How to thrive on a non 240v site!

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  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited September 2017 #482

    My pleasuresmile

  • Vicmallows
    Vicmallows Forum Participant Posts: 580
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    edited September 2017 #483

    I wonder if mine is faulty then? Checking both my controller and my BM1, ampage going into the battery can show as 1.4 for example on the BM1 and 0.4 on the controller! Quite a difference, and as I said, it shows all sorts of garbage when the van is cold- perhaps I just have a duff one?

     

    Merve,

    The BM1  has been extensively used in the boating world for many years  (I've had one for around 15 years) and its 'peculiarities' are well established.

    The most common cause of inaccurate/random readings is poor contact in the in-line fuse holder.  I always recommend replacing the existing one with a blade fuse/holder.

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited September 2017 #484

    Thanks for that Vic- didn’t know but I do now! Will check that out! 😊

  • Johnny57
    Johnny57 Club Member Posts: 369 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #485

    Hi all “Thrivers”

    I have just updated the spreadsheet List of CAMC Non EHU CLs. Link

    I have been in touch with the guy that runs the website CL Sites Directory - clsites.co.uk he has now kindly included a “No electric Hook up” facility in his search by County & by Town. At present there does not seem many sites listed but hopefully growing! And I believe it is mobile friendly.
    If only our Club could do the same, he did this over night!

    Regards, John
    NEWTON GROVE, Barford Road, South Newington, BANBURY, OX15 4LN
    E: newton.grove@btconnect.com
    P: 07722 918265
    W: newtongrove.co.uk
    See Sites Directory 2017/201* on page 440, entry no: 1273,

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,829 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #486

    With more and more electric and hybrid cars needing top up re charging I don't think non 240 volt caravan sites have much of a long term future. Sites like that have perhaps got ten years to instal electricity, or quietly close. 

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #487

    Thanks John. Good to know. The club IT dept isn’t known for its cutting edge service or super smooth search facility. I bought this problem up with Nick - the big boss and was told that he would look into it. That was a year ago! 

    ET, I fail to see what non EHUs have got to do with electric cars or EHU sites for that matter! - or is it that you see charging at the EHU point??- as though that’s the only place you’ll be able to do it!  We have at least 23 years left with diesel cars so I’m not going to worry about it. Non EHU sites will not disappear simply because there are, and will always be, caravaners who want the simple, basic sites. By the time electric cars come in- if they ever do fully, there’ll be charging points all over the place and the cars will be so much better at holding a charge- and don’t forget that cars will carry highly efficient SPs too. 

  • Johnny57
    Johnny57 Club Member Posts: 369 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #488

     Each to his own eurotraveller

    Maybe in 10 years time the future will be to have the trees cut down and the CL covered with solar panels so it can add to the national grid to charge all the electric vecihles!

    With Electric cars and vans with only a max of 100-120miles on a charge at present they have a way to go! Would take me 5-6 days to get to Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. I am thinking hybrid is the way to go

    With Slow charging drawing up to 3kw of power over 8 hours and fast charging 7kw I guess the existing electrics on most CLs with have to be upgraded anyway to dedicated charging points along side the normal EHU. Large American stlye motorhomes may need a three phase 22kw charging point !

    They are working on it! Take a look at this https://futurism.com/take-a-look-at-this-electric-motorhome-powered-by-solar-panels-and-a-battery-pack/

    Cant wait to see an electric airbus!

  • Johnny57
    Johnny57 Club Member Posts: 369 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #489

    I was surprised to see our clubs competition is embracing solar power by producing an info sheet click here to visit and is downloadable as a pdf.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,829 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #490

    "Can't wait to see an electric airbus".  Well EasyJet reckons they will be flying them on routes up to two hours within ten years.  

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #491

    Good article! Plenty of good info and advice there. Thanks John. I love the first few lines- very true! 

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #492

    So who will be at the show? Loads of info for those thinking of non EHU caravanning with companies there like Photonic Universe, Falcon Electronics, Battery manufacturers etc. I am there on Tues and Friday. Have a good one. 

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited October 2017 #493

    Thursday for me.

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #494

    Actually John, thinking about it,  I’m not at all surprised. The C&CC seem to be much more in tune with the possibilities of getting off grid as they have many campers in their ranks. The Solar Panel has given campers so much more than they had before. The C&MHC are interested in selling pitches with EHU for extra profit. 

  • Hedgehurst
    Hedgehurst Forum Participant Posts: 576
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    edited October 2017 #495

    It's truly helpful, too - really shows the C&MC how it should be done.

    Thanks for the link.

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
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    edited October 2017 #496

    Afaik all the glamping pods are fully connected to the mains. So why on Earth would the caravan club limited t/a caravan and motorhome club, want to waste their time giving such irrelevant information. 

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited October 2017 #497

    It's a matter of opinion as to its relevancy. The club must recognise there is a diverse membership just as the C&CC have.

    To many, the CC are missing a trick by not embracing the fact that technology has moved on and that not everyone wants or needs to be hooked up all the time. 

     

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
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    edited October 2017 #498

    My tongue was firmly in my cheek .  I believe access to a Caravan or Motorhome should be a prerequisite of being a member of the Caravan and Motorhome club.  The clue is in the name really.

