For caravanners' eyes only - we're getting a new one!!

[Bobby Dazzler]

I don't suppose the on board computer is much use in the AMG then; if it is the same as ours the worst average consumption it seems capable of displaying is 14.1mpg (6 km/l?) Which it does for the first mile of any journey!

Our is definitely capable reporting even worse consumption!

 

[BTB 500]

I don't suppose the on board computer is much use in the AMG then; if it is the same as ours the worst average consumption it seems capable of displaying is 14.1mpg (6 km/l?) Which it does for the first mile of any journey!

Interestingly when we had the instrument cluster replaced on our Vito the new one had a few differences, one of which is that it doesn't report consumption in the first mile of a trip. We also have range (remaining miles), which the original one didn't have

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Just back from our first trip away in the caravan this year. I can’t believe it’s been 13 years since we bought it, the time has flown by. Although we’ve looked several times during that time we’ve been unable to find a caravan we like more, even though she now has some patina.

We had the bodywork professionally restored a few years ago and it could probably do with being done again to bring back the gloss fully on the front panel. However after a quick wash on Thursday night she’s looking surprisingly fresh again - it was 4 hours well spent.

Rather than polish/wax her I applied a very generous covering of Gyeon Wet Coat, which I use as a drying aid and booster for the ceramic coatings on my cars. I used it more generously than I might on a car to make sure that I didn’t miss bits, and it’s clearly doing it’s hydrophobic thing.

Looking forward to the next trip already.

 

[Wolfie1]

We are away in ours tomorrow for the first trip of the year, am really looking forward to it, i used rhino goo for the first wash since last year a few weekend ago and last weekend washed it again with gyeon bathe + and it too is beading nicely now

 

[davidjpowell]

Ours needs an awning rail resealing so is undercover at the moment.

First priority is a get the towbar fitting finished to get it home though!

Untitled by David Powell, on Flick

 

[BTB 500]

We've had a couple of trips away in our caravan this year, and got it back from annual service this morning. I asked them to test the fridge as it has never cooled (at all) on 12V while towing. I'd done a quick check myself and measured 14V at the terminals on the back of the fridge with it hitched up and the engine running, so I assumed there was a fault with the fridge. I chatted to the tech. when I dropped it off and he said the problem was almost certainly that the vehicle wasn't able to supply enough current - this is apparently extremely common as large modern fridges require around 15A (200+ Watts), which most vehicles can't provide. They hooked the caravan up to a test harness and sure enough the fridge then worked fine. When I got back I measured the voltage at the fridge again while it was still hitched up, and although it was 14V with the fridge off it cycled between 9.3V and 0V with it on! This cycling was down to the low voltage (battery protection) relay cutting in and out. I assume the power cabling running to the 13 pin socket in our Vito simply isn't heavy enough gauge, causing the voltage to drop as soon as current starts to flow. That's not going to be easy to fix, so we'll probably just live with the fridge taking a few hours to cool after we arrive on site.

Does anyone have a fridge that actually cools while towing?

 

[Wolfie1]

When i leave the fridge on 12v the light flashes and a warning fault appears on the screen and then when i start the car the light goes on solid and the warning message goes away so i have always assumed it works, ice never melts in the freezer compartment and beer is always still cold by the time we get on site

 

[Martyn_n]

When i leave the fridge on 12v the light flashes and a warning fault appears on the screen and then when i start the car the light goes on solid and the warning message goes away so i have always assumed it works, ice never melts in the freezer compartment and beer is always still cold by the time we get on site

Ours is exactly like this, and it DID cool whilst driving. However, even though it still behaves in the same way regarding the lights / warning it no longer cools due to the element having failed. This was diagnosed by the dealer whose test rig checks the current as well as the voltage. I am not planning any long drives so will get round to fixing it at some point but it's not pressing, we simply pre cool it on 240v for 24 hours before setting off.

If the symptoms were like BTB 500's I would be checking the towing plug and socket for corrosion including where the wires are terminated on both items.

 

[ALFAitalia]

T

When i leave the fridge on 12v the light flashes and a warning fault appears on the screen and then when i start the car the light goes on solid and the warning message goes away so i have always assumed it works, ice never melts in the freezer compartment and beer is always still cold by the time we get on site

Thats exactly how it should work.....obviously the 12v part of the fridge will only work with the car engine actually running....not from the car battery or the caravan leisure battery!

