? (It has happened to me for a good few hours)
Dont know the technical side of it but the experienced ones will be along soon to reveal all.
The water pump
The flush for the Toilet (if you have that type)
Think also the fan heater will use a certain amount
Ok you could manage without the 12 volt lighting but what if there was a power cut on site? (It has happened to me for a good few hours)
Dont know the technical side of it but the experienced ones will be along soon to reveal all.
Thanks, Id thought of the lighting but not the fan heater, may be we should buy one after all - just thinking of saving a few pennies and use this for another weekend away,( once the weather improves)
Sorry dont know what size battery, as we disposed of it (properly) at the end of last season as it did not work.
It is certainly true that some van 12 volt units must only be used with a battery conected, the controller unit's user manual for mine states so.
Whether your unit requires a battery I dont know. An earlier van we had in the early 90s did not require a battery to be fitted.
Whether your unit requires a battery I dont know. An earlier van we had in the early 90s did not require a battery to be fitted.
Hi Bagpuss, I think you almost ccrtainly should have a battery installed for all the reasons stated. Until a battery is installed be very carefull about connecting to either the mains or the car 12 volt sytem. In this situation the battery terminals in,your van will be live and if they were to touch you couldcause serious damage to the electricalsystem, or evencause a fire.
AGD
AGD
Hi,
I am no expert, and indeed there are safety issues as stated above, but I think that you will need a battery to protect from load dumps and spikes - from what im told, the battery basically acts as a 'buffer' to smooth out the supply of power to the 12v system. I would imagine the more delicate items, such as LED lighting (as they are effectively small components - diodes) will be much more susceptable to unstable supply.
Indeed, I think domestic household 12v halogen LED replacements require a specific driver as the existing 12v transformer wont be stable enough and the replacements dont last long without. I would have thought the controller for the water heater, and alarm etc fits into this category.
In computing terms (as I have some knowledge here
) an unstable supply voltage can cause all sorts of random spurious errors. As an example, we have had motherboards, memory, and CPU's replaced in a server that exibits random crashes/lockups. We eventually narrowed it down to a suspect power supply unit. We used a tool to graph what the motherboard was actually getting in voltage and the highs and lows were quite surprising. Also the same reason why its worth investing in a good quality power supply for your PC!
Cheers
Rob
I am no expert, and indeed there are safety issues as stated above, but I think that you will need a battery to protect from load dumps and spikes - from what im told, the battery basically acts as a 'buffer' to smooth out the supply of power to the 12v system. I would imagine the more delicate items, such as LED lighting (as they are effectively small components - diodes) will be much more susceptable to unstable supply.
Indeed, I think domestic household 12v halogen LED replacements require a specific driver as the existing 12v transformer wont be stable enough and the replacements dont last long without. I would have thought the controller for the water heater, and alarm etc fits into this category.
In computing terms (as I have some knowledge here
) an unstable supply voltage can cause all sorts of random spurious errors. As an example, we have had motherboards, memory, and CPU's replaced in a server that exibits random crashes/lockups. We eventually narrowed it down to a suspect power supply unit. We used a tool to graph what the motherboard was actually getting in voltage and the highs and lows were quite surprising. Also the same reason why its worth investing in a good quality power supply for your PC!Cheers
Rob
thank you to everybody who has offered their advice - As we have decided not to go away this bankholiday, due to the awful weather, i think instead we will go shopping for a battery.
...We came back from Warren Farm in Brean (Excellent site IMHO) yesterday and yes...weather was a little suspect, particularly the wind. Apparently it was gusting to 70mph...I was asleep generally but Mrs K said it was quite spectacular! I did think to myself cleaning my teeth that morning that it was much like "Deadliest Catch in a Caravan"
First time we have ever experienced any major weather as we are new to the scene also, but it hasnt dented our spirits and are looking forward to our next trip!
Have fun!
Cheers
Rob
First time we have ever experienced any major weather as we are new to the scene also, but it hasnt dented our spirits and are looking forward to our next trip!
Have fun!
Cheers
Rob
Hi all here what I know for what it's worth as I am no expert but I did read somewhere that using the 12V system directly through the transformer / Charger is a no no as previously mentioned this can put an unstable load on the transformer Charger some how. As I say not an expert just passing on what I read but to be honest I would always run with a battery even for emergencies.
- Mar 14, 2005
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Hello bagpuss,
As others have writen, some caravans need a battery and others don't. It depends on the type of 12V power supply fitted to the caravan. For UK made caravans it is relatively easy as all caravans built since the mid 1990's will have a 13.8V power supply which will be capabale of running a limited number of 12V appliances without a battery being connected.
UK caravans built prior to that may have 'battery chargers' which do need a battery to provide smoothing to the highly rippled dc current basic chargers produce.
Caravans from continental manufactureres are less easy to predict, but certainly if there is no dedicated box for a battery, then it would be reasonable to assume a battery is not required, and conversly if there is a dedicated space for a battery then it would be wise to assume one is required.
However if there is any uncertanty then assume a battery is required
If you only use sites with mains hook-ups, then a smaller (and cheaper) car type battery may well be perfectly adequate for your needs.
As others have writen, some caravans need a battery and others don't. It depends on the type of 12V power supply fitted to the caravan. For UK made caravans it is relatively easy as all caravans built since the mid 1990's will have a 13.8V power supply which will be capabale of running a limited number of 12V appliances without a battery being connected.
UK caravans built prior to that may have 'battery chargers' which do need a battery to provide smoothing to the highly rippled dc current basic chargers produce.
Caravans from continental manufactureres are less easy to predict, but certainly if there is no dedicated box for a battery, then it would be reasonable to assume a battery is not required, and conversly if there is a dedicated space for a battery then it would be wise to assume one is required.
However if there is any uncertanty then assume a battery is required
If you only use sites with mains hook-ups, then a smaller (and cheaper) car type battery may well be perfectly adequate for your needs.
hi, personally I would not use the EHU or tow with the relay "circuit charger via plug" without a battery for the reasons stated above,
without a battery even if it was possible would leave you without a back up and not really worth it.
as the Prof says even a small car battery of lowish amps will run as a buffer and protect the systems.
we have just changed our battery to a very small car type to save weight but it gives enough power to run the mover for 20mins.
and cost only £35 form a discount store. or to put it another way 2nights at brean sands I know which I would rather buy.
colin
without a battery even if it was possible would leave you without a back up and not really worth it.
as the Prof says even a small car battery of lowish amps will run as a buffer and protect the systems.
we have just changed our battery to a very small car type to save weight but it gives enough power to run the mover for 20mins.
and cost only £35 form a discount store. or to put it another way 2nights at brean sands I know which I would rather buy.
colin
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