Best Motorhome / Campervan gadget?
Discussion
Lithium leisure batteries if you're planning to be 'off grid' for any length of time. Not a lot of benefit if you just drive from your house to a full service pitch and back though.
On the cheaper end, a length of pipe to attach to the grey water tank drain. Gives you some leeway getting onto service points as the drain is inevitably in an utterly brainless place on both the motorhome and the service point.
On the cheaper end, a length of pipe to attach to the grey water tank drain. Gives you some leeway getting onto service points as the drain is inevitably in an utterly brainless place on both the motorhome and the service point.
chappj said:
egor110 said:
5 g and a satellite dish .
What Adria model have you got ?
Adria Twin Sport 640 SGXWhat Adria model have you got ?
Would you go for Starlink over 5G/Satellite if buying again now? This was on my shortlist (I’ve been struggling to find a good horizontal roof mount for Starlink).
Good news is we don't get many Adrias back for warranty work.
agent006 said:
Lithium leisure batteries if you're planning to be 'off grid' for any length of time. Not a lot of benefit if you just drive from your house to a full service pitch and back though.
On the cheaper end, a length of pipe to attach to the grey water tank drain. Gives you some leeway getting onto service points as the drain is inevitably in an utterly brainless place on both the motorhome and the service point.
We’ve decided to do the first season with the x2 lead acid leisure batteries + 150w solar panel to see how we get on (and spread out cost). My wife would prefer an induction hob over gas, however we need to educate ourselves before going down that path to ensure it’s practical).On the cheaper end, a length of pipe to attach to the grey water tank drain. Gives you some leeway getting onto service points as the drain is inevitably in an utterly brainless place on both the motorhome and the service point.
We have an Adria compact, with Truma combi gas heating. In properly cold weather it'll go through two 13kg propane bottles in a week. Which is expensive at nearly £50 a refill & useless for a week or more away.
I've had refillable gas bottles before but it's nigh impossible to get a refill up here in Scotland.
So have fitted a diesel heater that's plumbed into the existing brilliant heating ducting and a 22l marine fuel tank for enough heating for almost a month and a tenth of the cost to run.
I've had refillable gas bottles before but it's nigh impossible to get a refill up here in Scotland.
So have fitted a diesel heater that's plumbed into the existing brilliant heating ducting and a 22l marine fuel tank for enough heating for almost a month and a tenth of the cost to run.
Can't see the link to it now, but for a first-timer, there's a pack of pipe and tap connections/adapters you can buy which will fit every possible tap size and type you'll find in the UK and the continent to refill your water tanks.
For internet, setting your phone (that has an unlimited data allowance obvs) to a hotspot should suffice for using your laptop or PC. If you're in a marginal signal area then you can either buy a Huawei 4G router and stick your phone SIM in there as these have far superior antennas than a lowly phone. No need for expensive satellite connections.
For internet, setting your phone (that has an unlimited data allowance obvs) to a hotspot should suffice for using your laptop or PC. If you're in a marginal signal area then you can either buy a Huawei 4G router and stick your phone SIM in there as these have far superior antennas than a lowly phone. No need for expensive satellite connections.
cptsideways said:
We have an Adria compact, with Truma combi gas heating. In properly cold weather it'll go through two 13kg propane bottles in a week. Which is expensive at nearly £50 a refill & useless for a week or more away.
I've had refillable gas bottles before but it's nigh impossible to get a refill up here in Scotland.
So have fitted a diesel heater that's plumbed into the existing brilliant heating ducting and a 22l marine fuel tank for enough heating for almost a month and a tenth of the cost to run.
Luckily for us the van comes with a truma diesel heater as standard. From the sound of your experience that’s going to save us a lot of £££. I think the van has a 90L diesel tank which should hopefully mean we don’t need to think about an auxiliary one. I've had refillable gas bottles before but it's nigh impossible to get a refill up here in Scotland.
So have fitted a diesel heater that's plumbed into the existing brilliant heating ducting and a 22l marine fuel tank for enough heating for almost a month and a tenth of the cost to run.
We very nearly ticked the box for underslung refillable gas but having searched a few forums it seems LPG availability in U.K. petrol stations is becoming increasingly scarce so we’ll just see how we get on as it should only be needed for hob/oven.
Get a Gaslow or similar system. Refillable lpg gas tanks are so much easier (although stations that sell gas at the pump are dwindling). Just makes life that much easier and quicker.
