Shopping list

[The_long_way_round]

Whoa! Just read the post below about toilet chemicals. I'm suddenly realising I need to make a shopping list before our maiden voyage.

B) In the van I know there will be an orange power lead with double blue ends, we also have a camping one which has blue end and plug sockets at the other end - I think the lecky situation is sorted.
B) we have a small blue gas bottle and it's connector - will invest in a bigger one in due course.
B) bought a tow bar lock and wheel clamp off ebay today
B) Got my new number plate for the back
B) plastic step comes with the caravan - will upgrade to metal in due course.
need to buy tent pegs for the awning
just learnt that I need to buy pink and blue stuff for toilet (and some spare ecofriendly stuff too)
:dry: humm, the dealers didn't mention a battery! I do have chickens, so they will have to go without their electric fence whilst we are touring! They can have their battery back when we return!

Apart from all the domestic stuff (duvet/pillows/kettle/food) what technical caravan specific stuff should I buy?

 

[The_long_way_round]

Ooooo...
I'm on to it with regards to towing mirrors. Getting that one sorted.

 

[Gagakev]

BEER, BEER, AND MORE BEER :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Gagakev]

have you;
A aquaroll / similar container?
Waste water container?
A water pump?
Waste water pipe?
Wheel chocks?
Wheel ramp ? or bits of wood ( to level from side to side)
Level?
And if you can fit the Mrs in you better take some wine!

 

[johnandrew70]

BEER, BEER, AND MORE BEER :lol: :lol: :lol:

Trust you Kev.
Depending on how old your car is make sure you have the right towing electrics. if your car has new 13 pin and caravan has 2x7 pin you will need an adaptor.

check the gas hose, i believe it should be changed every 3 to 5 years but i would just visually check for cracks etc.
Dont check it after a few beers with a match or lighter lol.

 

[The_long_way_round]

Lol, I am the Mrs so wine was part of the domestic 'givens'.

:huh: Wheel chocks and wheel ramp - will the ramps do the same job as the chocks? To keep initial shopping list down or are they both necessary for maiden voyage?
:dry: Aquaroll - nope. But we have managed in the past when camping so I think we can make do and mends with the water carrier that we have currently got for camping ( please interject if you think I'm being naive)
waste water container. Oh yeah! Doh. I take it you mean from the sinks and not the toilet cassette which I assumed was self contained. Any suggestions? Will a big bucket do for now?
:dry: Waste water pipe, again I'm assuming you mean from the sinks, and I'm hoping this pipe goes no where near the toilet cassette? I guess I assumed that was part of the plumbing of the caravan. Could you be kind enough to point me in the direction of a listing on ebay for the kind of pipe I will need. (Can I just lob a bit off the end of our garden hose pipe? ) lol.

 

[The_long_way_round]

Oh yes... What's a level? Spirit level? I can rustle one of those up from a cupboard.

 

[The_long_way_round]

And water pump ( missed that first time around). I'm shocked by this one. I would definitely have thought that was part of the caravan, not an additional Is it possible that the caravan will already have one fitted? Does this mean we can't use the taps at all if there isn't one? This one sounds expensive will wait until we have possession of the van before I try to source this.

 

[johnandrew70]

Water pumps are not mega money, You will have a socket on the side of the van that the pump plugs into the pump is then dropped into your water barrel. as you say there maybe one with the van, i would think about sterilizing the water pipes when you first get it, if you are unsure how to do this just google it and you will find instructions.

 

[Gozza]

Waste water pipe - somewhere on the caravan you'll have one or more grey outlet points (caravans seem to have 1, 2 or 3, depending on model), and you need a pipe to take waste water from these to whatever you're keeping the waste water in before you take it to the emptying point - and yes, a bucket will do fine for this for the first trip.

As you correctly guessed the water that comes out of these is "anything that's gone down a plug 'ole" - kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower etc. Known in caravanning circles as "grey waste". The toilet waste, as you also correctly guessed, is totally self contained.

