This article touches on a few important things to be aware of if you want to get a longer life out of your caravan
The most common mistake is overloading your European caravan.
Every European caravan will have a manufacturers plate by the entrance door. This plate displays the Vin number, the empty weight and the maximum carrying capacity of the vehicle.
In this example the difference between the two weights is only 117Kg. If you have a lot of extras fitted such as motor-movers, awnings, extra batteries, solar systems and tanks then you should add up the combined weight of all these items, which might be more than the 117Kg. It makes sense to weight your caravan before you leave on your journey.
At Vantage RV we have been very busy repairing damaged due to overloading of vehicles.
European caravans were designed to be towed by low powered passenger vehicles, on very well maintained motorways and highways.
In New Zealand we tow them with powerful UTE’s and SUV’s over logging tracks and badly potholed highways. If the vehicle is overloaded and hits a pothole the suspension and body can become compromised.
The suspension construction relies on built in rubbers that absorb the road shock when traveling, similar to Duratorque suspension as we know it in NZ. When overloaded the rubbers become more compressed than normal and therefore cannot absorb the road shock effectively, the road shock is then transmitted through the vehicle.
Avoid overloading or filling all the cupboards with food to save a few dollars, buy your supplies at your destination, and carry the majority of the weight in the tow vehicle.
Weigh the vehicle before you travel, get familiar with the carrying capacity of the vehicle, sum up the weight of all the extras, and carry most of the weight in the tow vehicle
If the vehicle has tanks, travel with empty tanks
Go slowly when the road maintenance is suspect.
]]>The products used to build the interior and core panels of the vehicle will have a big influence on the outcome of water ingress to the vehicle.
For the purpose of this article we will categorize the vehicle construction methods into 2 main types, absorbent and non-absorbent
Absorbent structures
The early model vehicles were built with an imperious Alloy or Fiberglass outer core and an absorbent Polystyrene foam inner core plus an absorbent decorative plywood inner liner, these vehicles will deteriorate very quickly once any water gets in through a seam, roof vent, window frame or access door.
The materials used were light weight and therefore they deteriorate rapidly once wet, the structural areas around the window and door frames or wall and floor perimeters and frame struts were made of light weight untreated timber.
It only takes a couple of months of high moisture levels in the walls to cause irreversible damage to the structure, and this is expensive to repair
Non-absorbent structures
The newer vehicles are being built with non-absorbent materials which greatly reduces the impact of moisture ingress to the vehicles interior, the products used now are closed cell foam insulation sandwiched with a fiberglass inner and outer skins, in some cases the outer skin is powder coated Aluminium.
If water penetrates this type of construction the inner lining and foam is not affected by the water because it is impervious, but the interior furniture and fabrics could be compromised.
Why water gets into your vehicle
Mostly the water will enter due to poor maintenance. Motorhomes and Caravan are always on the move, under the impact of vibrations from road surfaces. Most manufacturers will give a 5 year water ingress warranty, but only if the vehicle is inspected by an approved motor-home or caravan agent. After the 5 year period is over most owners don't bother having any more inspections done, which does not make sense, because that is when the seams, wall to roof connections, skylights and window connections might start working loose, and because the vehicle is no longer under warranty the repair costs are now for the owner to bare.
How to prevent water penetration
There are a couple of things you should do:
Images of ingress problems
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The most obvious place to store large items is on the roof, but that is easier said than done
We have listed some of the problems associated with roof storage
Often the roof is already cluttered with roof vents, a satellite dish, and solar panels.
The roof shape and strength can be a problem, for example, standard commercial panel vans converted to motorhomes usually have curved and uneven profiles that make it difficult to fit standard roof racks, and vehicles with a square motorhome body are made of lightweight materials that cannot tolerate point load attachments due to the nature of the products used for construction.
The height of the roof requires access with a ladder to load and unload the vehicle, which means a purpose-made ladder must be mounted to the rear or the side of the vehicle, or a ladder must be carried somehow which in itself is another storage matter.
The solution
The solution is to have a custom-made roof rack fitted that avoids interference with the existing roof layout and is suitable for the specific items you plan to carry, it is possible to integrate a ladder and rollers at the rear of the vehicle to enable kayaks and surfboards to be rolled up onto the roof rack from the ground
If you have read the information above about roof storage and you are looking for a different solution, perhaps you only want to carry narrow long items such as surfboards and do not require a complete roof rack, then side storage racks should be considered
What are the benefits of side storage over roof storage?
The advantage of the side mount brackets is that you can keep the roof clear for solar panels and the satellite dish
Loading and unloading the boards is very easy at roughly head height
The brackets can be removed and refitted without the need for a ladder, so if you are not transporting your boards just remove the brackets and store them inside your van.
