Electrical load

BC Sunshine

BC Sunshine

Active Member
Any resources for understanding electrical load? 'Lectrical for Dummies' kind of thingy..

Will be heading off camping in a few short weeks and will have electrical hookup available.
(30 amp service in Canada)

The Highwayman has LED interior lighting that runs off the batteries now, and an electric fridge that I think will only work while plugged into service - I haven't tested that yet.
Those are the only two electrical draws at present, other than headlights / wipers etc. The cooktop is 2 burner propane.
There is a stereo system installed, but it is not connected to power.

I'd like to be able to use a small heater/ fan, and slowcooker , but how do I figure out what can be plugged in before causing an overload? Sometimes while driving, the headlights will dim

I'm also planning to upgrade the headlights to LED, and add fog lights; is this possible?

Also, is there any kind of gauge or meter I can add that will let me know how the batteries are doing, and where would it be installed? A lot of what I see online doesn't seem compatible with a 1969 vehicle. :(
 
It's allaabout ohms law.

Add together the individual wattage of each item running on mains voltage.

Then divide by the voltage. This will give you the current in amps
 
30amp hookup is huge, max over here is usually 16a which I have on my caravan site and I haven’t had those trip out yet. a 3kw electric fire will draw 12.5a max, fridge probably 2or 3a when it’s on, led lights next to nothing.
 
We had multiple vans running off the same hook-ups at Commerfest, I'm sure there were over over thirty units plugged into seven or eight points with out a problem - except for people tripping over the cats cradle of extension leads:eek:
 
Our hookup is just a trailing socket with campsite type connector at one end and three way socket on the other. We just plug in a battery charger into one of the sockets and run everything off the leisure battery. If we want to use mains powered stuff we use one of the two spare sockets. Recently gone solar so don't need hookup at all. I reckon it will take between 60 to 90 days camping for the solar panel to pay for itself.
 
BE8A9A7A-462E-40E5-B0FC-C1E2101F2DAE.jpeg
BC Sunshine said:
Any resources for understanding electrical load? 'Lectrical for Dummies' kind of thingy..

Will be heading off camping in a few short weeks and will have electrical hookup available.
(30 amp service in Canada)

The Highwayman has LED interior lighting that runs off the batteries now, and an electric fridge that I think will only work while plugged into service - I haven't tested that yet.
Those are the only two electrical draws at present, other than headlights / wipers etc. The cooktop is 2 burner propane.
There is a stereo system installed, but it is not connected to power.

I'd like to be able to use a small heater/ fan, and slowcooker , but how do I figure out what can be plugged in before causing an overload? Sometimes while driving, the headlights will dim

I'm also planning to upgrade the headlights to LED, and add fog lights; is this possible?

Also, is there any kind of gauge or meter I can add that will let me know how the batteries are doing, and where would it be installed? A lot of what I see online doesn't seem compatible with a 1969 vehicle. :(
Click to expand...
I put one of these in to keep an eye on leisure battery. It’s not 1960’s but you could put it in a cupboard or something
 
With reference to led headlights. I have a crf450x which has a terrible headlight will only take a 35/35w bulb as its plastic so to go higher wattage I got a led bulb and it was crap. Read up and reflectors are/were designed for filament and led bulb is just all wrong for it. Very bright close, but no distance.
 
TriComm - solar is the goal - it’s in the works.

At some point, could you share some photos?
- your solar panel set up
- the charger to leisure battery set up; is this permanently wired in?
- the 3 way socket. My online searches haven’t been successful.

The Commer life is all brand new to me.
I’ve done loads of van camping in a converted Sprinter cargo van, and a beast of a 80’s Dodge Ram van thorough Mexico, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia in deep forests, off old logging roads, mountains and beaches - no official camp grounds. We managed fine with solar, propane, house batteries and when needed, scotch.

In Canada, the Highwayman is considered a C class RV in most campgrounds.

Panky -
I’m seriously considering how I could get over the Pond with Evangeline to attend a Commerfest! Your description of the extension cords sounds like our water hose situation in Mexico.

Martin - 30 amp service is pretty standard for RV sites here, what with all the 5th wheels with air conditioning, hot water tanks, microwaves and big screen satellite TVs... I think I could easily manage with 15 amps, but the plug that came with Evangeline is the big 30 amp one.

SOupdragon -
Thank you! Time to do some online shopping. Do you recommend the one you installed? Pros - cons? The fridge would be the biggest draw during the warmer weather.

THANK YOU ALL for sharing your expertise!
 
I’ve had no problems with it. Simple to wire up. I will dig up the link, amazon I think. Why do the headlights dim? While driving or when parked
 
Thanks!
No sure why the headlights dim - I notice it when I let up on the accelerator / shift.
The mechanic mentioned a bearing replacement in the alternator.
 
I fitted halogen headlamps from a Mini to Harvey and they are pretty good. The cost less than £30 for the pair and fit straight in, even the plug is the same, the same unit was used on many 60's and seventies cars so no problem find some that will fit. Bonnie had a really good halogen conversion when we got her and they are really bright with an excellent range - and halogens actually use less power than a standard bulb so no upgrades to the circuitry required.
 
BC Sunshine said:
Thanks!
No sure why the headlights dim - I notice it when I let up on the accelerator / shift.
The mechanic mentioned a bearing replacement in the alternator.
Click to expand...

It could simply be that the fan belt needs tightening but no harm in upgrading to a higher output alternator.
 
Our solar set-up:

Anderson plug connected permanently to engine battery and fixed outside of battery box
upload_2018-2-11_9-5-9.jpeg


Portable solar panel plugged in to Anderson plug which then charges engine battery
upload_2018-2-11_9-5-34.png

12v to 12v battery charger connected from engine battery to leisure battery which monitors state of engine battery then takes excess charge, boosts it and charges the leisure battery.

Clara has a lifting roof so having a panel on the roof would add extra weight and make the roof harder to lift but the biggest advantage of having a portable panel is you can park in the shade on a hot day and leave the panel in full sun. You can also turn it any direction for maximum light.

We got ours from here: www.photonicuniverse.com

There are various sizes available. I chose a larger panel not for the extra wattage but because we like to go out in the winter if we get the chance and a bigger panel will collect more of the available light. With campsites charging between £3 and £5 a day for EHU this will pay for itself in about 60 to 90 days away.

Socket: this is the sort of thing we have, complete with circuit breaker (trying searching for "camping socket")
s-l500.jpg

Ours is now surplus to requirements so if anyone is passing Newbury and wants to collect, it's up for grabs. Free to a good Commer home.

Charger: Ours is a portable charger fixed to the cabinet that houses the leisure battery.
 
TriComm - THANK YOU!
My Highwayman can accommodate fixed panels, but portable ones make great sense for the reasons you’ve listed.

The photos are a big help
 
I live off grid and on solar. The best advice I can give is rather than spend a fortune on batteries (they weigh heaps) and solar panels/controllers, buy energy efficient appliances. I have a waist high engel fridge which actually freezes ice cream and that uses 40 watts for about 20 seconds every few minutes. More in summer and less in winter. You can dial that down too.

As for your lights, I would convert to halogen headlights off a relay. That will fix it no worries.
 
We have a Waeco fridge which uses about the same power. When we were at the Vintage nostalgia show a couple of years ago a bloke parked next to us in his shiny new transit and asked his friends in a loud voice "anyone want an ice cold beer? I've got a fridge". Bless him Obviously new to this camping lark!
Didn't have the heart to tell him most of the classic campers around him have one too.
Although I was tempted to ask madam in an equally loud voice "are we having roast pork or roast chicken in our oven darling"?
 
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