 

[Gollom]

We've had a couple of trips away in our caravan this year, and got it back from annual service this morning. I asked them to test the fridge as it has never cooled (at all) on 12V while towing. I'd done a quick check myself and measured 14V at the terminals on the back of the fridge with it hitched up and the engine running, so I assumed there was a fault with the fridge. I chatted to the tech. when I dropped it off and he said the problem was almost certainly that the vehicle wasn't able to supply enough current - this is apparently extremely common as large modern fridges require around 15A (200+ Watts), which most vehicles can't provide. They hooked the caravan up to a test harness and sure enough the fridge then worked fine. When I got back I measured the voltage at the fridge again while it was still hitched up, and although it was 14V with the fridge off it cycled between 9.3V and 0V with it on! This cycling was down to the low voltage (battery protection) relay cutting in and out. I assume the power cabling running to the 13 pin socket in our Vito simply isn't heavy enough gauge, causing the voltage to drop as soon as current starts to flow. That's not going to be easy to fix, so we'll probably just live with the fridge taking a few hours to cool after we arrive on site.

Does anyone have a fridge that actually cools while towing?

We used to put important stuff (beer, bacon & butter!) needed within 6 hours in one of those cool boxes that run through the cigarette lighter, along with a couple of ice packs. Was enough until fridge cool enough. It was then used in the awning as a beer staging post!

 

[ALFAitalia]

We've had a couple of trips away in our caravan this year, and got it back from annual service this morning. I asked them to test the fridge as it has never cooled (at all) on 12V while towing. I'd done a quick check myself and measured 14V at the terminals on the back of the fridge with it hitched up and the engine running, so I assumed there was a fault with the fridge. I chatted to the tech. when I dropped it off and he said the problem was almost certainly that the vehicle wasn't able to supply enough current - this is apparently extremely common as large modern fridges require around 15A (200+ Watts), which most vehicles can't provide. They hooked the caravan up to a test harness and sure enough the fridge then worked fine. When I got back I measured the voltage at the fridge again while it was still hitched up, and although it was 14V with the fridge off it cycled between 9.3V and 0V with it on! This cycling was down to the low voltage (battery protection) relay cutting in and out. I assume the power cabling running to the 13 pin socket in our Vito simply isn't heavy enough gauge, causing the voltage to drop as soon as current starts to flow. That's not going to be easy to fix, so we'll probably just live with the fridge taking a few hours to cool after we arrive on site.

Does anyone have a fridge that actually cools while towing?

This problem is very common....not helped by so called intelligent charging systems that cut the alternator when the car battery is fully charged....which in turn stops the fridge being cooled. 15 amps should easily be available from a modern alternator....where a 120 to 150amp peak output is common place. Canbus has a lot to answer for!!!

 

[davidjpowell]

Same issue. Warm Beer on arrival at Le Mans. Not happy!

 

[BTB 500]

The 13 pin socket contacts on the van are spotless, and all the connections to it are good. You'd need pretty hefty cabling running the length of a vehicle to supply 15A (roughly equivalent to four headlamp bulbs) without significant voltage drop. As mentioned some way back the factory 13 pin towing electrics on our Vito didn't include either permanent or ignition-switched power - this only became a significant issue when we got the current caravan as that has AL-KO ATC (which needs the permanent live). So I had both feeds added by an auto electrician, and I think the cable used was just too thin (likely for ease of fitting).

We currently pre-chill everything at home and transport in a cool box & bag, then transfer to the caravan fridge before going to bed (when it has had a chance to cool down a bit).

 

[JHS]

No trouble at all with the fridge in our Eriba Triton. Works perfectly on 12v when hitched and 230v on EHU.
Never seen any warning lights or messages on the screen.