The brackets are made of stainless steel, and will not deteriorate due to salt water contamination
The lower part of the bracket is padded and covered with a rubber sleeve to protect the boards
The Hardware
The stainless steel brackets are made to fit onto the side of the Fiat Ducato, VW Crafter, or Mercedes Sprinter panel vans and gutter mount brackets have also been made for the Coasters, Hi-aces and Civilians.
We have developed stylish fiberglass rear storage boxes that can be bolted onto your standard bike rack at the rear of the vehicle, it is very quick and easy to install using the existing bike rack. The box can also be fitted directly to the rear wall of the motorhome if you have no bike rack, we have made custom adaptor brackets that fit onto the towbar of a vehicle, making brackets is an extra cost but might solve your storage issues
Features of the rear storage box
European caravans were purposefully designed to be towed with low powered vehicle on the motorways of Europe, they are well designed for lightweight tow vehicles.
They are very popular in New Zealand, but they were never designed to be loaded up with gear and dragged across logging tracks to a remote location.
Even our good roads are not that smooth, and this will have an effect on the axle.
What to look out for when checking the axle, is to be sure that the lever arm is facing downwards and that there is room for the arm to travel up and down. See the image below.
The lever arm is supported at that angle with rubber inserts inside the axle tube. Over time the rubber inserts become severely compressed and the lever arms will no longer point downwards, causing the suspension to become rigid, therefore the shocks from bumps and potholes in the road will travel throughout the vehicle and eventually damage the structure, which leads to cracks forming in the body and moisture penetrating to the interior
Book in for an axle rebuild. Click here
If you already find yourself in this position don't despair
An axle can be repaired, a refurbished axle will make the caravan sit much higher off the road surface and the vehicle will tow much better than before.
As a rough guide, the distance from the bottom of the caravan floor to the road surface measured at the axle should be about 400mm with some manufacturers and about 500mm with others, a refurbished or new axle will usually measure approximately 500mm depending on the make and model
Be careful not to overload a European caravan, there is a plate on the side of the entrance door with the weight restrictions printed on it, if you want to know how much your caravan weighs when you are all loaded up ready to go, just take it to the local waste depot first, they will have a weighing bridge and for a small fee, you can weigh the caravan for peace of mind.
What happens when the caravan is being towed
Imagine what it might be like to sit in the back of your caravan whilst it is being towed down a bumpy NZ road at 90km per hour. (please don't try it!)
Frightening hey? Now imagine what it would be like if the axle was rigid with no flex. The road shock is transferred to the caravan structure and internal cabinetry, which results in the shaking and breaking loose of all the internal fastenings and components, eventually you will be towing a flexible leaking container full of loose cabinetry. See this link for just such an example.
For your entertainment, I put in a link to Top Gear so you can see what not to do
About the caravan chassis construction
The ALKO chassis is not welded (for build convenience), it is made up of multiple interchangeable galvanized pressed steel components all bolted together. The design is very versatile enabling manufacturers to use the same axle for a variety of models.
The key to the strength of this design is that the internal cabinets act as bulkheads, holding the floor, the walls and, the roof together, if there is any flex in the chassis, the forces are transferred through furniture in the entire vehicle.
The tow hitch
The tow hitch and components attached to it are subject to the greatest forces within the caravan.
As the tow vehicle accelerates, decelerates, and turns in different directions, these forces are transferred via the front bulkhead (usually inside the front gas locker) to the rest of the caravan by way of the floor and sidewalls. The front bulkhead is therefore an area that is most likely to start moving, to check if your front bulkhead has movement, ensure that the 4 outer steadies are lifted off the ground, and only the jockey wheel is down, or attach it to a tow vehicle. Open the gas locker and look where the bulkhead meets the sidewalls, get someone else to move the caravan up and down using the front wall handles, if there is only the slightest movement at the bulkhead to wall connection then your problems have already started.
If there is movement, don't despair
The vehicle can be repaired, we can find the source of the problem, fix it and then set the chassis perfectly level to factory settings and reattach the walls to the bulkheads which will stiffen up the vehicle as it was originally
Conclusion
If you have any doubt about the caravan, the way it is towing, if it is wallowing or jerking excessively then you will probably need to have it checked
If you want to ask questions you can email us at info@vantagerv.nz
Since 2013 New Zealand has undergone a process of updating the rules around gas safety in motor and caravan vehicles, all road vehicles with a gas system installed are now classed as high risk vehicles. Which is sensible in the eyes of the emergency services, as they turn up to a road incident they need to be assured that the vehicles involved have a safe gas installation and a current gas certificate to protect both the occupants and the services from potential hazards.
