PGs camper van

[bigpaul]

saw a nice camper van in the local car park this morning (market day), VW with the square bonnet, very nice!

[Pete Grey]

(10 March 2021, 01:08)Pete Grey Wrote: Over the winter I have just been starting the camper once a week, checking the tyres and keeping a dehumidifier running to prevent damp.

I’ve finally got round to fitting proper coat hooks in the shower compartment instead of the small plastic original ones, it will make an effective wet locker for foul weather gear.

The vehicle battery has been on a charger/maintainer, and the leisure battery on a solar panel, both seem good, but I need to check when they were purchased, they must be 3 or 4 years old, so they will be replaced sooner rather than later as battery life is finite.

Now with a possible date for holidays announced we will give it a good clean and polish, and then start the usual checks, oil, water, brake fluid, wiper blades etc.

The vehicle has been standing with a full fuel tank for fifteen months, so I think i’ll add some fuel system cleaner, this may prevent any possible difficulty.

Been away again in the camper, this time three weeks in our chosen BO area, batteries fine, solar panel only used occasionally, there again leisure battery only used for lights and water pump.

I must find out the fridge power requirements at 12volts as it may be possible to run it from the battery for few hours a day with care, just a little rewiring.

I never did use the fuel additive as I’ve now topped up with fresh diesel, full tank like a good prepper.

We hope to be off again in a week or so before the idiots go mad on the 19th, freedom day my a*se it will be madness.

[Pete Grey]

.............I must find out the fridge power requirements at 12volts as it may be possible to run it from the battery for few hours a day with care, just a little rewiring.
[/quote]

I’ve found these 3way caravan fridges are rated at 125watt (give or take a bit), that’s 10amps plus required.

So to run the fridge from the leisure battery all day is only really possible with continuous solar charging.

Allowing for cloudy weather and allowing some spare capacity for other purposes we would need three 100watt panels, as the panels would be mounted flat on the roof instead of pointing to the sun they might only be 60% efficient 3 x 60 = 180watts, that’s 15amps at 12volts.

So it appears impractical to fit the panels to the camper, however a freestanding south facing set angled at 50 degrees would be well up to the job.

[LAC]

Pete, an alternative might be to use an efficient freezer, then run it for say an hour every 4 hours. Most freezers will keep the food frozen for 24 hours without power if only opened for short periods. I have this set up at home for emergencies and have found an hour top up power every 4 or 5 hours is enough to keep the contents frozen. Granted that a freezer is not a fridge, but you could experiment by turning on for an hour every 4 or 5 hours or perhaps even less so that it creates a similar cooling environment to a fridge but using much less electrical power.

[Pete Grey]

Yet another change of plan.

When we were away in the camper last time, over three weeks our propane use worked out at a little over 1/2 kg a day, this was for all cooking, heating water and running the fridge about 12 hours a day (for safety, gas is turned of at night even though we have a carbon monoxide detector).

On a long camp we normally carry two 6kg propane bottles, between three and four weeks use then the bottles can easily replaced, most rural/holiday area garages sell gas.

On a BO when the perishable food is consumed, if it cannot be replaced, the fridge becomes just another cupboard reducing gas consumption.

We have the two 6kg bottles but we also have two 13kg bottles which with luck we would have had chance to pack, but we always carry spare gas tubing, hose clips and a selection of regulators for both propane and butane for any bottles we can scavenge.

So our solar electricity needs will probably just be battery charging.

[Mortblanc]

https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/product...-cans.html

New fridge technology out there Pete. These fridges draw only .5 amp/hr. Work 24 hours on 12 amps, which can easily be supplied by your 100w solar setup.

I watched one of the people I follow on You-tube use one of these on a weeklong camping trip in The Simpson Desert in Australia last summer.

They powered it off their leisure battery on a solar charger and used it continuously with no other recharging support.

[Pete Grey]

(11 September 2021, 05:16)Mortblanc Wrote: https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/product...-cans.html

New fridge technology out there Pete. These fridges draw only .5 amp/hr. Work 24 hours on 12 amps, which can easily be supplied by your 100w solar setup.

I watched one of the people I follow on You-tube use one of these on a weeklong camping trip in The Simpson Desert in Australia last summer.

They powered it off their leisure battery on a solar charger and used it continuously with no other recharging support.

Thanks MB, I did not know these low power fridge/freezers are available at sensible prices. The camper fridge is built in but a portable chest type compressor unit would be a great addition, i’ve googled them and there is a large range to choose from.

[Pete Grey]

(11 September 2021, 05:16)Mortblanc Wrote: https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/product...-cans.html

New fridge technology out there Pete. These fridges draw only .5 amp/hr. Work 24 hours on 12 amps, which can easily be supplied by your 100w solar setup.

I watched one of the people I follow on You-tube use one of these on a weeklong camping trip in The Simpson Desert in Australia last summer.

They powered it off their leisure battery on a solar charger and used it continuously with no other recharging support.

Thanks MB, I did not know these low power fridge/freezers are available at sensible prices. The camper fridge is built in but a portable chest type compressor unit would be a great addition, i’ve googled them and there is a large range to choose from.

[Pete Grey]

Oops, the gremlins..........Oops the gremlins..........Oops there here again.

[Pete Grey]

(11 September 2021, 20:28)Pete Grey Wrote:

(11 September 2021, 05:16)Mortblanc Wrote: ................New fridge technology out there Pete. These fridges draw only .5 amp/hr. Work 24 hours on 12 amps, which can easily be supplied by your 100w solar setup.

Thanks MB, I did not know these low power fridge/freezers are available at sensible prices. The camper fridge is built in but a portable chest type compressor unit would be a great addition, i’ve googled them and there is a large range to choose from.

Dometic and Vevor list some interesting models, looks like i’m buying myself a special Christmas present.