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We took the plunge and bought our 1st 'van, picking it up next week woo hoo.

Is there a dummy's guide to caravanning anywhere before I start asking stupid questions and annoying you all in this section because somethings been done to death. 

I have already found some answers using the search facility,  it may be quite obvious to experienced people but my kind of questions are for example - Do you run the fridge off gas or electric once you are set up on a campsite?  I'm worried about carbon monoxide or gas from the leisure battery when it's charging etc etc

 Do you have to be careful what appliances you plug in at the same?  We never had ehu when camping but noticed some threads about tripping electrics etc

Thanks in advance

We too  are new to caravanning, and although we had 2 hours tuition, there were still things we were not sure of.  Dont be afraid to ask your dealer or indeed fellow campers on the site, you will usually find them more than willing to help. 

All vans are different, and, if your manual is anything like ours, it can be a little ambiguous - we couldnt get the gas on, so we duly read every word re the gas, saw the bumpf on 'cowl' but could not locate it as illustrated in the manual.  We asked a fellow camper, and straight away he pointed to the cowl - it was on the side of the van - at least we know that the safety aspect works, as the gas will not ignite if the cowl is not removed.

Again, we thought that the water heater was gas only.  We did find a switch, but it wasnt labeled, so had the dealer come to our aid.  True to form it was the electric water heater switch.  Having the two on - gas and electric to heat the water, you must watch the temperature, as too hot and the heater cuts off  (as ours did ) - another safety issue I summise.  But as I said, all vans are different.  But never be afraid to ask anyone with experience.  We have used ours 4 times so far and are still learning.

We were campervanners for 3 years, so got used to monitoring the electric.  We only use electric when on site.  We just monitor what is on, and turn stuff off temporarily if we think we may overload.

Enjoy your van.

Quote: Originally posted by conneechiwa on 16/8/2011...Is there a dummy's guide to caravanning anywhere...

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Thanks everyone for all the info and tips.  We are members of C&CC but i have to admit to only reading the tenting bits before passing the mag on to friends lol 

Just cant wait to get the caravan now!

Quote: Originally posted by johnshelly2 on 16/8/2011

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If youve used the 'search' facility and are still no wiser, then I'm sure no-one will mind you asking any question, after all there are many years of experience out here and all were newbies once upon a time. Happy Vanning.   John.

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Amazon do a number of books on teach yourself caravanning or a dummies guide to caravanning. The CC have a booklet entitled "Caravan Courses Handbook" which you get if you go on one of their courses.

Electrics:- treat your caravan as a huge extension cable. If you use one of those you know that you can only put onto such a cable no more appliances than will draw  more than 13A. Most CC sites allow you to draw up to 16A. Many a private site has a 10Amp limit. Always ask the site what the limit is otherwise you will just overload and your supply will shut down. Work out just how many amps each appliance will draw. Watts divided by 230v gives you the amps. I keep a list of what draws what so I know if I need to switch something off to run something else.

Lights, pump, toilet cistern tend to run off your battery. The battery charger will operate off the mains' Your handbook should include an indication of the amperage the fixed equipment draws.

If you run the water heater from the gas you must remove the vent cover at the side of the van, otherwise there is a risk of fumes entering the van. Keep the cover on and that may prevent the light from burning anyway. We always run our heater on electric with hook up.

We run our fridge on electric as it draws very little power. We use a kettle on the hob (gas) rather than an electric kettle as they draw such a lot of power. Your electric fire will draw a lot of amps. Many a caravanner has to trun the fire to gas when they want to use the electric kettle.

Most caravanners learn by trial and error. Once you have cocked it up you really remember for next time! Never be afraid to ask someone. We've all been there and most everyone is more than willing to help out

Just enjoy the learning experience.....its a long one......

Phil