All new vehicles that have been sold after 2013 by a dealer or importer should have a gas certificate registered to the VIN number of the vehicle. The inspecting gas certifier will have registered the vehicle on the Work Safe database and all the appliance model/serial numbers will be listed in the database, this is to prevent anyone making changes without recertifying the workmanship after the fact.
Vehicles that are older than 2013 may not always have a gas certificate, except if at some point between 2013 and now the vehicle has had any gas works done by a registered company. It is therefore important to note that if any work is done on a gas appliance or system in a pre 2013 vehicle, it will require a gas certificate to ensure that the system meets all the new regulations.
To obtain a Full Gas Certificate, existing appliances, or any components of the gas system will need to meet the latest specifications. Unlike the electrical certificate, a gas certificate is not displayed by a tag on the window, but only on the database, so it can be a little hard to know if the gas certificate is current
A safe vehicle should have the following:
All appliances must have flame failure protection
All appliances must be correctly installed according to regulations
All gas pipes must be in the solid copper sheathed pipe or steel
Gas bottles must be stored correctly in a locker sealed from the inside of the vehicle
The gas regulator must have a pressure test point
The gas bottle connection should have a safety valve that shuts off if there is a sudden drop in pressure
You should have a gas detector and CO detector
The reason you need to be careful when buying an older vehicle is that you may think you are getting a good deal, but if there is something wrong with the gas system, you may have a costly surprise when you have to upgrade the gas system of an older vehicle
If you want clarification you can email us at info@vantagerv.nz
]]>Most modern motorhome cabs were originally designed for commercial use, and were constructed to ride high off the ground, which makes access into the cab a little difficult for shorter and less agile people
The Solution
The solution is to mount an outside passenger and or driver step that is bolted onto the vehicle chassis making access into the vehicle a lot simpler, over the last 6 or 7 years we have developed and modified various versions of the cab steps for a range of vehicle types, these modifications based on customer feedback have enabled us to produce steps for most of the common late model motorhome cabs available today
The Hardware
The steps are made to fit underneath the sill of the Fiat Ducato, VW Crafter, Ford Transit or a Mercedes Sprinter vehicle cab. The step frame is constructed of galvanized steel with an exterior aluminium cladding
Note the difference in step height between the 2 images
The Benefits
We have also developed some very useful handles that bolt onto the A pillars of the vehicle, making it much easier to pulling yourself up into the cab along with the help of the steps
For more information, contact us through our contact page or use info@vantagerv.nz
]]>The privileged amongst us who own a self contained motorhome or campervan in NZ can turn up at almost any beach and stay for a day or two, take to the surf and enjoy.
A well equiped campervan or motorhome will have roof vents, solar panels and a satellite dish, we often see the solar panels shaded by roof racks, kayaks and surfboards.
Solar panels are pretty useless when even a small part of them is shaded because the cells are connected in series, think of the old Christmas lights, if one bulb blew the whole string of lights would stop working, it is very much the same with a solar panel, if one cell is shaded all the cells that are interconnected stop working.
Carrying and storing the boards on the roof can be a problem, with regards loading and unloading too.
To keep the roof clear and maintain a fully functioning solar system and satellite system you probably need to find another place to store the surfboards. Some will store them on the bed, on the floor or under the vehicle when camping.
Storing inside brings salty water and beach sand into the living space and storing under the vehicle is a worry with regard damage or theft.
There is an alternative solution that works very well especially on the high sided panel vans. Most of the modern campers are Mercedes Sprinters, Fiat Ducatos and VW Crafters and now we also have gutter mount brackets for the Civilian, Hi-ace and Coaster. The boards can be stored on the driver side of the vehicle thus enabling the driver to watch them through the rear view mirror whilst driving, yet the boards are mounted high enough not to obstruct the view to the rear of the vehicle.
Our surf boars rack's, hang down from the roof and are firmly mounted to the side of the vehicle, making loading and unloading easy from the side of the road, no ladders required.
The brackets are also easily removed from the side of the vehicle if no surf boards are being transported, we supply a specific bracket type for each vehicle type, and we are very happy to redesign our existing brackets for other vehicle types that are not listed here.
See a video clip of the removal of the brackets
]]>TROUBLE SHOOTING
We find that in most cases when problems occur with a DC compressor or solar fridge the cause is usually related to the power supply to the fridge.
Battery Voltages and what they mean:
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Trouble Shooting using LED lights on the thermostat.
