Gasless motorhomes

Pilgrim, 

I have used an Autotrail V line 600 with an Isotherm compressor fridge for the last 5 years, it is the ONLY piece of original  kit that I would change, apart from the Media unit, but that's another story.

   It is a marine drawer unit and works very well PROVIDED you are on EHU, otherwise it can flatten an 110 ah leisure battery in a rainy day !  Even with the 100watt solar panel giving a good power, 2-3 days is the longest It has carried on working. 

So, if spending any time OFF of EHU, get a 3 way fridge and run it on gas.

Nothing wrong with a Compressor fridge, but they are 12v power hungry. In my experience.

Just noticed you are considering a diesel heater too, we also had a Webasto heater/hot water system on our 2005 Autocruise Starburst,  this too works very well, easily as good a our Truma Combi, BUT it too is very heavy on 12v power especially on start up,  definately 2 x 110 amp  and possibly bigger leisure batteries. To avoid problems.

Thanks for all those comments & ideas - very thought provoking.

Comments on other forums have suggested having two lithium batteries & solar panels as the "draw" for the compressor fridge is, as others have stated, quite high & an AGM without a solar set up might struggle.

As I originally stated, any wild camping would only be for a couple of days/nights, so maybe just normal batteries & solar might suffice.

 

I'm told that the new generation of compressor fridges and diesel heaters are a lot quieter than they were. 

Thanks again all.

 

PilgrimPhil

 

Cost is certainly a factor, but I guess the only other advantage with compressor fridges is they don’t require much gravity to work so no need to be concerned about levelling. I’m told you need to aim for less than 3 degrees side to side and 6 degrees front to back for the fridge to work properly. We’ve certainly parked up at sloping festival sites and struggled with the fridge. However, if you know you’re going to be off grid for a few days you can always turn up to max in advance and fill it with frozen stuff. Just requires planning, but some don’t appreciate planning their trips around the fridge temperature!

One thing to consider with 3 way absorption fridges is exterior vents required, which of course affects where the fridge can be positioned in the van.

I believe that a lithium battery could supply this amount of AH from the 100AH rated capacity, but a lead acid depending on type usually delivers 40-60%of rated capacity. Any more can result in shortened life. 

Weinsberg already produce an electric-only caravan, the CaraCito, without any provisions for gas.

How would an 'electric only' caravan manage on 5amp supplied Continental sites ? Strange that Continental Maker Weinsberg are the first ones to produce one. Is there a market for such a thing ?

Notice from their advert, that air conditioning is standard, that's nearly all the 5amp gone already.

Seems that British sites were quite forward looking supplying 16amp as standard on  pitches.

How would an 'electric only' caravan manage on 5amp supplied Continental sites?

Over time 5 amp would be able to charge a bank of lithium batteries which in turn could power most equipment continuously (e.g. a compressor fridge) and higher demand equipment (e.g a cooker and water heater) for some hours, especially if supported by the 24/7 5 amp supply, plus solar during the day.

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Don't forget that in Germany, albeit sometimes metered, usually has a 16 amp supply on camp sites so I suppose on home soil the Weinsberg would be fine?

David