Why so little caravan based information

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hedgerowpete asked Mar 13, '22

Why so little caravan based information

Been working on a UK based tow behind a car caravan rework. But really struggled.

Millions of hours of videos on busses, vans, boats, houses and lorries but nothing or extreamly very little on caravans.

This is not just pointed at Victron but at the world all over. I tried several Victron suppliers and got told to leave as they dont do caravans.

Been out asking questions on Facebook on victron sites and been trolled and forced off. Been through all the forums for van lifers and lorry converts and caravan and camping but its a massive no from everyone. I am several home solar forums and eco green sites and got some form of info but its extreamly hard to find anyone doing this sort of stuff and no on certainly covers it on a video channel or blog.

Why is it that Caravans are seen by all as untouchable?

Are we the dirty and unwashed? LOL

offgrid

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Alexandra answered · Mar 13, 2022 at 05:28 PM

@Hedgerowpete

Not sure how the caravan is different to any other automotive install?

There are loads of resources just here on Victron's own site.

The elements in the install would be the same. Maybe the caravan Victron install has not caught on in the UK yet with the people you are chatting to? There are companies in UK dedicated to it like tiny build electrics.

What do you want to know?

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Answer 1 · 2022-03-14T20:53:37Z

hedgerowpete answered · Mar 14, 2022 at 08:53 PM

Hi Alexandra, I found very little on this Victron site aimed at caravans. I have spent many unhappy hours filtering through the back chats. Learning about system set ups and alternative methods of construction.

They are considerble different to a camper van set up by a large margin. I did try to contact the Victron YouTube channel and got turned down as unsuitable. I tried to contact the main sales agent and was turned down and rudely too. Tried several UK re-sellers and installers and all told me the same storey that Victron refuses to deal with anything non standard and that includes all caravan installs or refurbishments. Victron refuse any information directed as non standard in case of lawyers and insurance claims. Even here there is very very few caravan related questions and all that have been asked have been quietly and quickly killed off.

I am working my way through hundreds of posts and ideas trying to work out what and where i should be going. but the calculations i have and the details and information is so far from the norm that items are designed to run with. I have to buy a piece of kit and try to find the way it would best work inside my enviroment.

Great if your a techno genius a massive struggle if like me you dont understand this stuff. Like i said caravans are very very underrated as a sales area in my mind, The dirty cousin of the camper van world.

I say there is just as many people now looking to refurb old caravans for off grid holidays as there is Transit vans. I think they are missing a massive market here.

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Alexandra ♦ commented · Mar 15, 2022 at 11:30 AM

@Hedgerowpete

What are your system aims?

There is free training on Victron Professional. It is how I got my start in all this. There are even videos on system sizing.

All products have manuals that give recommended cable sizing fusing for products. So at the end of the day, it is as simple as deciding what you want, selecting components that can do that, then buying them.

Then there is always this forum for asking questions.

I should add a warning though.... It is a disease and the blue boxes always increase. (Or maybe it is just me)

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kevgermany ♦♦ commented · Mar 16, 2022 at 06:26 AM

I can understand your frustration, but I think you're going a bit overboard here. As said in another post, there's virtually no difference between a van and a camper. And a lot of boat stuff is also applicable.

Caravan club has a paper you can download on the mains requirements. Helped me a lot in Germany, believe it or not.

Suggestions

1 if you haven't found it already, take a look through Greg Virgoe's van build on youtube. He covers everything you need and as he has a stand alone van electric installation, without a link to the starter and alternator it's perfect for you. Just be aware that his cheap inverter died quickly and he had to replace it on the road.

2 get the mains side including hookup professionally installed and certified.

3 make sure all the components including wiring are easy to access.

4 plan what you need before you start, including where you want things.

5 get the wiring in early, otherwise you'll be struggling in tight spaces

6 don't mix voltages in conduits.

7 fuse everything.

I've gone too far, we're supposed to help by answering questions about Victron kit. But this should help you get moving.

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Answer 2 · 2022-03-15T10:35:02Z

hoeken answered · Mar 15, 2022 at 10:35 AM

Seems like you just need to connect with the right people amigo. Or learn to DIY. I'm not really familiar with caravans, but seems like its just a battery + maybe an inverter/charger, maybe some solar panels? There are a zillion example schematics on their website and honestly one of the best companies out there when it comes to documentation and transparency.

Here's 2 schematics I found on a quick google search that could be adapted pretty easily:

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/1.6KVA-MultiPlus-230V-with-VE.Bus-BMS-BMV-Cerbo-GX-Touch-50-Smart-Battery-protects-Argo-Fet-MPPT-Orion-Tr-smart.pdf

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/DS-Lucians-Victron-Van-Automotive-Multi.pdf

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Answer 3 · 2022-03-15T10:41:04Z

nickdb answered · Mar 15, 2022 at 10:41 AM

In this part of the world offroad caravans are very popular, as is powering them, since they go to places where there is no power.

It may just be the case that in the UK most users just drive along a flat piece of tarred road to a camp site with power ready and waiting, so there is little demand.

The yanks love powering their RV's, your use case isn't much different, apart from a tow bar in the middle.

There should be no shortage of inspiration out there for you, the basic recipe doesn't change much.

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