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #499

    Sorry guys but I just had to smile at the photo on page 16 of the Oct issue of the club mag. Now, in the past, I have been , I believe, by a few members, viewed as something from a bygone age due to my love of simple, basic sites. Well, take a look at this photo!! We’re even sitting out on chippings and the grass areas, for what they are worth are totally ignored. Is it me?? That photo sums up for me the ‘suburbia gone caravanning’  mentality of the modern caravanner! Barren is the word that comes to mind. Bridlington is it? Not for me. Oh, give me trees, a green field and individuality !! 😂😂

  • Dick Dastardly
    Dick Dastardly Forum Participant Posts: 17
    edited October 2017 #500

    LOL Merve - I know what you mean.  There is more greenery at my local Asda car park than in the Bridlington site photo!

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2017 #501

    plus ça change!

    25 Years ago (and later) Heating and Fridge on gas - electric from battery (plugged into back of car often).

    Now 'technology has moved on' Heating and Fridge on gas electric -from battery.

    It seemed to me that back then gas was relatively cheaper and much more used than now.

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #502

    I see on Google that the Toshiba Corporation has developed a new battery! The new battery uses titanium niobium oxide electrodes apparently! They are saying that the new batteries, which they hope to commercialise in 2019, will give a 200 mile range but, and this is the game changer, can be recharged in 6 minutes!! The new material does away with the dangers of short circuiting as in Lithium for instance and over heating during powerful recharging. With 90% of its capacity retained even after 5000 cycles it looks like this battery is destined for further development. .... do they do them in 110ah version? 😂😂😂

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #503

    Road markings, curbs- they must miss the traffic lights and brick walls! ....and they’ve paid good money for that! 

  • KenofKent
    KenofKent Forum Participant Posts: 209
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    edited October 2017 #504

    I don’t like the way pitches are squashed in around the service points with very little effort to screen them. It does make me wonder if the site designer has ever used a site. It may be just the angle of the picture or am I being generous.

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited October 2017 #505

    Hi Merve, Hope you are well.

    This is exactly why I don't believe all the hype about pure electric vehicles. Who is going to throw thousands of hard earned pounds at current (sorry) electric vehicles with new technology always just around the corner that will render their purchase worthless.This is what will stop pure electric vehicles from ever becoming mainstream,

    I see that the current (done it again sorry) Nissan Leaf is the UK's fastest depreciating vehicle. Bet their owners are not rushing to buy another one. 

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #506

    Well we have bought an electric car and it's fine laughing It won't be as worthless as some cars will be. I believe the next development is with hydrogen fuel and also air batteries, but I think people are waiting for something that will tow well. Attaching a tow bar to a carbon fibre car and other differing structures like ours is the next thing we need to see.

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited October 2017 #507

    I know 3 people with electric cars (actually one has the Nissan S200 electric van) and they all like them. Its when it's time to change to a newer model that is likely to put them off buying another.

    Two of them (Husband and wife) both have a Leaf each and that is the UK's fastest depreciating car so they are going to take quite a hit.

     

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #508

    Hi Fysh, very well thank you. I hope you are the same. Yes 2 Leafs in the family- going to be expensive eh? Technology is moving apace without a doubt and I get your point totally regarding waiting for technology not only to arrive but to have been thoroughly tested and not found wanting. This new battery from Toshiba does seem to be quite an advance and not just an incremental move.  Electricity is wonderful stuff( especially when you are producing it FOC) but it has its limitations. Having said that, I wish the automotive industry well with new innovations that will improve all our lives- it will be interesting to see what happens next

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited October 2017 #509

    Problem is Brue that Carbon Fibre is very light- if we are to tow with electric cars they need to either find super strength, super light materials to make caravans out of or have batteries big enough and heavy enough to facilitate the 85% rule. 

  • Hedgehurst
    Hedgehurst Forum Participant Posts: 576
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    edited October 2017 #510

    Good for you, congratulations on leading the way! At the same time you're right in that others of us are waiting for the kit to get cheaper before we can reach it. It's a bit of a Catch22 leap, perhaps like the 19th Century getting over the initial barrier of realising that building railways, while horribly expensive, really was the way forward, and before long they all caught on and they became more commonplace.


    Now, if the gov't would only invest in subsidising some decent long term future by helping relevant technology to develop, we could become a leading exporter of new technology all over again, and the price barrier might be broken. Rather like we might have done with  solar power, and I believe to some extent do with wind power.

    Meanwhile - carbon fibre caravan? What an interesting idea. I have friends with carbon fibre musical instruments, they're horribly expensive but amazingly light and strong indeed.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #511

    Out of interest regarding towing with this type of car, approval has to go through first (homologation) including the design and fitting of an appropriate tow bar. The chassis is aluminium and the car is part carbon fibre, part polycarbonate. The battery is much the same as a conventional engine in weight. The car should be capable of towing (we hope...wink)

    Meanwhile our motorhome seems a bit heavy on the fuel now! It will be good to see new developments in this area. 

    Since I am not the techie one in our family, I first have to get to grips with all these new concepts myself, but I'm getting there. smile