Electrics plug sockets (1 Viewer)

[MrsMe]

morning all,
Just a quick question....
Are the plug sockets supposed to work when your not hooked up or do you only rely on the leisure battery?

 

[canopus]

Generally unless your vehicle is fitted with an inverter then the sockets will only work when on hook up. If you have an inverter this will convert the 12v DC power to 240v AC power. However, you more often than not need a larger battery to cater for the inverter.

 

[tonyandcarol]

Only the 12v sockets will work off the mains.

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[pappajohn]

Only the 12v sockets will work off the mains.

Mine don't, mine run off the battery

I know what you meant but could have been worded clearer.

 

[Peter and Julie]

Inverter required to work off leisure batteries when not on EHU for 230v.

 

[pappajohn]

I reckon as Mrsme doesn't understand how mains sockets work then an inverter will be completely impossible to understand.

Just going to confuse matters even more.

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[hilldweller]

Just going to confuse matters even more.

A speciality of the house.

 

[MrsMe]

Papa john... your correct but have had a google! hahaha
But not sure what size to get!

 

[Lenny HB]

Papa john... your correct but have had a google! hahaha
But not sure what size to get!

Don't worry about until you have used the van for a while, most things can be run off 12v, we only fitted an inverter to charge the e-bikes.

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[chaser]

Not knocking the op or anyone else as it's a common question , but how can anyone not understand the difference between 12v and mains, even in motorhome showrooms they have vans hooked up and to anyone who doesn't understand it must come as a complete shock when things don't work like they did in the showroom, is it never explained?

 

[DBK]

Papa john... your correct but have had a google! hahaha
But not sure what size to get!

Depends what you want to do with it. For a hairdryer, you can get a reasonable travel one which runs on 1200W and an inverter of say 1500W would suffice for this. If you also want to recharge electric toothbrushes you need a pure sine one. The price of these has come down recently but there have been reports of unreliability - but mine is still going strong, at the moment.
I did a thread about fitting mine. https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/fitting-a-1500w-inverter.156023/
You don't need to add a relay so the sockets change over automatically, most installations just have one or two sockets which are only powered by the inverter.

 

[canopus]

Not much good buying a 1500W inverter if you don't have the battery bank to run it. That said, if you introduce more batteries you then throw another spanner into the works - payload.

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[Peter and Julie]

Solar panels would help to charge leisure batteries while you use the inverter? Assuming we have some sun!

 

[DBK]

Solar panels would help to charge leisure batteries while you use the inverter? Assuming we have some sun!

The solar won't do anything while you are using an inverter for something like a hairdryer or coffee machine. But it should replace the energy used over the next few hours. I've found, with two 90Ah batteries, they are recharged after a bit of hair drying in an hour or so, that's with 190W of solar and assuming the sun is shining.

Battery capacity is an issue. I think you need two batteries to be on the safe side, but it all depends on what you are running and for how long. If you only run the hairdryer for a couple of minutes one battery would be enough if you keep an eye on the voltage. If you want to run a microwave you may need more than two.

Recharging from solar won't be influenced by how many batteries you have. Energy taken out has to be replaced so it should take the same amount of time in theory.

 

[mitzimad]

try to run as much as possible on 12v or gas, fridge only goes to 12v when driving unless its a compressor type its possible to drain a battery in minutes with an invertor post on here what you need to power?

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[MrsMe]

The fridge can run off gas the only thing I can think of at the moment that requires 240v is a small tv and a kettle, although I could boil a kettle of the cooker

 

[Lenny HB]

The fridge can run off gas the only thing I can think of at the moment that requires 240v is a small tv and a kettle, although I could boil a kettle of the cooker

I think you will find everyone has a kettle they boil on the hob. A 12v TV will be more efficent than using a 240v one off an inverter.

 

[duffs]

So hands up here, I have only ever looked in a new MH once when they pitched next to us when camping. So I have no idea about plugs voltage etc.

But I'm understanding through the post that there are 2 types of plugs 12v (like in cars?) and 240v, the 240 v work electrical plugs only when EHU is used.

If you use anything electric when you are not hooked up you need an inverter or it has to 12v.

Are most MH fitted with ones of these or is it an addition that you have to put one in.? We have one that we used in the car before we camped with EHU to charge phones would that be the same sort of thing, but on a larger scale, it is about the size of a pkt of digestives.

Is that right please ?

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[Riverbankannie]

You are correct. Most MH do not come with a fitted inverter as there are lots of variables to consider.
Firstly is there a good enough leisure battery to provide the charge. Many people with inverters fit a battery bank of two or more batteries. This then raises more issues of weight(loss to payload) and space.
Then these batteries have to be charged up. Mostly people fit a solar panel (or two or three).
So much depends on individual needs.

