TOPIC: Hi everyone...Need advice!!!

Hi everyone, I’m new to this site, I’ve just bought my 1st caravan. I wondering if anyone can offer me some advice. When our caravan is hooked up to the main electrics in the house all the lights and socks work in the caravan, but once we turn it off to run it from the battery only the lights work the socks don’t. We have checked all the connections on the battery and everything is secure. Now we’re at a loss. Anyone got any helpful advice before we call out an electrician. Thank in advance x

Lights will be 12v and sockets 240v.

Hope this helps

Kev

As Kev has said the sockets are 230v.
So they will only be usable when you are connected to hook up.
Regards and of course
Happy Caravanning
paws

As our two previous posters, correctly stated, sockets are 240v, ie mains power, but also some of your light may be mains power, and will not work,
Welcome to the sometime confusing world of caravanning.
Hutch

Hi, it’s very confusing when you first get a caravan and even when you’ve had one for a long time there will be things that you forget and need a little refresher from others, re the lights quite often there will be some lights in a caravan that work using 230v and others that use 12v, if your hooked up to the mains they will all work and you will not be aware which are which, when you are disconnected the ones that still work are the ones that have been working on 12 all the time, the other thing that works from 12 is the water pump, the fridge will have a 12v setting but that only works when your hooked up to the car, the heating and fridge will work on 230v and also gas but neither on 12v.

Have fun.

BP

Thank you for all your replies it has driven us mad all weekend!! It’s our 1st caravan so not really clued up yet! No doubt you'll be getting pestered by me over the coming weeks. I’ve got to tow the thing yet thanks again. Helen x

You won't be pestering anyone Lellypops, there is a good and helpful group of people on here, ask away.

And Welcome

All replies to questions require a case load of booze to be sent to any person giving a reply, ask the mods for the address to send it to.

I'll have case of (12) Glenfiddich, thanks,

Lellypops wrote:
Helen Hi
Don't worry-we have been caravanning/motorhoming for 30 years now & Mrs B still hasn't worked out what is 12v & what is 230!
The times she asks if she can use Hairdryer/Straighteners/Microwave/Kettle even these days is unbelievable!
Basically-if it has a 3 pin it will only work on Hook-up or Generator (and if it's a hairdryer it needs a high output generator) As everybody else has said some of your lights will be mains & some 12 volt-you should also have a 'Cigarette Lighter' 12v socket to use for TV etc which will work off your batteries but be careful-some TVs use a lot of juice so don't flatten your batteries (unless you have Solar Panel fitted)
Welcome to the world of Caravanning!
Mike

Welcome to the forum. Not sure I can add a lot to what has been said but you will find a battery setting on the fridge. This will only work when the caravan is hooked up to the car and the engine is running, and is just to keep the fridge cool when traveling. In normal circumstances you have to use mains power or gas to run it. Hope this helps.

Raywood wrote:
It just occurred to me, there is a Haynes Caravan manual which will help greatly if you are doing your own maintanence on the caravan. Probably available on Amazon but certainly Halfords stock it.

Yes i have on a very handy book , cover allmost everything you might need to know about caravanning.

Hutch