5 Flashes every 4 seconds indicates that the ambient temp is to high: Solution: check all vents are clean and that the fan is working |
4 Flashes every 4 Seconds indicates a low motor speed: Solution: The the fridge may be overloaded, the ambient temperature is too high or there is a fan fault Solution: Clean the vents, ensure that there is adequate ventilation behind the fridge, check that the fan is working |
Compressor and fan are running, the fridge is not cooling and there are no flashing lights. Solution: First check that all vents are clean and there is sufficient airflow, clean the condenser with compressed air, be careful not to damage the fins If this does not solve the problem then there has been a possible refrigerant leak, Contact the Service Agent on 094278247 |
2 Flashes every 4 seconds indicates a fan issue. Solution: Fan is drawing more than 0.5 amps, replace the fan |
3 Flashes every 4 seconds indicates a compressor start issue Solution: Unplug the cable and leave the fridge to rest for 10 minutes, then try a stable power source |
1 Flash every 4 seconds indicates a low input Voltage Solution: Change the power source, ensure that the fridge is being powered by a stable source such as a 240AC to 12 volt DC power adaptor, capable of at least 7AMPS @12 volt. You may also need to: Check the 12/24 volt supply cable is at least 4mm diameter and no longer than 2 meters, Distances greater than 2meters require a cable with a the diameter of at least 6mm. Also: Check that all crimps or switches within the fridge circuit. They may be corroded or burnt, a poor connection will cause a voltage drop under load and the fridge will turn off when the voltage is lower than 11.9 volt DC |
1. Why should I use a Solar System? Solar technology has come a long way in recent years. With consumer demand increasing world wide, the resulting economies of scale has brought down the manufacturing costs of both solar panels and solar controllers. The increasing efficiency of the solar systems has made it possible to generate substantial amounts of power from just a single inexpensive solar panel. This power is not generated on demand when we want it, rather the energy is generated slowly over time, at natures pace. As long as you have a good system to harvest and store all that energy, then you have a fantastic, largely untapped, renewable resource. This energy source is available to you anywhere, including where contemporary power sources have not yet been connected. Read more about solar systems in general 2. What appliance works best with Off Grid Solar Power? A fridge uses the most energy in the summer, and summer days are longer and brighter, delivering more solar energy over 24 hours than in winter. The winter ambient temperature is only marginally higher than a fridge/freezer, so minimal energy is required during winter times. A good quality solar generator (solar panel + controller + batteries) will run a solar fridge during the day whilst also charging the battery at the same time. The fully charged battery then keeps the fridge going during the night and maintains the temperature inside the freezer. That is why fridges are an excellence choice of appliance to run on solar power, because energy demand and supply work hand in hand. Read more about solar fridges 3. What is one of the most energy-consuming appliances in the home? You have guessed it! The fridge needs to be left on 24/7. Even though it is left on, the compressor is not running all the time. The thermostat monitors the temperature and starts up the compressor when required. Which only uses a small amount of energy whenever it is running. However, this tiny consumption becomes substantial over time. Costing approximately $1500 per year when we are linked to the grid, but it is free if you are connected to an Off Grid Solar System. This makes a solar fridge an excellent investment. 4. Why can't I just run a 240 volt fridge through a solar system using an inverter? This works fine if you have a very robust and expensive solar system. However, since the inverter has to be left on standby 24/7, smaller solar systems will struggle to keep up with the energy required from the inverter, because even on standby inverters use energy converting 12 volt DC to 240 volt AC. The energy consumed by the inverter, in most cases, is greater than the energy consumed by a 12 volt compressor fridge, which does not require an inverter. Therefore, if you want an inverter to run appliances it must only be left switched on whilst the appliance is being used, or else the inverter would drain the batteries just sitting on stand by. Most appliances are available in DC 12 or 24 volt anyway. They are produced for boats, motor-homes and caravans, and to a very high standard. See link 12/24 volt TV's 5. Who uses solar fridges? Solar fridges are very popular among those who have Off Grid homes, hunting lodges, bach's, farm sheds, motor-homes, caravans, boats, remote medical labs, hiking lodges, and those living in remote island communities. Some small portable fridges are also available for whitebait fisherman, or as beer fridges and portable picnic fridges. 6. What is so different about a solar fridge?
7. What is required from a Solar Generator for a Solar fridge? When we buy a normal 240 volt house fridge, we can be confident that the house sockets we plug into will produce the correct voltage and amperage for the appliance. However, with solar fridges the power generated by the solar system can vary from totally inadequate to way over capacity. Therefore you require:
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IntroductionAmmonia Fridges, also known as Absorption or 3 Way Fridges, work using technology dating back to the 1850's. The refrigerant used in these fridges has a high boiling point and therefore requires high temperatures to evaporate, and rely either on a gas flame or an electric heating element to create that heat. To generate such high temperatures, a lot of energy is required and heat produced then needs to be removed and isolated from the cold inside parts of the fridge. In this article we list some of the common questions asked regarding Absorption or Ammonia Fridges.
