If Carlsberg made stupid questions then.... (1 Viewer)

rogsmith

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Ok me again,the newbie from hell.After already receiving lots of advise and help from people on here im back with some more questions.

After reading forums and other stuff today i have come up with a set of questions.Probably naive,possibly stupid but im not bothered i would just like to know the answers.
These are based on me and my soon to be purchased van (hopefully) using site with electric hook up for starters.

So here goes

1/ Does the fridge just run off the electric on site.Or can it be loaded up before i leave home and it be powered somehow.

2/ Do i only need gas for cooking (and/or heating).I dont overly like the idea of having gas in the van but i realise its necessary.

3/ How many sockets are there in an average van,can i run a tv,laptop charge a mobile etc all at the same time.

4/ I know this one would go against a lot of peoples ideas of this sort of thing but my daughter couldnt go without it.
Sky tv,i realise you would need to play around with a dish for a picture but can you take your sky card and system (if you got multi room easy to do) and use that.

5/ How much water does the tank hold,or whats the average usage if you were (3 people) showering everyday and just washing up etc

I know i had more questions than that but i cant remember them so i will post now and add to it later.

Or if anyone knows of a complete idiots or newbies guide that would answer these and more daft questions then please let me know of it.
 
Dec 6, 2011
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Ok me again,the newbie from hell.After already receiving lots of advise and help from people on here im back with some more questions.

After reading forums and other stuff today i have come up with a set of questions.Probably naive,possibly stupid but im not bothered i would just like to know the answers.
These are based on me and my soon to be purchased van (hopefully) using site with electric hook up for starters.

So here goes

1/ Does the fridge just run off the electric on site.Or can it be loaded up before i leave home and it be powered somehow.
if you can plug van into electric day before leaving home and put the fridge on :thumb: fill fridge drive to site
2/ Do i only need gas for cooking (and/or heating).I dont overly like the idea of having gas in the van but i realise its necessary.
cooking but if you have a certain heater you can put that on electric
3/ How many sockets are there in an average van,can i run a tv,laptop charge a mobile etc all at the same time.
ours has 4 but you can only draw what the site amperage allows before tripping so it depends on the site
4/ I know this one would go against a lot of peoples ideas of this sort of thing but my daughter couldnt go without it.
Sky tv,i realise you would need to play around with a dish for a picture but can you take your sky card and system (if you got multi room easy to do) and use that.
yes we take ours all the time just set the dish up
5/ How much water does the tank hold,or whats the average usage if you were (3 people) showering everyday and just washing up etc
depends on the van fit and how dirty you get:Doh:
I know i had more questions than that but i cant remember them so i will post now and add to it later.

Or if anyone knows of a complete idiots or newbies guide that would answer these and more daft questions then please let me know of it.

see above:thumb:
 
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rogsmith

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Thanks mate,thats probably ended that thread then unless i can remember my other questions.Could be the shortest thread on the forum.

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lorger

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Hi Rog


As for the fridge do as mentioned and then when driving put it on 12v this will keep it nice and cool until arrive at site.

As for the shower we have 3 in the family and our last van was an elddis with a small fresh water tank I think it was 40L plus the water in the hot water tank about 15L, we could all shower in this no problem secret is turn shower on get wet turn shower off wash yourself then wash soap and shampoo off hardly any water used. Our new van has a 100L tank so my daughter has a big shower :ROFLMAO:

As above for sky you can buy a cheap portable sat set from aldi or lidl and they work a treat.

Some MHs have gas rings and one electric so is possible to cook with electric and if the site amps will take it you can use electric kettle and microwave.

We have 3 240v sockets but we tend to use more 12v stuff so we don't need to rely on electric, you can charge your phone and stuff via 12v or an inverter.

Hope this helps and the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask.
 
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Jul 17, 2012
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Pardon my asking, but why are you worried about having gas in the 'van?

Most fridges (especially in an older van) have a three way system, gas, electric and 12v.

I've got four electric sockets and two 12v sockets.
 
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rogsmith

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Just the safety aspect probably daft but we know what dodgy gas can do and has done.

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Techno

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I have neither I'm doomed :Eeek:

My van is 13 miles from the house so I go over on the morning and put the fridge on gas.
In the late afternoon I take the cold stuff over in a cool box and load the fridge ready to go.

EDIT this big Rapido only had 2 x 230volt sockets ( pitiful ) I now have 5
 
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rogsmith

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Top notch mate,that could be exactly what i need to read.

Just thought of another question.I know this cant be exact because everyones situation varies but what are the average monthly costs for owning a van.Just owning one not site fees etc.
 
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estcres

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GJH
Top notch mate,that could be exactly what i need to read.

Just thought of another question.I know this cant be exact because everyones situation varies but what are the average monthly costs for owning a van.Just owning one not site fees etc.

Take your Annual Insurance cost + Your annual Vehicle Tax Disc + MoT and then divide by 12 = Monthly basic costs for owning a van

Then there are all the other fcators, Storage charges, Fuel and Oils, Etc. But as you say they vary from one person to another.

