Shower and leisure battery question.

[Amime]

OK, I'm a Newbie and I stated in my initial post that I would ask some questions which some may consider laughable.....

Laughable question No. 1

How do I heat up water for a shower if I am not connected to mains water and what happens to the waste water?

Laughable question No. 2

How long (on average) does a leisure battery last if running only the fridge and a laptop and is it charged via hookup from the mains electricity?

Laughable question No. 3

..... I don't have a number 3 at the moment, but will no doubt have one at some stage.

 

[Damian]

First the shower.

If you are on electric hook up then use the electric water heater.

Even if you have a mains connection (which I strongly advise against the direct system which uses an in line pressure reducer), the hot water available is limited by the size of the water heater, which if you have the Ultrastore is 10 ltrs, or Cascade, 9 ltrs.

Do not expect anythig like the shower at home, it simply will not happen, mainly due to hot water limitation and to the pressure th evan pump can deliver, so no long showers!!!!

The waste water has to be either collected in a wastemaster and emptied, or on a serviced pitch your waste pipe (which you have purchased as an extra) would take the waste water into the drain.

Now the fridge.

First thing is it WILL NOT run on battery alone except when connected to the car with the car engine running.

At all other times it is operated by either mains hook up or gas.

The van battery is charged when on mains hook up as long as the on board charger is switched on

 

[TD42]

Hello Amime

I feel that as you are a newbi to vanning I should clarify Daminons statement (Even if you have a mains connection which I strongly advise against the direct system which uses an in line pressure reducer)

He is refering to a mains water system that does away with the need for an Aquaroll water barrel,& not mains electric.

when using the shower,it is advisable that you quickly wet yourself down,turn off the shower,& soap up,& then rinse off this will save using up all the 10 ltr of hot water available,& alow a 2nd person to shower witout having to refil the aqua roll & wait for the water heater to heat the water again.

my apologies to Damion

 

[TD42]

Hello Amime

I feel that as you are a newbi to vanning I should clarify Daminons statement (Even if you have a mains connection which I strongly advise against the direct system which uses an in line pressure reducer)

He is refering to a mains water system that does away with the need for an Aquaroll water barrel,& not mains electric.

when using the shower,it is advisable that you quickly wet yourself down,turn off the shower,& soap up,& then rinse off this will save using up all the 10 ltr of hot water available,& alow a 2nd person to shower witout having to refil the aqua roll & wait for the water heater to heat the water again.

my apologies to Damion

sorry PC went dislexic

 

[TD42]

Hello Amime

I feel that as you are a newbi to vanning I should clarify Daminons statement (Even if you have a mains connection which I strongly advise against the direct system which uses an in line pressure reducer)

He is refering to a mains water system that does away with the need for an Aquaroll water barrel,& not mains electric.

when using the shower,it is advisable that you quickly wet yourself down,turn off the shower,& soap up,& then rinse off this will save using up all the 10 ltr of hot water available,& alow a 2nd person to shower witout having to refil the aqua roll & wait for the water heater to heat the water again.

my apologies to Damion

sorry re spelling keyboard went dislexic

 

[Amime]

Thanks for the information.

To clarify what you are saying is:

Do not use the water supply connected directly to the caravan, but rather the water tank contained within the caravan.

What is an inline pressure reducer (I understand all of the words), but not exactly what it is and why you advise against using it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Robtel]

Hi Amime,

I'll try and help clarify your question.

Water mains connection - There are two ways to connect directly to the water tap on fully serviced pitches. One is to use a special pipe with pressure reducer which will go directly from the tap to the water inlet on the side of your van. This is the one Damien doesn't recommend and I agree with him, there is always the chance of the reducer failing and you could end up with a van full of water.

The second method, and the one I use, is with a 40ltr aquaroll which has a side opening as well as top. A special connection is fitted to the side opening and connected by hose to the water tap. This connection can either be bought as a complete unit or you can make one up yourself.

On a non service pitch you just have to make do with the aquaroll and fill up as required.

Don't know if I have helped clarify or confused you. If you need more info just ask.

Robert

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Amime

A couple of equipment manufacturers decided to try and eliminate the need for a coldwater storage barrel or tank for a caravan by supplying a hose pipe that connects the caravan directly to a tap at the side of the pitch.

The big problem that all such devices have to over come is the variation in the pressure of the water at the tap which can easily go as high as 6Bar, and maximum safe pressure for the caravans plumbing which is only 1.4Bar

To over come this the manufactures fit a pressure-reducing regulator to the hosepipe that in theory limits the caravan end to about 1.2 or 1.3 Bar pressure.

The concern is that if the pressure regulator fails, then the full mains water pressure may find its way to the caravan plumbing, and that would certainly blow many of the pipe joints in the caravan, and is quite likely to damage the water heater, resulting in flooding etc.

I am aware of a few instances where this has happened, but I don't know if it is was the result of the regulator failing or some other factors.

The other unknown with these systems is if there is going to be an adequate supply of water at the site tap. At some sites there can be several taps running of a single mains pipe, and if several of the taps are drawing water, the pressure and flow for taps further down the mains will diminish. You may find you cant get enough water when you need it.