This is a common problem and can be due to: a nearly empty gas bottle at low temperatures. In other words the temp has dropped so low that the butane gas in the bottle will not evaporate into liquid gas. Replace with a full bottle that has the correct mix of Propane to Butane levels, as the Propane evaporates better at cold temperatures than Butane does.
If you have decided that the fridge is past it, then you could replace it an efficient 12 volt compressor fridge that will run as long as it has a power source. See what we have available |
We have sooooo many people asking how to do the self containment plumbing work on a caravan, our staff are all trained to do this work. Like most jobs it is fairly easy once you know what you supposed to do.
If you have absolutely no idea about plumbing to busy or you're are not very handy, then get some help or just book it in with us and we will sort it out for you.
There are 5 questions you should ask yourself before you decide to do it yourself, I have listed the questions below.
In this blog we will explain what to do by answering each question in turn
The number one rule for efficiency is to buy a kit that contains everything you might need to complete the job, in the end you might have one or two bits left over, but that is a lot more efficient than driving round town trying to match different components from various suppliers to make up something that is not going to leak and will eventually pass.
We have been doing this since the regulations were first introduced, about a decade ago. If I had a dollar for every customer who started off thinking it's going to be childsplay, and then wishing they had not started, I would be doing very well. Sometimes they will visit our warehouse 5 or 6 times because they need some extra components that they have forgotten or they tell us they were not aware they needed to do something to complete the job. After going to and fro between us and the certifier trying to get it signed off they will often have spent a couple of days, I have written this blog to make the process easier and simpler for you, us and the certifier.
We supply kits that contain all you need, see the links in the paragraph below:
Let's start with the caravan plumbing first. Unfortunately non of the waste plumbing fitted to European caravans conform to NZ regulations. European Caravans mostly have 2 waste water outlets with flaps that come out one of the side just under the skirt, the plumbing consists of 28mm grey or black pipe, with simple push fit couplings which are reusable. The main reasons the caravans fail is because the sinks and shower tray have no waste traps and the waste outlet should have a single shut off valve that can connect to a portable waste tank outside.
So the first thing to do is to buy a kit containing all the components required to alter the existing plumbing of your caravan. You will be able to reuse some of the existing fittings on your caravan The kit we supply is a collection of parts that should supplement your existing plumbing in order to meet NZ regulations. See the image below and the link to buy the Caravan self-containment kit
We will go into more detail of how the work is done later under the third heading. (How can I ensure that the water will drain properly at all times?)
Once you have the parts to convert your Caravan plumbing, you swill need a tank that connects straight to the caravan that you are converting,
Purchase the caravan Self containment tank
If you already have a tank that looks similar to the one above, you have Two options.
Traps should be as close to the source as possible, and no more than one meter away from the sink or tray outlet. If the distance from the discharge point (stop valve) to the sink or tray is more than 3 meters then the regulations specify that you will need a vent on that waste line as an air intake point. Based on our experience it is always best to vent the vanity and the kitchen sink anyway to improve the flow of the waste water. Therefore we provide 2 special combined waste outlet and trap units that allow you to vent the traps on the sink and vanity to the outside using the 28mm waste pipe, (see image) below. Purchase traps on their own
We recommended you replace your existing waste outlet with one of our vented waste outlet traps, You should run the vent pipe up as high as possible, but not above the level of the top of the sink or vanity. Vent it to the outside through the floor of the caravan below the vanity or kitchen cabinet. Be sure you don't vent the waste too close to any other vents coming back into the caravan. Using this type of trap will give you maximum waste-water flow as long as the rest of your plumbing is done correctly.
The waste water outlet on the caravan must come out the side of the caravan and should have enough head to flow into the portable waste water tank, that is why the waste water tanks a made low and flat, Our kits include a 25mm ball valve with Camlock fittings which you mount as close as possible to the wheels. This is important because if the valve is mounted on the extremities of the caravan, the water needs to travel further and it is more likely that the valve will be damaged when the caravan is in transit, as it swings past obstacles. Also, you do not want the waste water coming out on the awning side of the caravan, else you will be tripping over the tank all the time
Once you have located the point of discharge you can start to alter your plumbing under the caravan, Start with the shower tray and fit the standard trap without the waste inlet to the shower tray. Run the shower pipe as tight as possible to the underside of the floor toward the ball valve. Then run your vanity and kitchen sink plumbing separately towards the same ball valve, These two pipe lines must be mounted on blocks at about 50-60mm lower than the shower outlet pipe to prevent back feed and prevent the water from the higher level sink and vanity ending up in the lower level shower tray.
