How can Autospark help improve your Trailer & Caravan electrics?
When it comes to being able to be self sufficient in your caravan the first place to start is to be able to make your van be more power efficient.
This can be as easy as changing lighting to LED or being able to control your lighting better.
Other choices include electric brakes, dual battery installations, power inverters and more. Many things have changed since the humble box trailer and small-form caravan. More complex electronics, better product options are all areas we are well familiar with and can help you get more out of your van and even your trailer.
Beyond lighting control, the next step is to check that your battery bank is being charged to its full potential. With many vans we find wiring is undersized not allowing a full charge to reach your battery bank. This may be able to be overcome with a DCDC charger or it may need a wiring upgrade.
With many different DCDC chargers on the market it is best to talk to one of our knowledgeable staff to establish which one will best suit your application.
Electronic accessories used in cars, caravans, trailers and 4WD’s, such as winches or car fridges, can drain significant amps from the vehicle battery quicker than an alternator can replace them so dual battery installation can allow you to run the winches and car fridges off both batteries. You should consider what 12V electrical items you expect to run from the dual-battery system and then calculate how much power source (watt hours) you will require to run all the items and how long you want to run the items between recharges.
A dual-battery system consists of the two batteries with one termed as the ‘primary battery’ and the other the ‘auxiliary battery’, battery cradles, wiring for the discharging/charging system which integrates the vehicle’s electrical system and a battery isolator. An optional visual read-out device can also be placed in the cab of the vehicle during the dual battery installation for you to check on the battery charging or battery power storage level.
For best brand products and great advice, you can rely on us to steer you straight.
When it comes to longer term off grid camping you may need to upgrade to some solar products to top the battery bank up during the day. This can be from a permanent panel set up on the roof of your van to portable panels or even a solar blanket.
If you have extreme power requirements or want to be able to run a fridge for several days you also may need to seriously consider having the ability to charge the battery from a solar panel. This can be done from a permanent mounted panel or a portable solar panel and if space is a problem fold up.
We have many options available to make for a better off the track experience, just ask us.
For best brand products and great advice, you can rely on us to steer you straight.
Many caravans are towed by powerful 4WD’s. With modern vehicles, manufacturers have found ways to make the factory battery last a considerable time longer due to alternators using variable voltage charging, temperature compensated charging, ECU/smart charging.
Knowing the charging system in your vehicle is the first step is selecting the correct charging unit to suit the vehicle. Early vehicles may just need a simple straightforward system that just connects the batteries together once the vehicle is charging.
If your vehicle has one of the advanced charging systems you will need to go to a DCDC charger to get the best charge into your deep cycle battery to get it to change correctly and to 100% charge and depending on the type of battery the DCDC Charger can have the charging profile changed to suit the AGM, Flooded battery or Lithium.
Also, if you are planning on using dissimilar batteries you also should be using a DCDC charger to be able to change the charge profile to suit the chemistry of the battery correctly and to not damage the internals of the battery.
If you are not sure what will suit your application, contact any of our branches for advice.
For best brand products and great advice, you can rely on us to steer you straight.
If you wish to run 240V appliances such as a 240V TV or a laptop computer in your RV from a 12V system you will need to install an inverter. An inverter is an electrical device that converts 12V Direct Current (DC) from the batteries to 240V Alternating Current (AC). Inverters also draw their power from a 12V deep cycle battery or battery bank (several batteries wired in parallel).
As inverters produce 240V always exercise caution as it is as deadly as mains power. Power inverters come in a range of models and sizes that vary in watts. If you just require power for say two lights, a radio and a small laptop computer then a 500W inverter connected to a 12V power socket may suffice but if you wish to use a larger laptop computer, DVD or TV and mobile telephone charger or a bread maker than a larger inverter would be necessary. If you want the inverter connected into fixed wiring this work must be done by our licensed auto electricians.
REDARC’s range of electric trailer brake controllers provides an easy to operate method of controlling electric brakes on a trailer, camper-trailer, boat trailer or caravan. Your trailer behaves exactly as you expect it to whenever you apply the vehicle brakes. You can apply the trailer brakes independently of the towing vehicle’s brakes, giving you absolute control over your trailer – no more uncontrollable sway!
The EBRH model Electric Trailer Brake Controller comes with the LED and controls to allow remote mounting up to 500mm away from the main unit. The controls are small enough to be mounted in the dash through a standard push-out switch panel. The main unit can be mounted out of sight, and the controls will have minimal visual impact on the vehicle. The braking gain adjustment knob and the manual override pushbutton are the same control, which allows the operator to adjust the braking level whilst operating the manual override function.
