Campervan / motorhome insulation materials

 

Most people associate insulation with heat and keeping warm, but by installing insulation inside your vehicle it will also protect you from extreme heat and cool down the interior.

What type of insulation is good?

This all depends on how efficient you want the insulation to be, how much you want to keep niggling noises from the outside world at bay and, as always, how much you want to spend when insulating your vehicle (it's that money thing again!).

Below are some of the more popular insulating materials used: 

·         Rigid insulation panels such as Polystyrene sheets, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Styrofoam. 

·         Flexible synthetic wool (such as that used to insulate a loft).

·        Thinsulate insulation from 3M which is polyester and polypropylene micro-fibre that won't absorb water. 

·         Semi-flexible insulating panels which is often used to insulate cavities in brickwork. 

·         Foam or other similar products. 

·         Ready to stick foils.

 

Most of the above insulation materials should be available from most builder’s merchants and DIY stores and there’s also plenty of Web sites and suppliers online.  Build a Wild, Festival Camper in just a Few Days!

DC (battery-to-battery) chargers

 

These units very simple to fit as they only need wiring from the starter battery to the leisure battery bank which is basically two cables in and two cables out (follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to the correct cable sizes). Another popular brand on the market is CTEK.

The Ring and the Sterling chargers both charge at 30 amps. So, in theory, if the leisure battery bank needs a top-up charge when on site, by running your vehicle engine for an hour you will put in an extra 30 amps.

DC battery chargers are also suitable for all of the latest Euro 5 and Euro 6 engine vehicles including Blue Efficiency, Bluemotion, Ecoflex, Econetic and all other vehicles with smart alternators and / or regenerative braking systems. Whereas, a conventional split-charge relay system will not work properly for the aforementioned vehicles. Build a Wild, Festival Camper in just a Few Days!

Using inverters

 

An inverter changes direct current (DC) power sourced from a 12 volt battery into mains electricity alternating current (AC) power at 230V.Therefore, all kinds of devices such as kitchen appliances, power tools, laptops etc. can be run via your leisure battery. So, that means you can have portable power whenever and wherever you need it! 

There are two main types of inverters available: 

·         Pure Sine Wave Inverters: pure sine wave inverters get their name from the wave form of its output, i.e. they have pure sine wave form. This replicates, as closely as possible, the wave of household mains electricity. Pure sine inverters are more expensive than modified sine wave inverters because they are designed to run very sensitive, electrical equipment by creating a very smooth form of mains power. 

·         Modified Sine Wave Inverters: similarly to pure sine inverters modified wave inverters are named after their output waveform.  The output of the modified wave inverter is not as smooth as the pure wave inverter. Modified sine wave inverters are a much cheaper alternative to pure sine wave inverters as they are far less costly and complex to manufacture. And, for most camping environments and the sort of equipment you’ll be running from your Magic Box (microwave, air fryer, kettle etc.) a modified wave inverter will be fine. Build a Wild, Festival Camper in just a Few Days!

Connecting 12 volt batteries in parallel

 

To connect two batteries in parallel a link lead of a suitable grade must run between each battery's positive (+) terminal. The battery negative terminals should be linked in the same way and one battery earthed (grounded) to a suitable spot on the vehicle body or chassis. Linking two batteries in parallel will keep the battery system / bank at 12 volts and double the amp output, i.e. 2 x 110Ah batteries linked in parallel = 220Ah.

Build a Wild, Festival Camper in just a Few Days!

12 volt control panels for campervans

 We now stock two top quality 12 volt control panels/battery monitors for campervan and motorhomes. See the Sargent AC50X here and the Bonus CP3 here.

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Build Your Own Wild Campervan!

  Build a Wild, Festival Camper in Just a Few Days!

Learn how to convert any van into a go anywhere, wild, festival camper.

This book is different to other campervan conversion guides because unlike other books on the subject it doesn’t expect its readers to become a master carpenter overnight, or to have specialist knowledge or tools. The idea is for readers to be able to convert any make of van to a basic, wild campervan with a minimum of expense and fuss.

With the use of detailed explanations and images all of the subjects and tasks in this book should be well within the scope of a reasonably competent DIY enthusiast. And, if need be, your van can easily be turned back into everyday van or workhorse in a matter of minutes!

See it on youtube

Caravan and Motorhome Habitation Checks and Servicing

 Do-It-Yourself Habitation Check Manual for Motorhomes and Caravans!

Do Your Own Caravan or Motorhome Habitation Check is written by a NCC (National Caravan Council) qualified technician who holds the NCC Motorhome Service Award.

By purchasing this book leisure vehicle owners will be able to carry out their own comprehensive habitation checks to ensure that the living area of their motorhome or caravan is safe for them and other occupants.

Bearing in mind that the average cost of an annual habitation check carried out by a company is £200 just think what you could save year after year!

See it on youtube

Split Charge Relay FAQs

  Welcome to Split Charge Systems... THE leisure battery split charging FAQ site.

The aim of our Web site is to provide those who are building, carrying out maintenance / repairs, renovating or upgrading a camper, motor home, canal or motor boat, leisure vehicle or craft with top quality products and solutions.

We have endeavoured tried to keep our product range concise so as not to overwhelm anybody with heaps of products that basically do the same things. We've also tried to make this site as informative and simple to use as possible and hope you find it useful.