The 28mm Y connections included in the kit is very useful here to direct the flow of water away from the shower tray and out to the discharge point and valve. Try to keep the Y junction distances as far away from the shower tray as possible.
All self-containment requires a sign off. Below are number of organisations who can put you in contact with a self-containment officer and will process your paperwork and deal with the admin.
The regulations are well documented and in this paragraph you will find links to solutions and to other sites that outline the regulations exactly. Here is a summary of the most important aspects of the regulations.
This blog provides guidance. It is not designed to provide definitive instructions for specific vehicles or to interpret the rules and regulations. If you are unsure, you should seek professional help.
]]>In this article we will discuss the pro's and cons of the different hot water systems for motorhomes and caravans.
Lets split them into two main categories: On-demand and stored hot water systems
On demand heaters are in my opinion not very suitable for motorhomes and caravans that have a small or limited amounts of water tank capacity, and the reason is that the heating system is fired up only when the water starts to flow through the heater, It takes a minute or two for the heating system to ignite and and get hot. Whilst this is happening the tap is open all the time and water is flowing at about 8 liters per minute through the heater, so if you only have a little bit of tank water, say 80 liters then do the math, a lot of water will be wasted to get hot water out your tap.
On demand systems are great if you have a large volumes of water in your tanks.
If you do decide to go ahead with an on-demand water heater, it will most likely be using LPG as a fuel source, and since 2013 we needed to have gas certification for vehicle with gas appliances. Califont is one example of such a heater, and it is very difficult to get gas certification for a Califont because it draws combustion air from within the living environment of the vehicle, heaters should draw combustion air from outside, additionally for certification you will need an exhaust flue through the roof, and the problem is finding a flue that meets the gas certifier's requirements plus sealing the flue which gets fairly hot on the roof of the caravan or motorhome
Built in On-demand systems, such as the Nautilus or the Camec on demand heater are much better than the Califont for a motorhome or caravan application, because these heaters draw the combustion air from the outside of the vehicle, and gas certification becomes much easier. Make sure that the BTU value of the unit is as high as possible because the water heater must increase the temperature from the ambient temperature to warm enough for a shower or washing up. If the BTU output is to low the heater might only increase the temperature by 15-20 degrees, which is fine in Australia where the ambient temperature might be 25-30 degrees, 20+25= 45 to 50 degrees which is good, but in colder countries such as NZ and especially down the South Island, if the ambient is 15 degrees, 15+20=25 your shower water temperature might only be 25 degrees, that would be unpleasant.
These types of heaters are most common in the modern motorhome or caravan. They are safe because they acquire combustion air from the outside of the vehicle and are therefore easier to certify. Instant hot water systems can be split into combination and standard instant hot water systems, the combination heaters do two thing, hot water and air heating in one system and are therefore considered most efficient, we will discuss the standard instant hot water system first
The water body, usually 10-20 liters is set, heated and stored, which gives instant heated water when desired, there is no lag while you wait for the pump to push water through a cold heater using a valuable water supply as described earlier with the on demand heaters.
The hot water tank is fitted with a large burner that instantly reheats the incoming cold water when in action, if the demand for hot water is high then the temperature will decrease as more cold water comes in and burner needs time to catch up, so this is not ideal for high volume users, but as we discussed earlier, the RV user with limited tank capacity needs to be frugal anyway or else they will be refilling their tanks on a daily basis.
These heaters mostly use LPG and AC mains power as a fuel source, there is a wide selection of these boilers available. Some brands such as Atwood have been phased out, The suburban has been a very popular boiler until recently when they were taken off the shelf in NZ and Australia due to a recall. They have recently become available again. I should add here that some of the boiler tanks are not made of stainless steel, the tanks are enameled mild steel and have a sacrificial anode that needs changing every couple of years
The combination hot water system is probably the most efficient, safe and most complex, therefore the price tag. They have many features and will display many fault codes. It is easy to identify faults just by Google searching the code meanings.
The heater/boiler has sensors all over measuring CO, heat, air movement, fuel flow and pressure, water flow etc. If the built in computer senses something is wrong it throws a fault code, and flashes, usually it will be something the user can fix by looking up the code. Gas bottle might be empty, or no AC power, when it is set on AC, not gas, they are mostly user errors.
When there is a something more serious at fault then the heater will shut down. It is possible to reset the system and get rid of the fault code but if the sensor picks up the same dangerous error it will shut down for safety purposes.
If the user keeps resetting the heater/boiler then the system will shut down completely and an approved practitioner needs look at it, we can connect our computer to the system and identify exactly what the fault is, fix it and reset the mother board and the system should be safe again.
The Combination heater/boiler uses AC electrical power, or LPG and it is also available as a diesel unit. The diesel unit can no longer be installed in NZ due to regulations.
