Help the relative newbie please?

Top Dog

Hey guys, couldn't find a more suitable forum on here for my questions so hopefully some of the experienced people on here might be able to help with a few questions I have in relation to caravanning.

Recently took ownership of a small tourer so looking for help/advice on a few different areas.

First up is the gas that runs the fridge/cooker. When we collected the van it had 2 Campingaz 907 bottles in the snout - both empty. A friend has offered us a 5kg barrel of Butane if we want it (just taking up space in their shed) and I've gotten a new regulator off my father that will fit the larger connector of the bottle we've been offered (from his own spares for his boat).

The current set-up is as below, so what I'm wondering is can I simply take the old regulator off the gas line and attach the newer one and work away? The newer one is an SRG regulator, and the label on the top of it says 29 mbar - 2000 g/h. Type 588.





The second area I've questions about (for now anyway ) is leisure batteries. I've been browsing eBay just to get a feel for whats out there and came across the following items so I was looking for feedback on whether they'd be a good investment or not?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120473183782&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300385241528&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

For the most part we're hoping to be able to use the mains electricity when on sites, but there will be a couple of places we hope to visit that won't have mains available, and we also thought a leisure battery might be handy to keep the fridge running while towing (caravan only has the one socket so can't connect up to run fridge direct off the car)?

Can anyone suggest any good accessory shops in the Cork area at all? Or suggest better alternatives to the battery I've linked to above? Any tips or sources would be very much appreciated as I've no idea where to go for any bits and pieces we might need.

Thanks

peasant

As your current system is running 0.5 bar it stands to reason that the appliances are also rated for this.

On 0.3 bar you will get very little joy out of your cooker and fridge as they simply won't have enough pressure to burn properly.

I would suggest leaving the old regulator in there ...talk to a good gas fitter on how to make a good and safe connection to your new bottle

defike

A fridge is very heavy on a battery so it wont last long.The solar charger your looking at is way too small to compensate for fridge switched on.

Top Dog

Thanks guys.

Must find me a good gas fitter so!

defike - I wasn't really thinking the solar panel would be able to compensate for the fridge, but thinking more along the lines if I had the fridge running off a leisure battery while the caravan was being towed, would the solar panel be a useful device for recharging the leisure battery once the caravan has been plugged into mains supply? With the current wiring of the caravan there's no option to have the fridge being powered by the alternator/car battery while towing so I'm just kinda feeling out the other options that might be out there.

Buford T Justice

Top Dog wrote: »

Thanks guys.

Must find me a good gas fitter so!

defike - I wasn't really thinking the solar panel would be able to compensate for the fridge, but thinking more along the lines if I had the fridge running off a leisure battery while the caravan was being towed, would the solar panel be a useful device for recharging the leisure battery once the caravan has been plugged into mains supply? With the current wiring of the caravan there's no option to have the fridge being powered by the alternator/car battery while towing so I'm just kinda feeling out the other options that might be out there.

The leisure battery should be charged by the Mains once its plugged in anyway so I would say that the Solar charger would be useless.

spaceHopper

Don't know what manual you got with it, it'd be worth your while to find the manual for a Zig CF8 on line it's a charge controller for campers caravans and describes the wiring

I've one in my camper, the fridge isn't working when I drive but it should - must fix it. Any way here a like to the wiring schematic for it
http://www.box.net/files#/files/0/f/28084706/1/f_321671682

Would be worth a look. The caravan should take power for the fridge when you are driving. If it's not you could alway chill the food at home, freeze a bottle of water and put them all in the fridge while you are driving

*Kol*

It may be possible to install a split charging relay in your car that can be wired up to the leisure battery and charge it while you are on the move.

db

Since you are in Cork you could take the caravan up to Buckley's in Mallow. You will probably need to buy a few things and they have a well stocked accessories shop. They can give you an idea about the gas and electrics while you are there.
If you give them a call before you arrive and are spending some money in the shop I'm sure they would help you out. There was a good article in the April issue of Practical Caravan about leisure batteries and how the manufacture of the battery can make a big difference to the life of the battery.

What make and year is the caravan - if it is continental or built in the last couple of years it might have 13 pin electrics.

Top Dog

Funny you should mention Buckleys - I was up there this afternoon enquiring and pricing things

Is €85 about the going rate for an 85Ah leisure battery? She was due some in later today so if the price is reasonable I might pop over again and pick one up tomorrow.

Ended up just getting a refill for the Campingaz 907 bottle today as no-one seemed able to point me in the direction of a decent gas fitter in the area. Gives me a little more time to suss it out now anyway.

And the caravan is an ancient quirky French thing - built loooooong before the advent of the 13 pin electrics

spaceHopper

Top Dog wrote: »

Funny you should mention Buckleys - I was up there this afternoon enquiring and pricing things

Is €85 about the going rate for an 85Ah leisure battery? She was due some in later today so if the price is reasonable I might pop over again and pick one up tomorrow.

Ended up just getting a refill for the Campingaz 907 bottle today as no-one seemed able to point me in the direction of a decent gas fitter in the area. Gives me a little more time to suss it out now anyway.

And the caravan is an ancient quirky French thing - built loooooong before the advent of the 13 pin electrics

Yep 85 isn't hald bad I paid 112 for a 70 AH in hlafords but i was stuck and they were open

Aidan_M_M

We'd have a pipe and connection for that regulator I'd say , that would let you connect to standard Calor bottles .

Top Dog

Might be giving you a shout in a couple of weeks so once the new Campingaz bottle runs out

Aidan_M_M

You know what.. I'm too nice for my own good , but stop into Donal and ask for a Pigtail Gas Connection , and see does it fit . Save you the long drive here . Tell him Tristan sent you .;)

Top Dog

Donal?

Aidan_M_M

Donal Buckley , in Buckleys Caravans.

paddyp

Top Dog wrote: »

Must find me a good gas fitter so!

Theres a place on white street off douglas street in cork that know everything about every kind of gas. Sound and very reasonable.

Also the calor gas depot on forge hill used to refill the campingas bottles for about a fiver. But to be honest I'd convert to a standard calor bottle.