How to thrive on a non 240v site!

Yes BB - just been looking at them again after the show but I can really see why they are a good buy. Yes, they are expensive - X75 - £749  X125 £1,189! BUT! When you consider all the advantages of a Lithium Ion, not least of all the weight saving, they are worth it to someone like me who is never going back to EHU. They last 3-4 times that of lead acid batteries, don't produce gas, don't spill any acid, can be totally discharged (instead of the 50% of the old tech) therefore hold much more usable power etc etc I can see why non EHUers would be interested. http://www.powerxtremebatteries.co.uk

im guessing prices will drop as the technology becomes more commonplace...

And if they become more popular due to electric cars

Judging by how "good" they have been in all our laptops and mobile phones, then I will need a great deal of convincing that the versions for caravans have made quite an improvement over these.

I really think that the cost/benefit of Li-Ion is still a very long way off in the caravan/MH context.

I believe the effort should be concentrated on generating as much power as you need (almost certainly from PV) to sustain your daily demand with the minimum depletion of the available storage capacity. The batteries on my boat (purchased from a caravan outlet) are now 12 years old, and though they now have much reduced capacity, they are still perfectly functional.   The battery on my caravan was of unknown age when I bought the 'van 3 years ago and has been used extensively 'off grid' but with PV charging. I have never discharged  It below 70% and it still has excellent capacity.

I do consider a proper Ahr meter (one that actually measures cumulative current in-and-out of the battery via a shunt) essential for proper battery management.

Merve, you do seem to be a very heavy user of power, with your big inverter etc!    There is the alternative approach of just reducing consumption

Well not really Vic. I haven't and don't have the inverter banging away all day long! I only use it when I need to use my 240v kit i.e. Microwave, toaster etc. Otherwise it's shut off and killed through a 12v relay. The only reason I have a 2000w inverter as explained before (before the club 'lost' the original thread!) is because I don't want to be unsung it at the max- I want extra capacity if I need it. However, even if I was a 'heavy' user of electricity, I would be restricted by the battery capacity. My intention has always been to be as comfortable as I was with EHU- I am. 

Sorry, that is supposed to read - I don't want to be using at the max. 

I almost relish filling my Safefills these days! We returned from a fortnight in Wales having taken my 10.3 KG SF cylinder and my small 5kg as a back up which wasn't needed in the end as the 10.3 got us right the way through- just!. This morning I popped to Corby and took my 8.6 and my 10.3 for filling. They were both empty. £16.95! Working on a cylinder price of £24 (and they can be dearer) for 6kgs I have calculated that the same amount of gas in 6kg cylinders would be £75.40!!- £58.45 in my pocket and not in Calors! Then calculate what the Safefill and SP saved us by allowing us to go non EHU for 14days saving us at least £6 or £7 a night - another £84 - £98 - it's a no brainer! -looking at it another way- that's one cylinder paid for in savings. Dorset for 21 days at £4 a night soon- and just as comfortable as I ever was with EHU- the savings just go on and on. 

It may interest some of you guys to know that , although not everyone wants to go down the nonEHU road, this thread has encouraged a number to do so and to find a completely different take on caravanning. I have been contacted by 2 guys of late, Des from Northern Ireland and Kev from Yorkshire. Both have been fascinated by this thread and have both been eager to converse with me via email to further their knowledge of non EHU. Thanks to both for your interest and please, let us know your experiences - we can all learn from one another   

I've bitten the bullet and ordered a Safefill cylinder. Just have to find a good home for two full Calorlites now.