There is a similar common complaint with these hoses where the quantity of water the hose delivers through it regulator can be less compared to using a submersible pump.

For a more consistent flow of water many caravanners prefer to have a local water barrel or tank, using a submersible pump, and a float valve in the tank (like the ones at home for header tanks etc) that replenishes any water you use.

 

[Amime]

That makes sense.

Does anyone want to search and purchase a caravan for us? It is evident I have no idea about anything caravanny.

 

[Robtel]

Amime,

At least you're doing the sensible thing and asking others for info. We all had to learn, it's not really that difficult. Just remember you don't need all the accessories right away, in fact a lot of them you don't need at all.

 

[James_374408700]

Amime,

I thought you had a van?

Jim

 

[Amime]

No, not yet.

We have decided to get one - we are aiming for finding one this week - currently searching Ebay, but if anyone knows of any bargains in Berkshire....

If I am spending a substantial amount of money on anything I like to know what I should or should not be looking for and also to understand the rudimentary aspects of it.

.... Now we have laughable question no. 3

Does anyone have any hints for pitching (or whatever the caravanning term is) the caravan on a very uneven ground (including awning)?

 

[Amime]

Could I also say that you are all incredibly helpful and a big thank you from me for your assistance.

 

[Damian]

Just a word or two about EBay.

There are sopme bargains to be had, but also some disasters.

If you know nothing about vans, I would recommend a pre purchase inspection by a mobile engineer.

Has the seller got all the paperwork associated with the van?

Is there any outstanding finance on it?

Ask to see everything working., lights, cooker,heater, water heater etc etc.

When was the van last serviced,if at all,and ask to see the damp report.

It is all too easy to be carried away on the moment of purchase, but after can take a long time to recover from if you find you have bought a lemon.

 

[Amime]

Hi Damian,

Thanks for those. How much does a pre-purchase inspection cost and what does he look for?

 

[Amime]

Another question. ... and you may think I am from cloud cuckoo land for asking this but....

Is there any sort of self-levelling, rot proof flooring available for the base of an awning?

 

[sean_374452308]

Amime, its all very confusing isnt it.........we to bought our first van in June and never done anything like it before, and we thought how diffiult could it be buy one, hook up and away you go......if only.

however, having taken the plunge (and bought off ebay) we havent looked back, there is alot to learn but our very first step was to join this web group and there is a fantastic section (somewher on this site) that tells you all about starting off, it is well worth reading - we printed all the documnets off and still refer to them, the next step is to keep firing your questions on here - we have asked the most stupid questions you could think of, but always had responses that were helpful and informative (even if some do go all technical), when you do finally purshase you van and get out for the first time stay local to where you live, you will be very surprised at how helpful and non-judgemental the caravan community is and there is always someone ready to muck in and lend a hand, we can honestly say its the best thing we ever did and even our 3 kids and 2 dogs love the caravan experince.

 

[Damian]

A pre purchase inspection should cost around the

 

[Amime]

Damian,

I just had a search on the net and it seems that Dura-deck is a possible solution. I have no idea about price. Also a Gordon Alfred Thrasher from Devon also appears to be in the process of patenting a portable flooring system for rough terrain. It therefore seems there isn't much chance of my making any money out of it (I wonder if he's considered advertising it to the caravan societies of the world).

The internet is a wonderful source of information.

 

[Damian]

Amime, I have just looked at Dura Deck and,,,,,,,,,ermmm how do I put this nicely?????????/

You are potentially buying a Caravan,,,,,,,now this may come as some surprise but you are NOT buying the equivalent of an articulated lorry.................

The weight of that stuff would mean that to deck your awning, you would have to leave everything else at home,,,,,

Depending on which van you purchase, when essential habitation equipment is added to the basic van weight, you probably only have about 100kg for all your other stuff, if that.

Most folk use either a breathable groundsheet, or no groundsheet at all, depending on weather and site.

The human body is pretty good at adapting to less than level ground.....lol

 

[Amime]

Aha Damian, but you have no idea how much I weigh! I didn't bother looking at the specification of it and I have no doubts that lego would work just as well (you know the little bits you use for the roof).

 

[Damian]

Aha Damian, but you have no idea how much I weigh! I didn't bother looking at the specification of it and I have no doubts that lego would work just as well (you know the little bits you use for the roof).

LMAO,,,,,,,,,,,goes and lays down in a dark room ..............

 

[Amime]

We have now purchased an ABI TARGET from a lovely chap.

I therefore have a few more questions. Are the connections for the waste collectors and water containers universal or brand specific (we all know how companies love to make money)eg. Does an Aqua Roll only allow Aqua Roll connections, etc.

 

[Amime]

Another question. What is the difference between a food grade hose and a bog standard hose and why use one for filling your water.

When I spent some time working in Mauritania the cement tank in my house was filled up using a normal hose probably running for about 200 metres - this water was used for bathing, cooking etc. there were even cockroaches running about in the tank and I suffered no ill effects.