Stumbled across your channel what a wonderful, exceptional back catalogue of Vlogs, thank you so much for being so considerate and sharing your experience and knowledge, this represents hundreds of hours of work, Imm so pleased you enjoy his pastime, you have helped me greatly.
Great video Bob - when I first bought a van I watched all your tutorials which helped my confidence enormously and still refer back to them. Thank you!
Bob, you are so thorough with your explanations and it is priceless for us beginners. My MoHo is on my drive. I wanted to put the heating on but was afraid to do so now that I have drained down the water. I am off to put the heating on. I am so grateful to you for your help xx
As new motorhome owners, we are grateful that you create this type of videos. We have spent the Christmas weekends watching your movies and long for spring when we can go out on the roads. Right now it is a snowstorm and five degrees below zero here in southern Sweden!
I’ve just watched all five parts and found them invaluable as I pick up my new motor home tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to make them as I’m sure they’ll always be new people coming into this way of life and will find this little series you’ve put together a life saver.
Very useful Bob, even for a caravanner. I have to say, your channel is one of the few that I watch the whole vlog when I watch them. Packed with helpful info, as I said much of which is caravan relevant too.
Bob. Congratulations on another superb video. It's clear, paced and structured well, and so interesting. I don't have a motorhome but your videos are a "must see" for motorthomers. Thank you Bob.
Thanks for the tip about heating, I had no idea that you could run it with the boiler drained. I went straight out and switched it on! All the tips are useful to a newcomer like me.
Very helpful and a wide range of basic issues covered. Great presentation style too. Love the way you show things so carefully with your camera for us numpties with little tech savvy.
Thanks Bob, we had caravans 30 years ago. We are waiting on delivery of our first motor home. These blogs are useful reminders of how to do the basics and the changes of tech from all those years ago.
Hi Bob & Jenny, we don't own a motorhome, however we took delivery of a new Swift caravan in Aug 2020, but haven't been able to use it yet due to covid shielding. We are returning to caravaning after a break of 19 years. Your UA-cam videos are wonderful and by far our favourite. My wife and I have spent many enjoyable hours bringing ourselves back up to date with your excellent touring advice and tips. Best wishes, Bill & Donna
I use a spray bottle that once held window cleaner with a cap full of pink diluted with water to pre mist the bowl in my MH works great and much cheaper than buying it premixed. As for the checklist, its a good idea and belt n braces do a final walk around of the MH/caravan, that minute could save you a lot of money.
Hi Bob, Could not feel more ready to hit the road after watching all your invaluable videos👍👍, thank you, It was to be a Bailey 69/2 but they’ve now confused me with the Adamo 694..... Apologies if you’ve covered this but given the time you spend in your van did you consider refillable gas bottles ? Thanks again to both of you for making the effort.
Hi Bob for safety reasons I would recommend Motorhomers to uncoil their mains electric cable when connecting to the hook up . When on site we unfortunately we saw Motorhome catch fire due to the mains cable being left in a heap next to the van. Not nice thing see at the time no one in the Motorhome.
Old Spice 😂😂. I do agree the blue bags are very convenient . Great video Bob 👍🏻. Love2stay at Shrewsbury have a Elsan point on every pitch and they do require the use of the Green chemical you mentioned .
Great video again. Just a tip if you are driving on the continent on a lot of sites you have to pay for your electricity by Kilowatts which costs anything from 50 cents to €1 for a KW. So it might be a good idea if you put you frigid on gas manually because I’ve found out that my frigid uses quite a lot of electricity and gas is cheaper. Just a thought! In the uk your electricity is usually paid for in your site fees.
Hi Bob, Dave here. We don't have the luxury or room to keep our motorhome at home. It is kept off grid in secure storage a few miles away. As the freezing weather sets in, we have drained all tanks and opened all taps in the event of any water left in the pipes to be able to expand freely and not burst the pipes. We have brought home all the soft furnishings to keep dry, opened all cupboard doors and the fridge. Finally, we have SORN the van off road until such time when Lockdown ends and we are able to get out and have some fun. My question for you is this ; What is your opinion on batteries, both engine battery and leisure battery ? Some say disconnect and others say 'don't worry'. Both batteries are fully charged and in good order,, nothing electrical is left on to drain them. Any advice on this ? Let's look forward to a nice Spring and Summer of touring. We can't wait to begin using the motorhome for the reason we bought her. Best Wishes, Dave and Soph x
Hi Dave, If you have a separate tank for the flush toilet don't forget to drain this as well. When the waste and fresh tanks are empty close the valve / replace bungs. Otherwise you may get small squatters moving in. Don't leave any food in MoHo, it attracts mice. You may think you have no drain on battery, but alarms do draw current 24/7 (usually from cab battery). Turn gas off at bottle. Unless you are parked on side of a mountain use wheel chocks instead of handbeake (they can stick on). Regards
@@arthurdent2900 Thanks for your advice mate, much appreciated. We have most things covered bar one that you mention. We'd forgotten about releasing the handbrake. Sometimes it can be the smallest of things forgotten that can prevent heartache later. Cheers for that. Dave.