The pipe that fits on the outlet sockets is 28mm, I can't remember whether that's inside or outside diameter, but either way garden hose won't be big enough (unless you nicked your garden hose off a fire engine!). Search eBay for "caravan waste hose", but if your van is second hand it will almost certainly come with one so if you have the chance to check the caravan before departure day, hold off on purchase.

As JohnAndrew says, there may be a water pump comes with the caravan - this could either be the types he describes, a submersible pump that drops into your water carrier (the old camping one will be fine to start with) and plugs into a socket on the caravan, or some caravans have an internal pump and you just attach a length of pipe to the inlet point and drop the other end in the water barrel. Again, if your caravan is second hand it will probably come with an appropriate pump, so check first. If you need to buy a pump, take a picture of the water inlet point on your caravan to the shop - there are several different types so you need to make sure you get the right connection.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Thingy]

If your van is second hand, I would advocate changing the water filter if it has one fitted, and of course purifying the system, Milton or some other. Do the aquaroll too.

Consider what electrical items you are going to buy and look for low voltage ones, its a real pain if you are sat there with the heating on, watching TV and wifey puts the kettle on tripping the bollards electrics :cheer: , yeah, we have all managed that one at some point. Its usually peeing it down too when that happens.

I wouldnt bother with three different chemicals, why three anyway? We use the Thetford Tea Bags (chemical in a tea bag like sachet). Much much lighter and no danger of a spillage. Special loo roll, this is NOT a joke.

Consider a Carbon Monoxide detector and smoke detector if not already fitted. Safety first, gadgets second.

Torch, for when the kettle trips the leccy, or the gas runs out.

Some form of levelling for the caravan, i.e. a ramp or couple of blocks, otherwise the spirit level is just an ornament. Think about your pegs too, will plastic suffice or will you need rock pegs, check with the site. Dont bother with a toy hammer or mallet, take a lump hammer and of course a peg puller.

Something to wrap your ground sheet in, if you are on grass, it could be minging when you put it away.

 

[CyberCynth]

Oh yes... What's a level? Spirit level? I can rustle one of those up from a cupboard.

Spirit level: Seemples! That just means ensuring your brandy glass is always full. (hic!)

 

[Mel]

Long_way_round. How far are you from Derbyshire. I have a spare wastemaster (for the waste water from the shower and sinks) that you can have free-gratis and for nothing if you can collect it. It was given to us by a retiring 'vanner, but we already have one.
mel

 

[Gagakev]

Lol, I am the Mrs so wine was part of the domestic 'givens'.
Put me foot in it there did'nt I, sorry

waste water container. Oh yeah! Doh. I take it you mean from the sinks and not the toilet cassette which I assumed was self contained. Any suggestions? Will a big bucket do for now?
quote]
Dont think the bucket is such a good idea a wastemaster is much lower, and even they can be a pain sometimes, take my pitch at Stowford (PC Rally) the pitch was not level and no way could I get the wastemaster any where near the outlets, I had to run the long waste pipe the full length of the van near to the front.

 

[thosoneill]

Wheel brace for the corner steadies - it is normally supplied with the caravan - secure all windows and roof skylights before moving off - a small brush & pan for the carpet - small torch - melamine tableware - I find a small basin comes in handy - spare wheel is also a good idea or emergency tyre repair kit - sleeping bags

 

[Gozza]

...a submersible pump that drops into your water carrier (the old camping one will be fine to start with)...

I've just realised something I should have warned you about when I said that - some water carriers have small necks which the more modern submersible pumps won't fit into - for example when I first bought my current caravan I discovered that I couldn't get my Truma submersible pump into my 29 litre Aquaroll (that I'd kept from my previous caravan thinking I was being clever!). Luckily my new caravan came with a bigger Aquaroll which has the right size opening for the Truma pump, but I don't have the spare water barrel that I thought I'd have!

Worth checking before departure day that pump fits container...sorry I forgot to mention it before.