 

[BTB 500]

We've had a couple of trips away in our caravan this year, and got it back from annual service this morning. I asked them to test the fridge as it has never cooled (at all) on 12V while towing. I'd done a quick check myself and measured 14V at the terminals on the back of the fridge with it hitched up and the engine running, so I assumed there was a fault with the fridge. I chatted to the tech. when I dropped it off and he said the problem was almost certainly that the vehicle wasn't able to supply enough current - this is apparently extremely common as large modern fridges require around 15A (200+ Watts), which most vehicles can't provide. They hooked the caravan up to a test harness and sure enough the fridge then worked fine. When I got back I measured the voltage at the fridge again while it was still hitched up, and although it was 14V with the fridge off it cycled between 9.3V and 0V with it on! This cycling was down to the low voltage (battery protection) relay cutting in and out. I assume the power cabling running to the 13 pin socket in our Vito simply isn't heavy enough gauge, causing the voltage to drop as soon as current starts to flow. That's not going to be easy to fix, so we'll probably just live with the fridge taking a few hours to cool after we arrive on site.

Got this sorted by a local towing specialist today for £100 plus VAT (2 hours labour). I now get a steady 10.7V at the fridge terminals with the fridge on and the engine idling - this is high enough for the low voltage cutoff not to trip, and may well increase when on the move. We'll see how well it works while towing next time we're out.

We've just got back from a 4-day trip (competing with the dogs as usual). We had a gas cylinder run out while we were on site ... it amazes me that more people don't use an auto changeover valve with twin bottles. They're not expensive and simply screw to the regulator where a single pigtail would normally go:

Gaslow Automatic changeover valve 30Mb | Gaslow Shop Online

www.gaslowshop.co.uk

AFAIK all caravans these days have provision for a pair of 6 kg / 7 kg bottles.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Got this sorted by a local towing specialist today for £100 plus VAT (2 hours labour). I now get a steady 10.7V at the fridge terminals with the fridge on and the engine idling - this is high enough for the low voltage cutoff not to trip, and may well increase when on the move. We'll see how well it works while towing next time we're out.

We've just got back from a 4-day trip (competing with the dogs as usual). We had a gas cylinder run out while we were on site ... it amazes me that more people don't use an auto changeover valve with twin bottles. They're not expensive and simply screw to the regulator where a single pigtail would normally go:

Gaslow Automatic changeover valve 30Mb | Gaslow Shop Online

www.gaslowshop.co.uk

AFAIK all caravans these days have provision for a pair of 6 kg / 7 kg bottles.

We only carry one gas bottle and we’ve only changed it once in 17 years of caravanning. Even so I don’t think we actually used the first one, if I remember right we took it to the school BBQ and never bought it home again, so had to get a new one. That was probably more than 10 or 12 years ago though!

We only ever stay on sites with electric hook ups though, and I suspect many caravanners are the same. If we used our caravan like you do then I’d definitely have a twin bottle with auto-switchover valve like you do

 

[BTB 500]

Yes, very good point! Only one of the events we go to each year offers electric hookup, and they charge an extra £55 for it. So it's gas and 12V for everything, and having built-in solar charging is incredibly convenient. Our current caravan only ever been connected to mains power once (when we used the fridge in it for a week after moving house).

 

[BTB 500]

Got a replacement gas cylinder this morning (6kg propane) - £23.50

 

[ALFAitalia]

I now get a steady 10.7V at the fridge terminals with the fridge on and the engine idling - this is high enough for the low voltage cutoff not

That's not enough....why is it not at you cars charging voltage as it should be (so 13.6 to 14.2 volts? On Dometic fridge's they need a minimum of 12v to stop the cutting out/ beeping fault.....even that can be too low as they can pull up to 170w model dependant.....(so about 14 amps at 12v)....so that 10.7 volts will probably drop further under load like when its a hot day.

 

[BTB 500]

That's not enough....why is it not at you cars charging voltage as it should be (so 13.6 to 14.2 volts? On Dometic fridge's they need a minimum of 12v to stop the cutting out/ beeping fault.....even that can be too low as they can pull up to 170w model dependant.....(so about 14 amps at 12v)....so that 10.7 volts will probably drop further under load like when its a hot day.

Alternators don't give maximum output with the engine just idling - a significant current draw may pull the voltage down at low rpm. I'm assuming it will rise at normal road speeds. The low voltage cutoff for the fridge doesn't activate now - I tested this yesterday.

The fridge load is constant regardless of air temperature - it's just a heating element (fixed resistor). Could be wrong but I don't believe the fridge thermostat is used on DC power - it just runs continuously (it's not intended for long term use).