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Techno

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It is very hard to get the right van first go infact it would be miraculous as after lots of use you learn the shortcomings of the first purchase.
The biggest losses are in buying and selling so try to at least get the second choice right.
Before we turned MH'rs we added up our annual holiday bill as a budget.
I'm not concerned with depreciation any more as we are now both happy with the second van in our lives and expect to keep it until retirement.
Just remember that when you spend a bundle on a package holiday you might if you are lucky come home with a tan besides some photos but nothing else. When you come home from weeks around France etc you still have your van :thumb:
 
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rogsmith

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Techno100 ,
Those are my thoughts exactly and the main reason i started looking at vans.I have paid stupid money for a caravan on a haven site because i have to go in School holidays.The cost dosnt stop there either £4.50 a pint im used to that where i live but come on.

I would much rather be sitting outside my mh on a nice evening watching my daughter playing and sipping on a few nice cheap cans.
 
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rikfos

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Just the safety aspect probably daft but we know what dodgy gas can do and has done.


Get your gas system pressure tested- if your worried turn off the gas before
going to bed.

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we have a gas alarm ( no not so we dont get gassed and robbed :Doh: ) sited to pick up any gas leaks while we may be asleep if we use gas for heating in winter or are off EHU.

£40 simple to fit. peace of mind as my other half has doesnt sleep easy with the gas heating on unless she knows the alarm is set.

i know its another cost ! ( smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm etc ) but you only have one life and you dont want to be spending it freezing your bits off in winter..:RollEyes::ROFLMAO:
 
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estcres

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We would never consider having the heating on whilst we are asleep, electric or gas, think of the cost.

We have 4 hot water bottles, fill them a couple of hours before going to bed, when you get into bed it's lovely and warm and you stay warm throughout the night. Also save cuddling up to get warm:ROFLMAO:

By the way we also use them at home.:thumb:
 
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We would never consider having the heating on whilst we are asleep, [HI]electric[/HI] or gas, [HI]think of the cos[/HI]t.

We have 4 hot water bottles, fill them a couple of hours before going to bed, when you get into bed it's lovely and warm and you stay warm throughout the night. Also save cuddling up to get warm:ROFLMAO:

By the way we also use them at home.:thumb:

if your on EHU youve already paid for it :Eeek:

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aba

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hmmm smoke alarms great for telling you your toast is ready :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
so dont stick it too close to the cooking area.

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estcres

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hmmm smoke alarms great for telling you your toast is ready :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
so dont stick it too close to the cooking area.

Thats not quite correct,

Smoke Alarms are ideal for letting me know that SWMBO has my tea and toast ready.

They act just like an alarm clock in our vehicle.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
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Allanm

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Re showers, it doesn't matter how big your tank is, it's how much hot water you have. We have 100 litres of fresh water, but only 10 litres of water heated up. We can get 3 continuous showers using the water soap water principle.
As for heating, our van has a timer on the hot water and heating so we set it to come on before we get up. Toasty warm van and hot water.
We rarely use proper sites so run on gas and 12 v all the time.
Fridge runs on 12v whilst travelling, it's enough to keep the temperature stable and the gin in the freezer cold, you need gas or mains to initially cool it down.
Allan
 
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TheBig1

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if youre worried about gas safety, speak to a gas engineer when having your van serviced and the gas system checked. Propane stinks due to the deliberate addition of mercaptan which stinks like rotten eggs. even a tiny leak will smell long before the gas to air mix becomes explosively flammable

as said then fit a gas monitor and alarm for peace of mind for under £50

an important safety feature is the gas regulator by the way. if the regulator does not have enough back pressure due to a leaking pipe it will cut off the supply. the much cursed truma secure motion regulator will also cut the supply if it senses any impact too. just a shame they gum up too easily unlike other makes. good idea though but a right royal pain in the bum when they fail and need replacing every few months if your unlucky. never seem to fail at a convenient time:cry:

as for ongoing running costs, I generally anticipate £50 a week to cover insurance, maintenance, tax and other costs. any less is a bonus and more in the beer fund. :thumb:

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stevensson10

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Thanks mate,thats probably ended that thread then unless i can remember my other questions.Could be the shortest thread on the forum.
do what I did learn by experience its the only way to learn never mind what other people do or say we are all different.learn by your mistakes steve:thumb:
 
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rogsmith

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Exactly Steve,but theres no harm in some form of preperation.We are all different and willl all do things differently but to get an idea and different ideas can only help until you have your own experiance.
 
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Oct 30, 2008
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If your drive outside your house has a slope the fridge in your van will not work!

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If your drive outside your house has a slope the fridge in your van will not work!

Indeed - ours is more of a hill than a slope at 10%! But, given that we only put things in the fridge that have previously been in our domestic fridge, pre-cooling has not been a problem. Just load it up then drive off with the fridge on 12v. Has never been an issue.
 
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