If a caravanner only ever chooses to use fully serviced pitches, there is no need for them to use the gas at all.
As long as the site doesn't suffer any powercuts - and - ambient temperatures don't drop so low that gas is needed to supplement the electric heating.
Except those like Hutch and others who like to cool the fridge down at their storage prior to a trip.
Before every trip out, when loading the caravan, all the systems are checked, on gas and electric, heater, water heater, fridge, water pump, 2 off, and toilet.
No point in being disappointed after you have pitched up.
I now have three hook up cables, due to leaving them behind though.
The OP is using 12N/12S connections. He states that there is 13.8V arriving on the 12S but someone asked where that voltage is being measured to which there has been no reply.
For a start the 12S socket carries 12V for charging etc on pin 4 with a the common (-ve) on pin 3 as this earth is also used for the reversing light. The fridge is powered (+ve) from pin 6 with common (-ve) on pin 7 which just happens to be the central pin and is well known for overheating because of the high and fairly continuous current pulled by the fridge (typically 10A for an under surface type or 15A for a tall fridge.) Many people will parallel wire pins 5 and 7 to -ve to split the load on the socket pin 7.
The second point is to measure the voltage across pins 6 and 7 (default wiring) with the fridge connected and switched on and the car engine running. What might show as 13,8V on pins 6 & 7 with the fridge off/not connected could well be 11V or less with the fridge connected and switched on. The cause could be too thin wire for the fridge supply causing voltage drop, too long cable run with thin cable for the fridge supply also causing voltage drop, or a poor earth connection feeding pins 7 (and 5?) on the 12S. A giveaway that voltage drop could be the issue is to switch on the caravan internal lights and then start the engine with the fridge switch on. It is reported that a relay can be heard clicking. This could be the habitation relay not getting enough power and will be indicated by the internal lights going on and off in time with the relay - the habitation replay kills all 12V circuits other than the fridge and leisure battery charging.
It would be helpful to know the make/model/year of the towing vehicle and the make/model/year of the caravan. Then with info supplied from the above text it becomes a relatively simple issue for one of the experienced members of this forum to steer the OP in the right direction,
For a start the 12S socket carries 12V for charging etc on pin 4 with a the common (-ve) on pin 3 as this earth is also used for the reversing light. The fridge is powered (+ve) from pin 6 with common (-ve) on pin 7 which just happens to be the central pin and is well known for overheating because of the high and fairly continuous current pulled by the fridge (typically 10A for an under surface type or 15A for a tall fridge.) Many people will parallel wire pins 5 and 7 to -ve to split the load on the socket pin 7.
The second point is to measure the voltage across pins 6 and 7 (default wiring) with the fridge connected and switched on and the car engine running. What might show as 13,8V on pins 6 & 7 with the fridge off/not connected could well be 11V or less with the fridge connected and switched on. The cause could be too thin wire for the fridge supply causing voltage drop, too long cable run with thin cable for the fridge supply also causing voltage drop, or a poor earth connection feeding pins 7 (and 5?) on the 12S. A giveaway that voltage drop could be the issue is to switch on the caravan internal lights and then start the engine with the fridge switch on. It is reported that a relay can be heard clicking. This could be the habitation relay not getting enough power and will be indicated by the internal lights going on and off in time with the relay - the habitation replay kills all 12V circuits other than the fridge and leisure battery charging.
It would be helpful to know the make/model/year of the towing vehicle and the make/model/year of the caravan. Then with info supplied from the above text it becomes a relatively simple issue for one of the experienced members of this forum to steer the OP in the right direction,
As a follow on to Wooden tops observations, who ever fitted my 13 pin socket to my Santa Fe, had joined up all the earth returns into the negative wiring , instead of wiring the earth to the car chassis, I think from memory it is pin 11, the earth return, from fridge and Battery charging, pin 10.
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Sounds like the same clowns who wired my Santa Fe back in 2011 - the two earth returns from the 12S and the one from the 12N were all commoned together with just a single 2.5mm earth bolted to the bodyshell - no wonder the fridge cooling was virtually non-existant on 12v.
Did you have it done at Hyundai Bletchley.
I think also the Alko ATC wiring is on the fridge/battery charging circuit.
No, Hyundai Birmingham - but they used an outside contractor - eventually rewired by a local auto electrician.
If the pitch is meter at £1 per kwh, it may be cheaper to use gas plus of course sites could be subject to power cuts.
The cost won't be that high as sites cannot charge more than they pay - it's typically 30p/kwh for small sites using domestic rates and around 60p/kwh for larger sites using business rates.
However if they needed to sign a contract when the prices were high they are stuck at that rate until the contract expires. Therefore £1 or more a kwh may not be uncommon.
I wonder sometimes that as these threads deviate so much from the OPs question, it puts them off from ever coming back.
We seem to be talking amongst ourselves and not addressing the post that started this thread.
We seem to be talking amongst ourselves and not addressing the post that started this thread.
Maybe because the OP never answered the questions asked by a number of Forumites. He’s also posted the same posts on other sites.
Maybe the answers on here are too pedantic and frighten people off🙀
For the record on 13 pin connection charging is pin 9, fridge is pin 10, fridge earth (-ve) is pin 11 and charging earth (ve) is pin 13.
Unless you have one small electric hob ring, we always use gas and electric.Also a bit difficult cooking food without gas?
We have our caravan almost 7 years and have never even switched on the electric plate. Sad!
I feel inclined to reply to this thread as I had exactly the same issue, to my horror I found that my 12 volt connection from the car to the caravan only covered the lights, despite this being a very expensive option to the car. Suffice to say I had to pay another £450 to a third party company to have a new plug fitted to my car, and my fridge worked on 12 volt
While having fridge running while travellling would be nice I've never found essential. Our drives are normally only 2-3hrs except for ferry crossings. For long periods don't carry frozen goods, stockup closer to destination and transfer contents of fridge to good quality soft chilly bag with freezer packs.
Most foods will handle warming up a bit over a day, any that don't eg raw chicken, pork buy closer to destination.
Most foods will handle warming up a bit over a day, any that don't eg raw chicken, pork buy closer to destination.
Steak is best when left until it looks a bit off colour. Tasty and tender at that point. When we shot buck for the pot, we would let it hang until the maggots were about. Cleaned off the maggots and strewed the meat. What was left over got chucked very far away from the camp for the hyenas etc. to eat.
How long did you live in Wolverhampton for Buckman ? 😉
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