We have never used an inverter. Our devices can all be charged using 12 volt car plug type connectors with USB outlets.
The TV is 12 volt.
We can cook and boil kettle on the gas hob and everything electrical fitted to the MH(lights, pumps for water, ignition for fridge and hob) can work off 12 volts.
You wouldn't get much time with a kettle, for example, out of one battery charge and it would take all day to get the charge back in with solar. Just not worth it.

Every few days we tend to make sure we are on a campsite to use the showers (I have a lot of hair and too difficult to wash it in MH). Then we use EHU to charge bike batteries). We can also then service the MH and dump waste and fill with fresh water.

Don't worry about an inverter, I don't think it will be top of your priority list.

 

[duffs]

So the sort of things we take camping , toaster, kettle, coffee machine, hair straighteners, hairdryer and radio all need to 12v things.
But your TV isn't so that would be a normal plug then?

lol my heads hurting lol

 

[Silver-Fox]

So the sort of things we take camping , toaster, kettle, coffee machine, hair straighteners, hairdryer

You take all these camping?
You must be on hook up then.

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[duffs]

You take all these camping?
You must be on hook up then.

Yep they are normal plugs from home that we use, I thought all MH just had plugs like at home, had no idea until this post that they were 12v, so I need to get 12v things then ?

 

[Silver-Fox]

Yep they are normal plugs from home that we use, I thought all MH just had plugs like at home, had no idea until this post that they were 12v, so I need to get 12v things then ?

Looks like a lot of crossed wires here so to speak.

You will have 240v sockets in the moho that will only work on hook up.

You will have 12v car type sockets that will work off the hab battery
The hab battery will also be recharged on hook up so you can use the 12v and 240v on hook up.

You can only use the 12v if not on hook up

You can fit and use an inverter that takes 12v to 240v but its very inefficient way of using your hab battery and runs it down quickly.

Any clearer?

 

[duffs]

Looks like a lot of crossed wires here so to speak.

You will have 240v sockets in the moho that will only work on hook up.

You will have 12v car type sockets that will work off the hab battery
The had battery will also be recharged on hook up so you can use the 12v and 240v on hook up.

You can only use the 12v if not on hook up

You can fit and use an inverter that takes 12v to 240v but its very inefficient way of using your hab battery and runs it down quickly.

Any clearer?

Ahhh yes thank you so I don't need to replace stuff then and just buy a kettle for the hob, thank you xx

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[Silver-Fox]

Ahhh yes thank you so I don't need to replace stuff then and just buy a kettle for the hob, thank you xx

Thats about the sum of it.

If you have a kettle for the hob you can always make a cuppa

 

[duffs]

Thats about the sum of it.

If you have a kettle for the hob you can always make a cuppa

Yes the most important thing of all x

 

[Riverbankannie]

So the sort of things we take camping , toaster, kettle, coffee machine, hair straighteners, hairdryer and radio all need to 12v things.
But your TV isn't so that would be a normal plug then?

lol my heads hurting lol

Mine too! You take those things Camping?
My camping consisted of one gas burner and one torch. Toast done in frying pan!

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[gus-lopez]

Mine too! You take those things Camping?
My camping consisted of one gas burner and one torch. Toast done in frying pan!

I use one of the 'fish cooking' things & put the bread in it & toast over the gas ring if I want any.

This sort of thing
Amazon product ASIN B0039AORG6

 

[duffs]

Mine too! You take those things Camping?
My camping consisted of one gas burner and one torch. Toast done in frying pan!

Lol ours is a 6 berth inflatable beast, bedroom , lounge and porch area for kitchen. 440 x 700, we moved from 4 berth up to 6 hated not having enough room, plus our dog.

Glamped I wpuld call it, electric blanket if we were in the Uk as well

 

[Mike800966]

Hope that has answered the original question. Unless you are on hookup, the only power you have is 12v and that comes from the Leisure (habitation) battery. leaving the starter battery to do its job in the morning
Always have a gas kettle, on your travels keep an eye open for Low Wattage 240v items for when you are on hook up, especially abroad you wont have as much mains power as you expect. A typical site may well offer 6 amps which is 6x240 ie 1500watts, so the kettle from home is too powerful, as is a toaster.
You should be able find both at around 750 or 1000 watts and you just get used to using them one at a time, of course on some Club sites you might get more electric , some will claim 16amp supplies ie 3500 watts or more but its better to equip yourself with the lower wattage units which dont take that much longer to work, anyway your on holiday!