Im new to the caravaning world and have just purchased myfirst ever poptop van to start enjoyig life a little more.
I want to be able to also use my new van in unpowered areas by a river and want o have 12v power available for lights and TV.
My thinking is just connect a car battery and away I go but would love to hear any advice or tips on how to and best methods. Are battery packs preferable??
Im open to all and any ideas
Thanks in advance...Brad
PeterD said
11:58 PM May 20, 2013
If you just ant lights for a few hours per night then the battery in your tug is sufficient. It just means you have to go for a couple of hours drive every few days. You will not be able to run TV if you don't want to go for a drive every day.
I would suggest you monitor your battery whilst you are camping. Get yourself a digital multimeter. Measure the tugs battery each morning. When it gets down to 12.3 V then you need to go for a run to charge the battery. Also camp where you can walk for assistance if your battery fails to start the motor and have your own good set of jumper leads with a surge suppressor in them like these.
I used to go for a week or more with one of the older vans that had 21 W flasher light globes for lighting. Most days we went for short drives around the national park (Warrambungles) and one trip into town during the stay. We did not look like running out of battery power. In those days there was no such thing as solar power and generators were so expensive that only a few family groups had them. Give it a try and talk to others you meet on the track about their systems before you lash out with your own system.
-- Edited by PeterD on Tuesday 21st of May 2013 12:01:07 AM
Bent Axle Bob said
06:10 AM May 21, 2013
Hi, It depends how long you want to be "by the river"battery packs tend to require chrging on a regular basis. Not always convenient. We used to get by without power supplies. Ahhh, the serenity of it all. Nowadays we are able to carry all the trappings of civilisation with us and require electricity to run them., Three solutions;
#1...Battery packs with limited usage. #2,,generators, noisy and not economical on extended usage...#3 Solar panels and deep cycle batteries, not cheap to set up , but more economical and practical on extended trips and stays.
None are completely faultless.packs go flat, generators run out of fuel , and panels need sunlight and heavy batteries(lithium Iron batteries are lighter though more expensive). Mostly it depends on your power requirements, and how much you wish to spend. On my first trip around Oz, all my power requirements were supplied by 2x 120watt panels feeding 2x 105 amp batteries. Engel fridge, lighting communications and a small TV and external hard drive for movies. Sufficient capacity to run for 4 days with out sunshine
.
Yuglamron said
06:03 PM May 21, 2013
One of the best ways to have extra 12 volt power is a second battery set up.
You go to one of the 4x4 places and check out a second battery set up with a an automatic solenoid switch. Should be around the $60 to $90 for the switch
The tug charges both batteries and when you are camped the switch automatically isolates the main battery when the voltage drops below a set point so you don't discharge your cranking battery.
Wire the second battery via Anderson plugs to your caravan's 12 Volt system and you would be OK for a couple of days free camping. Using LED lights and a 12 volt LED TV.
BJAM said
02:03 AM May 22, 2013
Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. Looks like the dual battery set up with the second battery in the caravan will be the way to go.
Now it's time to get to work...Cheers
bazzle22 said
05:00 AM May 23, 2013
Hi BJAM,
I have already considered what you have raised, and settled for the second battery in the 4WD. This has the benefit of not ending up with a flat battery, in your stored van. One additional thing I found was necessary, was a long lead (8 metres in my case), that allows me to disconnect the tow vehicle, yet still have power to the van. This is essential in many bush camp settings. I use gas for the fridge in this situation, and can run lighting and 12V TV etc from the car.
I think this is a good compromise. i am yet to convince myself I need to get some solar panels. I haven't needed them yet. I am not impressed with the weight of these either.
Regards, Barry
BJAM said
12:19 AM May 26, 2013
Thanks for the info Barry.
Roughly how long do you get out of one battery for lights and TV. What size/type battery do you have?
Hi all,
Im new to the caravaning world and have just purchased myfirst ever poptop van to start enjoyig life a little more.
I want to be able to also use my new van in unpowered areas by a river and want o have 12v power available for lights and TV.
My thinking is just connect a car battery and away I go but would love to hear any advice or tips on how to and best methods. Are battery packs preferable??
Im open to all and any ideas
Thanks in advance...Brad
If you just ant lights for a few hours per night then the battery in your tug is sufficient. It just means you have to go for a couple of hours drive every few days. You will not be able to run TV if you don't want to go for a drive every day.
I would suggest you monitor your battery whilst you are camping. Get yourself a digital multimeter. Measure the tugs battery each morning. When it gets down to 12.3 V then you need to go for a run to charge the battery. Also camp where you can walk for assistance if your battery fails to start the motor and have your own good set of jumper leads with a surge suppressor in them like these.
I used to go for a week or more with one of the older vans that had 21 W flasher light globes for lighting. Most days we went for short drives around the national park (Warrambungles) and one trip into town during the stay. We did not look like running out of battery power. In those days there was no such thing as solar power and generators were so expensive that only a few family groups had them. Give it a try and talk to others you meet on the track about their systems before you lash out with your own system.
-- Edited by PeterD on Tuesday 21st of May 2013 12:01:07 AM
Hi, It depends how long you want to be "by the river"battery packs tend to require chrging on a regular basis. Not always convenient. We used to get by without power supplies. Ahhh, the serenity of it all. Nowadays we are able to carry all the trappings of civilisation with us and require electricity to run them., Three solutions;
#1...Battery packs with limited usage. #2,,generators, noisy and not economical on extended usage...#3 Solar panels and deep cycle batteries, not cheap to set up , but more economical and practical on extended trips and stays.
None are completely faultless.packs go flat, generators run out of fuel , and panels need sunlight and heavy batteries(lithium Iron batteries are lighter though more expensive). Mostly it depends on your power requirements, and how much you wish to spend. On my first trip around Oz, all my power requirements were supplied by 2x 120watt panels feeding 2x 105 amp batteries. Engel fridge, lighting communications and a small TV and external hard drive for movies. Sufficient capacity to run for 4 days with out sunshine
.
One of the best ways to have extra 12 volt power is a second battery set up.
You go to one of the 4x4 places and check out a second battery set up with a an automatic solenoid switch. Should be around the $60 to $90 for the switch
The tug charges both batteries and when you are camped the switch automatically isolates the main battery when the voltage drops below a set point so you don't discharge your cranking battery.
Wire the second battery via Anderson plugs to your caravan's 12 Volt system and you would be OK for a couple of days free camping. Using LED lights and a 12 volt LED TV.
Now it's time to get to work...Cheers
Hi BJAM,
I have already considered what you have raised, and settled for the second battery in the 4WD. This has the benefit of not ending up with a flat battery, in your stored van. One additional thing I found was necessary, was a long lead (8 metres in my case), that allows me to disconnect the tow vehicle, yet still have power to the van. This is essential in many bush camp settings. I use gas for the fridge in this situation, and can run lighting and 12V TV etc from the car.
I think this is a good compromise. i am yet to convince myself I need to get some solar panels. I haven't needed them yet. I am not impressed with the weight of these either.
Regards, Barry
Thanks for the info Barry.
Roughly how long do you get out of one battery for lights and TV. What size/type battery do you have?
Thanks, Brad