Hey fellow campers! (1 Viewer)

[VanessaR]

Hello all, I'm Vanessa and brand new to the world of motorhomes! Been living in my Swift Kon Tiki 1990 full time for a few weeks now, managed to sort a few teething problems by myself (one being the water pump, which I've now figured out will not work unless the water is above a certain level - I don't know if this is how it should be but it's okay, I can work with it!!) and on the whole loving life One problem I cannot fathom however is when not hooked up, I can't get the fridge or plugs to run off the leisure battery... I'd be very grateful if anyone has any ideas for me? Thank you in advance!!

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.

When not hooked up the fridge will need switching to gas and any mains sockets will be inoperable.


Wyn

 

[Dan and Jan]

Hello and welcome from Scotland.

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[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[wigster]

 

[jollyrodger]

&
From Devon.
Enjoy your travels

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[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[Riverbankannie]

There is a very good book Haynes Motorhome manual, inexpensive if you get a second hand Amazon copy. It will help you get a better understanding of how your MH works.
Just to add a little to what Wyn said above, there are 2 electrical systems in your van, 240 volt and 12 volt. You will be able to use your fridge only on the 240 volt circuit whilst stationary as it takes too much power from the battery to run it on 12 volts. You can run it on 12 volts whilst the engine is running as the alternator in the engine will keep on working to charge the battery.
This means that you must have the van plugged in to mains (on EHU for short) to use the fridge electrically.

Use the gas setting whenever not plugged in.

The same applies to your 3 pin sockets, they are only 240v.
You may have a 2 pin or a cigarette lighter style socket somewhere that will give you 12 volt supply which can be used for phone charging and TV watching but not much else.

 

[Kingham]

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[Stealaway]

One problem I cannot fathom however is when not hooked up, I can't get the fridge or plugs to run off the leisure battery... I'd be very grateful if anyone has any ideas for me? Thank you in advance!!

That's the only time the 240V plugs have any power. If you want to run 240V from the leisure batteries you will need an inverter but that is not to be considered until you understand the restrictions of inverters. Only the 12V plugs will be live.

 

[Beacons]

Hi welcome to fun happy and safe travels.

 

[VanessaR]

Thanks everyone for the advice, makes a little bit more sense to me now! I have tried the fridge with gas before but didn't work, but I shall try again with my new-found knowledge! I'm sure the *stupid* questions will keep cropping up but nice to know I can look here for support!

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[Jo662]

 

[Carol]

Hi Welcome to fun, one of the best things you could do is become a full member of fun £15 a year, that way you will get unlimited assess to the forum and be able to get information at a click, other wise you get 5 free posts then won't be able to ask any more questions.
Glad your enjoying full timing in your van a lot of people doing it.

 

[Al-Di]

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[Riverbankannie]

Thanks everyone for the advice, makes a little bit more sense to me now! I have tried the fridge with gas before but didn't work, but I shall try again with my new-found knowledge! I'm sure the *stupid* questions will keep cropping up but nice to know I can look here for support!

There aren't any stupid questions. Having to look after and use a MH for the first time is a very steep learning curve.
Ask away.
For the fridge on gas, firstly make sure your MH is level as many fridges do not like being on an angle.
Next, check around for the gas valves. They might be in a cupboard somewhere. They would be inline switches on the gas pipes somewhere near the gas bottle but usually inside a nearby cupboard. There should be at least 3 valves, one for hob burners/grill, one for fridge and one for your heating if you have heating fitted.
The easiest one to check first is the hob because you can hear when the gas is coming through. Once you have that valve identified and open, then you can put the others in same position.
The next thing to check is whether you can hear a clicking as the fridge tries to light the gas. You will need to have the 12 volt system switched on on your main control board for this. If you cannot hear clicking then maybe a fault with the power supply to fridge.
At this stage of trying to light the gas, you will probably have to hold the gas control knob on the fridge pressed in (your gas grill on the van probably similar, press and hold until lit and going well. )
If it just keeps on clicking then it could be a blocked gas jet, sometimes little spiders get in or a speck of dust. Cleaning or replacing the gas jet is not something I would attempt but I am sure there are youtube videos somewhere!!
These little fridges do run silently unlike the fridge in a house so you might not realise it is actually working. They also take quite a long time to get cold, I usually put mine on EHU overnight before going away in order to get temperature down.

 

[Mr Ed]

It all seems complicated at first but we were all 1st timers once and you will find lots of help on this forum.

 

[Mickey1]

Mickey.

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[The Dudess]

 

[EX51SSS]

 

[buttons]

Hi and Welcome.....

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