Battery Charging
&
Connecting to the Mains

Battery Charging

We get lots of emails on this subject as it causes much confusion. The most common question is "Do I have to have the A'van roof raised when charging the battery"? The answer is no as the factory have done a wonderful job of providing an excellent battery enclosure that vents any inflammable gases directly to the outside. It is double vented with fresh air coming from the bottom and exiting through the side wall via a 50mm flexible pipe. Why does it need to be vented? It is because under some circumstances batteries can give off inflammable gases and other nasties. Under no circumstances remove/modify or block the vents. The bottom one is a hole in the floor that must be kept clear of mud and in some cases in the country, vermin.

A'van in their manual recommend that you leave your A'van on charge when you are not using it. The built in charger (converter) applies a float or trickle charge once the battery is fully charged. It is easier to check what is going on in the pre-2001 models as small LED's indicate exactly what is happening. The later models do not have a control panel so you sort of have to fly blind. It is generally agreed that if you store a battery in a discharged state for just one month you will cause irrepairable damage. In our view this advice is spot on.

Using Solar for Battery Maintenance

Solar is a different matter. If your van is stored outside with at least 3 hours of sunlight a day there is no need to connect to the 240 volt mains when not in use. The solar voltage regulator will automatically keep your battery fully charged ready for your next trip away. It is very good practice to give the panel a wipe over every week. It is very important to make certain that you have left nothing electrical running in your A'van. It's very easy for instance to leave a built in CD or tape player on. The gas detector when fitted also draws what is called a "phantom" current. Make certain that the fridge auto lighting circuit is not left on if you have the smaller fridge. This is very easy to do if you get into the very bad habit of just turning the fridge off by shutting off the gas at the bottle instead of at the fridge. If any of these things are on 24 hours a day, the solar will have trouble coping, particularly in winter or partial shade. Some A'vans have a main battery switch so turning it off solves the problem.

Battery Types

Most A'vans with the much dearer so called  "large" batteries are what is known as "maintenance free". This means that they don't need water added. Don't be fooled into thinking that they are totally sealed though as they have a safety vent to stop the battery exploding under some conditions of overcharging. Normally you don't need to do anything other than occasionally check if the terminals have corrosion (rare). You MUST still use the sealed battery box as fitted by the factory. Looking in the A'van manual you should find a battery guarantee. This should tell you the type of battery you have.

Many A'vans with the standard (called small) battery are not maintenance free which means you should top them up with distilled water every 3 months just as you do with your car battery. If you get your A'van serviced by your dealer, just mention that you would like this work done as well. Unfortunately you can't tell the type of battery you have just by looking at the outside of the box. You must remove the lid. A'vans prior to late 2001 have a battery box with lots of hard to get at screws along the rear side. The hardest model to work on is the 3C as it has a piece of screwed plywood on top. It is a total pain but you MUST put these screws back after each inspection or your box could leak gas into the interior. Wives are more adept at this! (read patient!)

All caravans and motorhomes by law must have a 15 amp plug/socket  to connect to the 240 volt mains. This is a special plug with a wider than normal earth pin. It will not for instance fit into any normal 10 amp power point you have at home. The photograph above clearly shows the different sized earth pins - the one on the left is the 15 amp plug (in pieces!) All caravan parks ONLY provide 15 amp outlets. You will however come across Scout Camps, Education Centres where only 10 amp outlets are used. Most parks also protect you electrically by using double pole (both active and neutral are switched)  ELCB's and overloads. These are also called earth leakage detectors and more recently Residual Current Devices - RCD. Fuses seem to be a thing of the past thank heavens. Most modern homes have one fitted. If yours doesn't fitting one is a high priority and it will be the best $180.00 you ever spend!

Connecting Your A'van to the Mains at Home

Before taking delivery of your A'van it is good practice to have your electrician install a 15 amp power point near to where you will be garaging your new A'van. You need this for running your fridge for 24 hours before each trip and for keeping the battery fully charged. IT IS ESSENTIAL. This usually costs less that $100.00 and is great if ever you intend to run a small welder. After you have had this work done please test it using the simple procedures we have outlined below.

Why do you Need 15 Amps?

