Best advice I ever got when I first bought a motorhome 11 years ago was get everything you need in the smallest van possible so totally agree with you on your adria twin decision 😁👍🏼
Love my Safefill bottles, so much cheaper than Calor to get filled but sadly LPG filling stations are getting pretty few and far between these days. Luckily I have a very friendly fuel supplier about 5 miles from home who I use for a gas top up. Wouldn't it be great if CAMC and C&CC sites started to offer LPG fills alongside their normal Calor depots? I guess it might be expensive to install the infrastructure but they'd certainly have no shortage of business!
Just to let you know Matt I have two refill bottles and I run down to behind Asda and refill my bottles myself and go in and pay at John stayte just to let you know it was 88pence a litre
Smart alternators are a pain for motorhomes and some of the manufacturers aren’t doing enough about it. Because of the design of the system the alternator basically switches off at around 80% capacity this is to allow regenerative braking putting energy back into the battery. I don’t think the guy that sent in the question has a compressor fridge we don’t and we have the same problem. What’s actually happening is when the engine is running a relay joins the two batteries together but if the leisure battery was higher than the vehicle battery the flow of current will simply go to the vehicle battery. Also when the stop start system is active in the words engine not running at traffic lights power is still being used therefore the battery will drop even more. This because the relay doesn’t disengage the two batteries. I’ve got a Victron shunt fitted and I’ve got loads of evidence of this actually happening. All manufacturers should be fitting dc to dc chargers that can handle the latest technology i.e. lithium and old technology AGM. There are loads of complaints about this on various Facebook groups. Just also to add to this. There is nothing connected to the alternator apart from the main positive lead to the vehicle battery. Then there is a positive lead directly to the leisure battery. From the leisure battery and the vehicle battery is all the other ancillaries via the main system PSU so the fridge is only connected with the battery not the alternator. The difference is power is directed to the fridge when system detects the engine is running. In fact because of the design it’s actually connected to both batteries and draws off both of them. When the engine is off no 12v power will go to the fridge because a relay is disengaged. I believe a compressor fridge works slightly different because they have a lower current draw but I might be wrong.
Having recently refilled my Gaslow bottles. While my installation is professional the state of the petrol stations autogas pump was not great. When filling the tanks, it would not seal properly which the petrol station denied. I ended up getting a frost burn. It's a good job there wasnt a naked flame nearby. I won't be going to that Petrol station again!
I have a couple of Safefill bottles and have had no problems in the past refilling them at my local Morrisons Garage, there was actually a sign on the LPG pumps stating they had a partnership with Safefill. I went recently to top up one of my bottles and the guy behind the till shook his head saying "no no no"! So it seems that since the acquisition by MFG, the partnership with Safefill is no more :( That being said, I argued the point that it was a valid, safe, refillable bottle and that I had refilled there many times. Eventually the guy behind the till finally gave in and let me fill the bottle, but I think he just did it because of a combination of me being awkward and there being a language barrier. Does make me wonder if this is going to be an issue every time I go to fill up there now.
Smart alternator. A lot of times leaving your van or car headlights on the whole time will draw enough power to keep the smart alternator running without having to invest loads of money in alternate chargers etc.
You’re right to a point but what’s happening is the two batteries are joined by a relay and usually the leisure battery is actually higher than the vehicle battery so eventually they’ll equal themselves out then the alternator will think ok I need to charge the battery. They are smart providing you don’t add another battery without a dc to dc
Some of this is true but the smart alternators generally lower the output voltage when the starter battery is charged to 80%. Sometimes different for different manufacturers but this is what our boxer 3 Bailey autograph does. Having a B2B is the only way with a smart alternator but I have noticed the fridge steals around 15A from the leisure battery charging when on battery. If we need max power into the leisure battery we switch the fridge off and the battery charges faster
@@GarryBowman I agree with you the main reason is so when the regeneration system kicks in with either engine or vehicle braking the 20% head room allows the alternator to charge the battery. Because it’s not connected with the leisure system it’s smart enough to charge the leisure battery.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
How many motorhomes or caravans have you owned? Anyone near the number 19?
Best advice I ever got when I first bought a motorhome 11 years ago was get everything you need in the smallest van possible so totally agree with you on your adria twin decision 😁👍🏼
Thanks for watching and commenting
My 2022 Chausson has a smart alternator , but Chausson fit a 40amp B2B charger as standard, so never had any problems
Awesome! Carry a spare fuse though! We’ve had a few blow on our hire fleet
Excellent advice as always
You are very welcome and thank you!
