How to thrive on a non 240v site!

Speaking as a long standing expert of one  whole weekend's off-gridding (!).... we've got one similar to that, but plugs into a modern sized 12v socket;  and no inverter. We also have to have another adaptor to make it fit our ancient cigarette lighter socket, but it happily charged several phones over the weekend, and the 80W SP showed a full battery later the same day (too busy to check very often) so that was fine.
In fact, we're wondering if we actually need an inverter at all.

Do you run anything substantial like a microwave from your inverter, Merve?

I was looking at completing the kit with a 1500wat inverter but looking at the stuff in the van, Microwave - We hardly ever use that at home let alone caravan, Kettle - we have gas! and looking I think the only thing we may use would be the toaster, but to be honest we have a gas grill so for the moment I have gone off the idea of the inverter (unless I have missed something and anyone tells me better!)

Just came back from another 4 days in Kent off grid, so got a better idea of Gas usage, and all was good, battery never even came close to getting flat, so had a nice few days (other that having the cost of the CL go up when we got there, £10 a night went to £12 and then an extra £1 per night for the awning, so £13 per night not £10!) 

Thanks for your responses to my inverter query...I didn't realise it was so complicated.  I will go for the easy option and look at getting  a USB multi plug thing that merve mentioned or just a 12v charger with USB sockets...thank you again.

I am pretty sure Merve uses a micro and a toaster on his inverter plus a few other things - a vaccum? 

hi Merve, actually at Centre Parcs Longleat with the family....just finished dinner and a game if cards, GD off to bed, just having a glass of red and catching up here......

re the piccy.....i just googled (on ipad) the adaptor, clicked 'save image' which places it in 'photos'.....then, when posting, i can 'add photo' from the library and add the pic of the adaptor....

home next week, then revisiting Crealy, nr Exeter, who have got back into touring about 18 mths back...

just like Haven, cheap as chips off peak.....(tho not next week, as we are taking GD.....)

Tracy, the inverter is fairly straight forward...it connects to the 12v batteries and creates 230v power for mains items...

what can seem more complicated is 'thinking' about what items you might want to use with it, and therefore, how big a one to get....

i only have 500w one, not large by most stds, but we dont run any large devices from it......a sky hd box and our electric bike battery chargers, so i ran an extension into the garage for convenience....

I use two inverters, one for the TV which draws 40 watts and the other runs the Microwave (700 Watts), Toaster (700 Watts), Vacuum (850 Watts) and Hair Dryer (1200 Watts). 


The first one I bought around 15 years ago prior to driving down into the Dordogne. It allowed my two sons to use their PlayStation in the car. It cost me £30 back then. The second Inverter, which I bought at the beginning of this season, is a 3000/1500 Watt version which cost me £30.99. Search for "Modified Sine Wave Inverter 3000 Watt. I am fitting a second battery this evening before heading off to France (Dordogne) on Sunday.


I owe a huge gratitude of debt to Merve for opening my eyes to enjoying my hobby without needing EHU. Solar Panals allow me to power EVERY device that the expensive Orange cable does. I cannot think of anything I'm missing out on.


If our club, via the magazine,  were to publish Merve's article on 'How to survive a non 240 V EHU site' it would help to open the eyes of thousands of other members who, in my view, simply don't think the technology exists. In the latest copy there is a full page advert by Honda     Portable Generaters with the headline "Powering your adventures". They are offering a whopping £200 of their EU20i model to club members. However, when you discover that it costs in excess of £1000 it begs the question, why does the club allow adverts like this but won't publish an article demonstrating that Solar Panals, costing much less, do the same job as a generator and are certainly greener too. 


Caravan manufacturers have have the ability to produce a Van without the need for EHU but my guess is that while our club refuses to promote Solar Panals, Safefill/Gaslow or other green initiatives, then we won't be seeing a totally 'Green' Caravan anytime soon.

It seems to me that generating income is more important to the club than serving the interests of its members.

many top line German MHs come with solar panels, large battery banks and inverters fitted...some with complete 'switch over' systems to enable all '230v' sockets to run from the inverter.

the demand driving this is that many MHers just want to pull in anywhere and have all services on tap....

however, this technology isnt going to be popular in low priced UK caravans until the demand is there, which, at present is satisfied by an EHU cable on site...

perhaps it might get into UK MHs first, with their owners more likely to use aires and pub-type stopovers...

one shift necessary is for owners to be able to offset the cost of new technology by making savings in not taking up an EHU option, currently not available at the vast majority of CC sites.

theres little point in adverts/articals for SP/inverters making it to the CC mag if their sites dont allow members to make the savings they bring.

yes, non EHU CLs ( as used by Merve) and the THS sites from CCC that we and many others use, reflect the lower cost of not taking the cable.....

for main site users (and many wont use anything else) it isnt interesting reading....

however, none of the above should mean that decent and fair exposure in the CC mag should not be given, it may help to provide more options for those who wish try a new approach.

Kevlon's right, in my view. There's a huge fight-back against the move to go greener - look at the energy companies blaming the gov't's still undersized commitment to green generation for their own price hike yesterday & today. And Britain seems more determined than some to stick to the outdated fossil stuff until they've extracted the last possible penny from it, rather than moving on with the new technology which would soon, by dint of scale, make green things much cheaper.
All strength to the good people here for flying the flag!
Dear CMC, it would be so-o-o useful if you had a  really decent section about all this in the information section of this website, as well as enlightened articles in the magazine.

PS Having just come back from a lovely storytelling festival in Shropshire where generators were needed to power equipment reminds me that solar panels are infinitely quieter too, and nicer for the neighbours!! Wake-up time for all was when the power went back on.