We hired an Adria Twin a while back and was very impressed. It was around three years old and had newly 40k on the clock so had seen a far few hires and it was a solid as a rock inside. No squeaks, nothing loose and no easily scratched materials. A really well put together van.
We hired an Adria Twin a while back and was very impressed. It was around three years old and had newly 40k on the clock so had seen a far few hires and it was a solid as a rock inside. No squeaks, nothing loose and no easily scratched materials. A really well put together van.
chappj said:
Luckily for us the van comes with a truma diesel heater as standard. From the sound of your experience that’s going to save us a lot of £££. I think the van has a 90L diesel tank which should hopefully mean we don’t need to think about an auxiliary one.
We very nearly ticked the box for underslung refillable gas but having searched a few forums it seems LPG availability in U.K. petrol stations is becoming increasingly scarce so we’ll just see how we get on as it should only be needed for hob/oven.
If your van has diesel heater then I wouldn't bother with refillable gas bottles. A hob uses so little gas your bottles will last for months. I had the Truma diesel heater in my last van - it's brilliant. We very nearly ticked the box for underslung refillable gas but having searched a few forums it seems LPG availability in U.K. petrol stations is becoming increasingly scarce so we’ll just see how we get on as it should only be needed for hob/oven.
The best addition you can make, but you will need deep pockets though, is a self levelling system. Park up, hit the button and about a minute later the van is dead level.
Our current van, bought at a year old, had the Alko HY4 system fitted by the original owner. Not sure I would have paid the the £6500 cost to fit but having had it I wouldn't be without it.
Best thing is to live with it standard, bar the things you know you wanted but didn’t come with the standard van as every van is a compromise to a certain extent.
Once you’ve lived with it for a bit, there will be things you wished you had and things you didn’t need but thought you did prior to purchase.
Lots update their vans without knowing what they really need, as opposed to thinking they want it.
EG; big solar is great in summer and if you’re static for a few days. Whereas if you mainly mobile then investing in better alternator charging (B2B) is probably best as it isn’t seasonal.
Saying that I think lithium is a must if your off grid for even a night in winter, however whether that be a modest 100ah ( equivalent to 2x95ah agm’s) or a full 300ah+ you’ll only really know once you start using it.
Same as levelling kit, if you’ve a PVC like me I don’t even bother with carrying levelling ramps! If you’re a big tag axle with a 3 way fridge that must be level then I can see the attraction.
As a minimum, live with it before buying and installing big ticket items, you might find you’ll never need if miss them.
Once you’ve lived with it for a bit, there will be things you wished you had and things you didn’t need but thought you did prior to purchase.
Lots update their vans without knowing what they really need, as opposed to thinking they want it.
EG; big solar is great in summer and if you’re static for a few days. Whereas if you mainly mobile then investing in better alternator charging (B2B) is probably best as it isn’t seasonal.
Saying that I think lithium is a must if your off grid for even a night in winter, however whether that be a modest 100ah ( equivalent to 2x95ah agm’s) or a full 300ah+ you’ll only really know once you start using it.
Same as levelling kit, if you’ve a PVC like me I don’t even bother with carrying levelling ramps! If you’re a big tag axle with a 3 way fridge that must be level then I can see the attraction.
As a minimum, live with it before buying and installing big ticket items, you might find you’ll never need if miss them.
One other thing I detest in our van is the poxy three way fridge, what a god damn awful invention that is. Fine if you park up for months but we use our van lots and you forever swearing as one or both of us had forgotten to switch it over. It'll be getting replaced with a 12v compressor fridge when I can find one that fits in the hole (which I've had no luck with yet)
My previous van had two 110ah AGM batteries & solar that had lasted ten years and I never flattened once. That was with a compressor fridge and diesel heater etc
My previous van had two 110ah AGM batteries & solar that had lasted ten years and I never flattened once. That was with a compressor fridge and diesel heater etc
Re compressor fridges, I have one in the van and it’s great, no need to level or worry about the gas igniting etc. I will say that they do use hab batteries a bit, mines a 90ltr and off grid parked up it will use between 30-45ah/day. That’s a big part of your useable particularly for AGM set ups. Obv if you’re driving it’s using your alternator (good time to turn the temp gauge right down whilst in transit.
Re finding the right size both Thetford and to a lesser extent Dometic do a fair range of 12v compressor fridges.
Re finding the right size both Thetford and to a lesser extent Dometic do a fair range of 12v compressor fridges.
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