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Fossil fuel is just solar energy which was harvested naturally millions of years ago and conveniently stored under ground by the planets natural processes.
Humans have been digging it up and using it since we learned to make fire. It is a convenient transportable energy source compared to solar energy, and you can use it at night, but we cannot continue doing it for ever more, because of the carbon emitted into our atmosphere
I just looked on my phone at our solar system data for the combined 2 buildings and the stats say we are saving approximately 1.2 tones of carbon dioxide per month with our solar system.
Is it worth installing a solar system?
That question immediately raises many more questions in my head, so I have answered these questions below from my own perspective.
What is the purpose of the solar system?
If the purpose of the solar system is to generate energy for immediate use, then solar energy is very useable and it is a no brainer, a solar system makes perfect sense. However the sun does not shine at night.
The image above shows our workshop and warehouse with 15K watts of solar on the roof. We use the energy during the day to run our lights and machinery, it makes a lot of sense, we don't use energy at night because we have gone home. If we want to use solar energy at night we need to store it first, which is expensive because the cost of batteries is high.
Fortunately RV's mostly have a house battery, so the expensive bit is covered, and most appliances inside the vehicle will run on a combination of gas and 12 volts, The high energy items use gas and the low energy components use 12 volts.
Refrigeration in motorhomes has traditionally been done using Ammonia fridges, also known as 3 way fridges that run on 12 volts, gas and 240 volts. Ammonia fridges generate heat to make cold and this method is extremely inefficient. it uses about 10x more energy to do the same job as a compressor fridge, it would not be feasible to run Ammonia fridges on solar energy, because they are too energy hungry.
About a decade ago we introduced our own brand of solar fridges to NZ, our solar fridges were designed for the tropics so they are super efficient in New Zealand's climate. At the time we tried various ideas, and I experimented with running a variable voltage compressor freezer directly of solar energy without a battery, which meant cooling down the freezer as much as possible during the day and storing the cold energy throughout the night without running the freezer, but this method proved to have large fluctuations in temperature, so we abandoned that idea.
The best method we found was to have a solar system big enough to charge the battery and run the fridge during the day and yet have enough battery capacity to run the fridge all night long as well.
Clearly, a well designed solar system designed for a specific purpose will work great as long as the energy demands stay the same. The system must be designed to handle the worst case scenario and not crash. A system that fluctuated in energy use is harder to cater for and needs to be big enough to work well when the energy demand is high day or night and the rest of the time it is an expensive bit of equipment sitting idle with nothing to do. So pick your project carefully.
We have custom designed systems that use a combination of solar and fossil fuels because the customer demand fluctuates, an example would be an off grid Bach that is used excessively during summer periods, when all the Whanau come to visit at the same time, the demand on the solar system would be high during that period, and that is just the time when it should not fail, in this case we would have a solar system with a backup generator that starts automatically when the battery reaches a pre-set discharge threshold.
Running a fridge on solar energy will cost you absolutely nothing after initial layout and the battery should be good for about 7 years, I converted a bus and fitted a solar system and fridge in that vehicle, the fridge ran nonstop free of charge for 6 years till I sold the bus, and I know it is still going strong now.
We will recover the costs of the solar installation on our workshop and warehouse within 4 years and then our energy will be free for another 20 odd years, and when we produce more than we need we get paid for it because it is grid tie. I am amazed that there are only 2 businesses on our entire industrial estate in Silverdale that have a working solar system. It is incredible that there are acres of industrial roof real estate and no one is utilizing the space.
It depends on on your perspective, how do we value something like a solar system? I think there is a certain feel good factor in getting something for nothing and generating green energy, there is a long term cost gain, and the way we have been using energy so far has not been sustainable. It's a bit like going on a diet, nobody wants to do it but actually it's a very good thing to do, and there are real long term benefits.
]]>First inspect the dish to see if it has been damaged or deformed by impact with a branch or high winds during your travels, even the smallest deformation can cause signal failure, parts are available from us and it is easy to fix.
Assuming there is nothing wrong with the mechanical side of the dish, we can move on to the settings. 95% of all errors are caused by the user changing the setup which was programmed by our technicians during installation. Please do not change settings on either the TV or the black SSC box, the only buttons the user needs to push is the ON/OFF buttons
If you have already pushed all the other buttons and altered the settings on your TV or your SSC box then you can carry on reading.
Please start by checking that the dish has a clear path to the North, check that there are no obstacles blocking the signal pathway, from the dish to the satellite in the sky
Finding a signal with an ALDEN Onelight dish should be very easy because it is fully automatic.