Love my Safefill bottles, so much cheaper than Calor to get filled but sadly LPG filling stations are getting pretty few and far between these days. Luckily I have a very friendly fuel supplier about 5 miles from home who I use for a gas top up.
Wouldn't it be great if CAMC and C&CC sites started to offer LPG fills alongside their normal Calor depots? I guess it might be expensive to install the infrastructure but they'd certainly have no shortage of business!
It would indeed be expensive! I’d love a refill point on our yard. Space and cost are the obstacles
Thanks for commenting
I use gasbank refills. Fill them at our local shell. £129 for the bottle, paid for itself in 4 fills!
Brilliant thanks for commenting
Just to let you know Matt I have two refill bottles and I run down to behind Asda and refill my bottles myself and go in and pay at John stayte just to let you know it was 88pence a litre
Is this near us in Weston? If so thank you
Smart alternators are a pain for motorhomes and some of the manufacturers aren’t doing enough about it.
Because of the design of the system the alternator basically switches off at around 80% capacity this is to allow regenerative braking putting energy back into the battery. I don’t think the guy that sent in the question has a compressor fridge we don’t and we have the same problem. What’s actually happening is when the engine is running a relay joins the two batteries together but if the leisure battery was higher than the vehicle battery the flow of current will simply go to the vehicle battery. Also when the stop start system is active in the words engine not running at traffic lights power is still being used therefore the battery will drop even more. This because the relay doesn’t disengage the two batteries. I’ve got a Victron shunt fitted and I’ve got loads of evidence of this actually happening.
All manufacturers should be fitting dc to dc chargers that can handle the latest technology i.e. lithium and old technology AGM.
There are loads of complaints about this on various Facebook groups.
Just also to add to this. There is nothing connected to the alternator apart from the main positive lead to the vehicle battery. Then there is a positive lead directly to the leisure battery. From the leisure battery and the vehicle battery is all the other ancillaries via the main system PSU so the fridge is only connected with the battery not the alternator. The difference is power is directed to the fridge when system detects the engine is running. In fact because of the design it’s actually connected to both batteries and draws off both of them. When the engine is off no 12v power will go to the fridge because a relay is disengaged.
I believe a compressor fridge works slightly different because they have a lower current draw but I might be wrong.
Having recently refilled my Gaslow bottles. While my installation is professional the state of the petrol stations autogas pump was not great. When filling the tanks, it would not seal properly which the petrol station denied. I ended up getting a frost burn. It's a good job there wasnt a naked flame nearby. I won't be going to that Petrol station again!
Ouch! That is painful! Wishing you a speedy recovery Andy
I have a couple of Safefill bottles and have had no problems in the past refilling them at my local Morrisons Garage, there was actually a sign on the LPG pumps stating they had a partnership with Safefill. I went recently to top up one of my bottles and the guy behind the till shook his head saying "no no no"!
So it seems that since the acquisition by MFG, the partnership with Safefill is no more :(
That being said, I argued the point that it was a valid, safe, refillable bottle and that I had refilled there many times. Eventually the guy behind the till finally gave in and let me fill the bottle, but I think he just did it because of a combination of me being awkward and there being a language barrier.
Does make me wonder if this is going to be an issue every time I go to fill up there now.
Yes this maybe an issue. Thanks for sharing
Smart alternator. A lot of times leaving your van or car headlights on the whole time will draw enough power to keep the smart alternator running without having to invest loads of money in alternate chargers etc.
You’re right to a point but what’s happening is the two batteries are joined by a relay and usually the leisure battery is actually higher than the vehicle battery so eventually they’ll equal themselves out then the alternator will think ok I need to charge the battery.
They are smart providing you don’t add another battery without a dc to dc
Some of this is true but the smart alternators generally lower the output voltage when the starter battery is charged to 80%. Sometimes different for different manufacturers but this is what our boxer 3 Bailey autograph does. Having a B2B is the only way with a smart alternator but I have noticed the fridge steals around 15A from the leisure battery charging when on battery. If we need max power into the leisure battery we switch the fridge off and the battery charges faster
@@GarryBowman I agree with you the main reason is so when the regeneration system kicks in with either engine or vehicle braking the 20% head room allows the alternator to charge the battery. Because it’s not connected with the leisure system it’s smart enough to charge the leisure battery.
I understand there's a safety issue. But the price difference is a rip off/taking advantage!
If people pay it that’s the norm. Can it continue tho?