So why is 15 amp a legal requirement? Mainly because you are inside a metal box that is a fantastic conductor of electricity. It is indeed a very unsafe environment. If for some reason it became live, you need the extra protection the larger earth pin provides. Your A'van is fitted with a double pole earth leakage detector, but it can't trip if the earth is faulty. (ELCB)

EARTH LEAKAGE DETECTORS WONT SAVE YOU IF THERE IS NO EARTH

THERE IS NO LEGAL WAY TO GO FROM 10AMP TO 15AMP

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 15AMP DOUBLE ADAPTOR

If you kill someone using an illegal fitting it is doubtful that your insurance company will cover you. The author Collyn Rivers checked over this story for us and pointed out also that you could even be up for manslaughter. The law relating to electrical lead safety is slowly changing, with new regulations on the horizon. In anticipation of this, CMCA motorhome rallies for instance, will not let you plug in your RV unless you have a certified lead. It is generally felt that this will be made law in late 2002 and you will have to show your certified leads to caravan park proprietors before plugging in. We have come across two caravanners who were turned away from a large NSW caravan parks because of iffy leads. This is no doubt because of the insurance crisis. Even if a lead is brand new it WILL HAVE TO HAVE a certification attached and an entry made in the inspector's log. The orange leads above show the new tags used. Don't forget that ALL leads used with your A'van to connect to the mains should be tested and labelled. Testing is not expensive and costs $4 to $10 and can be done by most electricians. We totally agree with these new moves, as it is a vital safety issue, causes no inconvenience and it certainly gives you peace of mind. As well as visually inspecting the lead it is subject to high voltage and the leakage between the conductors is measured. Special thanks to Geoff Adcock from the CMCA for assistance with compiling this information on the up and coming regulations. Geoff also suggests that you store your leads without kinks and try not to run over them particularly on hard surfaces. He swears by the Flat Out reel concept. ($40.00)

Completely Remove Your Lead

It is very important to pull your lead right out of the A'van BEFORE connecting to the mains and to FULLY UNCOIL any extension lead as well. This applies when in your garage whilst battery charging etc. Coiled leads generate heat due to inductance and can ignite. This is not an old wives tale - it does happen and is well documented. We have seen examples of this - not a pretty sight!

There is a very cheap testing device available from Dick Smith Electronics. ($10.00) You simply plug it into the caravan park pole BEFORE plugging in your A'van. No lights means the pole is not on - it is not readily obvious on some poles just how to turn in on either particularly the mushroom type. One light DO NOT USE THIS POLE. Two lights on - OK. There are many different types of these on the market, but this one is the most "idiot proof", for non-electrical folk like most of us and the instructions are clearly printed on the top as you can see by looking at the photo on the left below. Coles and Woolies sell a grey version with three lights. This is just too hard to understand, too easy to make a mistake when relying on memory, as it covers to many eventualities. After checking the pole we then connect up and pop the tester in an A'van power point and check again - particularly important if you are using someone else's extension lead. Make it a golden rule to use it whenever you use someone else's lead. This often happens at club rallies when we all so naughtily "daisy chain" vans using the outside power point. The tester makes a great night light if you leave it plugged in! Also stops it getting lost. There are some very good articles on this site on electrical safety written by fellow A'vanners with excellent electrical knowledge. A good overview is on this page. Please DO USE the procedures outlined here to check the power point you use at home. Whilst you are at it why not spend 15 minutes and check every power point and lead in your home?

Two lights means it is 100% OK

It plugs into any lead or power point

It is extremely good practice to trip your ELCB or RCD in the A'van at least once a month. To do this connect power and simply press the TEST button. If it is working properly you should hear a loud clunk and the power INSIDE the van should go off. NOTE: If you do this in some caravan parks you may cause their pole ELCB to trip off as well as the internal one in the A'van. Just switch it back on at the pole. This is actually a good sign. If you are in a rally "daisy chain" situation you may trip every van in the chain plus the pole! Some A'vans built before 2001 actually have two safety devices. Be sure to trip both (easy to spot - they are usually on A'vans with the spunky Arlec control panel) The main breaker is usually very close to where the 240 volt cable enters the A'van - sometimes under the bed! We would like to see A'van relocate this device to a more accessible position.

The moral of this page is not to mess with the safety of your family and friends. The laws in this case are there to protect us all, so please do the right thing!

Bob Eustace  - with special thanks to Geoff Adcock and Collyn Rivers