This model requires a SSC box, which has built in software to control the dish motors. The software has been specifically programmed for New Zealand and for this model, If the dish is physically sound and you have no signal then the most likely cause is that someone has unwittingly changed the settings and therefore the dish is no longer receiving the correct information.
The correct procedure to use this system is to turn off your TV or Sky Box, the dish should shut down when it gets the message that the TV is "OFF", now turn "OFF" the SSC box before you start traveling, if you forget to do that the dish will shut down by itself when the engine is started. Once you arrive at your new destination, turn "ON" your SSC box and then use your remote to turn "ON" the TV. If you had forgotten to turn "OFF" the SSC before you traveled the dish will go in lock down for safety purposes, to rectify this, turn "OFF" your TV or Sky Box, then turn "OFF" the SSC Box, wait till the dish has finished shutting down and the then turn "ON" the SSC box again. Now turn "ON" your TV or Sky box using the TV remote. The system should have reset itself and you should now have a picture.
If not, we go into more detail from here, please read the following steps to resolve any issues:
Please start by checking that the dish has a clear path to the North, check that no obstacles are blocking the signal pathway, from the dish to the satellite in the sky
Finding a signal with a manual ALDEN CTVSAT dish can be difficult first time you do it, in this case we can only assume that you are already a seasoned manual dish user, and that you know exactly how to follow the basic instructions and that the dish was working before but now you have a poor signal quality.
If you are sure that the pathway is clear and you are already an experienced dish user but the dish has stopped working only then proceed further, because you will be changing settings and this might cause problems if it is actually user error not system error:
For assistance contact our technician on tech@vantagerv.nz
]]>We will start by helping you solve an issue of Poor Signal on a Winegard dish.
We assume that you are already a competent Winegard user and that the dish was working before, but have lost the usual high quality picture,
If you have NO SIGNAL then skip this part and start reading what to do when you have no signal at all. If you just have a POOR SIGNAL then read on here
Finding a signal with a manual Winegard dish can be a little difficult first time you do it, A user guide can be found at the bottom of this page.
If you are sure that the pathway to the North is clear and you are already an experienced Winegard user but the dish has stopped working only then proceed further, because you will be changing settings and this might cause problems if it is actually user error not system error:
Start by checking that the dish has a clear path to the North, check that no obstacles are blocking the signal pathway, from the dish to the satellite in the sky
If you are sure that the pathway is clear and you are already an experienced Winegard user but the dish has stopped working now, then proceed further:
In New Zealand the Optus D1 Satellite transmitter (which transmits Freeview and Sky), is located roughly North of our Islands at an angle of about 35 to 47 degree measured from a level surface.
The Optus D1 transmitter out in space stays at a fixed point relative to the Earth, however we move round from North to South and from East to West in our Motorhomes and Caravans. As we go North to South we need to change the elevation of the dish from a level surface, which is about 47 degrees in the far North and about 35 degrees in the South because of the curvature of the Earth.
When we travel East to West we need to change the Azimuth (direction) between North and West on the compass.
If you have parked your vehicle South of a big tree or building you will have difficulty getting a signal
How it works:
Before you start, you could download the compass App on your smart phone or buy a compass.
Ensure that the TV is switched on, the TV has been setup by a professional, the settings are correct when it leaves our yard, if it does not work in the field it is unlikely to be due to faulty settings, please do not change the settings unless you are an expert.
In most cases poor, or no signal will be due to obstacles between the dish and satellite transmitter, or very poor weather conditions, or lack of experience.
Using the remote, select a channel you want to view, even though you have no picture the channel number will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Now push the button on the white elevation meter, we have fitted for you, wind the fold down handle of the Wingard in the up direction, keep winding till the LL reading on the display changes to a numeric value, the number will increase as the dish goes up.
Wind the dish to the correct elevation for the town you are in for example Auckland is 44.4)
Once the elevation is correct, rotate the whole Wingard dish and face it North, double check that the elevation meter still shows the correct elevation for your town when the dish is facing North.
Using your compass as a reference rotate the dish in small increments from North towards the West constantly double checking that the elevation meter still displays the correct elevation for your town or area you are in.
If you have done everything above correctly you will get the sound first and then image will appear shortly after, fine tune the dish till you get the best possible picture. Lock the dish in place and enjoy your TV
Remember to put it away before you drive off and if the wind picks up
We are often asked, which of the following are better: solar power or petrol generators? Advantages of Solar Generation
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It is good to always good to avoid discharging your batteries no more than 20%
If by now you have decided that it is time to replace your batteries and you need to decide what batteries are best, then you might consider buying Lithium batteries instead of AGM batteries. Lithium batteries can be discharged almost completely unlike AGM batteries, they also last much longer and are designed to be cycled much harder than AGM batteries
We hope this has been helpful for you
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