Caravan World – May 2019

machines,microwaves,hairdryers,

air-conditionersandwashingmachines

areextremelyhigh-draw,consumea huge

amountofelectricityandshouldn’tbe

usedonbatterypoweralone.Basically,any

appliancewitha heatingelementcanbeput

inthe‘high-draw’category.

Whilefridgeswouldusuallybeconsidered

a high-drawitem,manycaravanfridgesare

designedtoworkongaswhennotconnected

to240Vmainspower,andwillnotimpact

greatlyonyour12Vpowerconsumption.

HOWISPOWERCONSUMPTION

MEASURED?

Onceyou’vefiguredoutwhattypeofcamper

youare,youneedtostartlookingathow

muchpower,onaverage,you’llconsumein

a day.Allitemsina caravanconsumepower

and,asa caravanowner,youneedtobe

awareofhowmuchyou’reusingandhow

muchcapacityyouhave.

Onceyoursystemissetup,youcanlet

yourbatterymonitordotheworkforyou

(moreonthatlater)but,togiveyouanidea

ofhowbigyoursetupneedstobe,you’ll

needtogetoutthecalculator.

WHATDOESABATTERY

MONITORDO?

Abatterymonitorcanbelikenedtoa fuel

gauge for your RV — it should tell you at a

glance, how much ‘fuel’ or battery power you

have left. But as technology has improved, so

too have battery monitors, Fully-integrated

monitors now combine a 12V battery monitor

(for multiple battery types), a water tank

monitor, a water pump control, a battery

isolation switch, a clock and a nightlight.

At a minimum, a battery monitor should

display your battery’s volts and amps, plus

charge and discharge status. Measuring

volts, however, is just one indicator of

battery power, much like measuring

kilometres per hour in a car.

This will tell you how fast you’re going,

but not how long you’ll be able to maintain

a particular speed or if you have fuel in

the tank to run it. Newer devices count

the energy put into the battery via the

charger and the energy taken out during

use and map these against the volts and

amps available combined with time and

temperature, giving you a complete picture

of your battery’s capability.

These readings will tell you the amount

of battery capacity left as a percentage, and

also how much time is remaining at your

current electrical load, enabling you to

see, at a glance, whether you’ve got enough

battery power left to keep the beer cold until

the evening. How’s that for stress-free travel?

Power supply has the potential to make

or break your holiday. There are several

individual and related power sources you

may need to consider when setting up your

rig, making it one of the most complicated

parts of caravanning.

Most of your van’s appliances (such as

lights, TV, etc) will run on either (or both)

240V mains power and 12V battery power.

Others, such as a cooktop, barbecue and

heater will probably require gas, while a

generator or space heater may use diesel.

All these power sources need to be

understood and considered to ensure a

successful camping trip — from when and

where you’ll access 240V power if needed

and how you’ll power your 12V batteries, to

where and how you’ll source and carry your

additional fuels of gas, diesel and/or fuel.

ABOVE Bush camping requires power planning

74 caravanworld.com.au