Liquid gold Bob, thank you. I've lived on my motorboat for a number of years since I escaped the rat race, but have just sold up to move aboard my first motorhome. Many of the systems are quite similar (12V/230v), but these insights you give in your videos are invaluable to me thank you. Id never heard of the portable (pure sine wave) power stations before i saw this video, exactly what i need (with some additional solar panels) to keep small devices ticking over without needing to pay the (in my opinion) extremely excessive £4 per day hook up charges (£4 electric on my 60ft boat lasts me nearly 10 days! and thats with 2.4Kw oven, 2.2kw kettle, big screen tvs e.t.c). Wish they did metered electric points on campsites because the charges seem unfair and frankly unregulated. Cant wait to join the CCC (and CMC), brings back fond childhood memories of rainy nights in caravans with the family and the little collection of CCC campsite badges bluetacked to the caravan door. Bless you for doing such brilliant useful videos.
I've thought of a question that perhaps you or your subbers could help with. We've just bought our first motorhome (Autotrail Tracker) which is compact. We need to buy two folding chairs for sitting out under the awning and our first attempt was unsuccessful - one broke at first use and has gone back. Can you please recommend a good quality type that will fit under a bunk or in a storage locker?
Very comprehensive Bob, maybe you could talk about the leisure battery in terms of size and how many hours it will keep things running before it or they need recharging.
Hi Bob, I'm getting a new MoHo this summer. It's coming as standard with a few things I'm not happy about. e.g. AGM batteries, split charger, even though it's a Euro 6 engine, standard tyres and the gas fridge. Another popular UA-camr has changed his gas fridge for a normal compressor fridge and I would do the same as soon as I can. Although it's nice to have the gas option, according to the Dometic data sheet for the 133lt fridge, the Absorption (gas) variety uses twice the power as the same compressor fridge. Of course, the gas fridge is perfect if you're mainly on hook ups and can use the gas option when you're not. If you're mainly off grid and using the gas option all the time, then an alternative option, to me, would be preferable. That is to stack up on batteries. It's a matter of choice of course. Your getting started videos are suppurb and this is not a criticism by any stretch. Your videos give food for thought. Thanks.
Thank you, yes I watch John and Mandy too. Nothing wrong with the standard set up, unless you intend to spend a lot of time off grid, we don't. Also a compressor fridge makes a lot of sense if you're off grid a lot and don't want to use a lot of gas.
Thanks for your videos Bob. Can you tell me what to expect when running the fridge or heating on gas. For example - does the fridge consume a lot of gas and how long would I expect it to last, especially when wild camping? We are planning on getting a MH and find your tutorials very informative.
Not a lot is I think the real world answer. Around 380 grams per 24 hours for a larger fridge like the Dometic RMD8555. Heating consumes much, much more on gas.
Thanks Bob, your very detailed videos are extremely helpful for newbies, even Australian ones. Just tried to download your checklist for pickup and it is not available atm. Could you direct me to your latest. Many thanks as we pick up our motorhome Monday next after waiting 15 months.
I must have had a clean up! I've reinstated the file. Moving Off Checklist 1drv.ms/u/s!AhzcfwtTupJGgbJaf1imk9oLWT5Zjw?e=aDR0Yf Have fun with the new Motorhome!
I love these video's and have made notes for when we finally get a motor home. I also appreciate that each section of the video has a sub-title, so you can go straight to that section if you want to review a specific query. Also, great reading the comments for other tips that may be useful. Just a quick observation, though. I had a look at the checklist for when you leave site, which is really helpful btw; however, the one you held up seems to have more items than the down-loaded version, which is dated June 2020. So I just wondered which is the most current one? I appreciate it's not a definitive list and I'm sure when we eventually start using a motorhome there'll be things we need to add (or take off). Thank you for your hard work in making these video's and I look forward to your next one.
Thank you, we keep changing the check list to suit, and may have taken items off when we changed motorhomes. The one on the download is the most recent. Perhaps I should add an issue number. Lol.
Thank you so much for your really helpful, informative articles, we are new to motorhoming and can’t wait to get out and about. We are sharing a really large motorhome with our son, using it when he doesn’t want it and will not be towing a car, when going out with the motorhome how do you know where you can park to visit towns, attractions etc ? I’ve watched most of your trips and you always seem to know where the suitable car parks are. Best wishes to you, Jenny and Poppy. Lesley Gilman
Hi Bob, we have the same van as you, the same age and the same fridge! We've never had a light in ours, can't see a light in it and took it there wasn't one fitted but in this video you mention your fridge light working. Any chance you could let me know where to look for it or send a photo of yours? Cheers
I never noticed the fridge lights, but is a strip of Leds, set in a recess on the right hand side, between the door and in the shelves, running top to bottom. Best report that under your warranty.
Love watching all your motorhome related tips, how to's etc. How about a vid on things to expect to go wrong, when purchasing a new motor home , I've been watching and reading other motorhomers who get quite disappointed when paying out large £ and get so many issues requiring claims and taking months to get fixed. I'm trying to not let it put us off making a purchase
@@BobEarnshawMoHo there are also alot of bad reviews of poor service from dealers how common is that?, maybe do a video on making a new purchase, and what to look out for, ask etc. Will dealers order a van in , or are we expected to have one they have used for viewings,
Nice one there bob good info video how u leave your heating on over the winter when plugs into mains from the house does it eat into your electric bill kev
Hi. Am I right in thinking you don’t need to drain the cold water system down in winter if I leave the heating on. As we prefer to keep the van ready for use all the time. Many thanks
You need to drain both the water tanks in case it freezes and cracks the pipes, many of which are exposed outside. You can still run your heater without water in the tank.
A really useful video, thanks. Quick question: if you stop for a rest at the side of the road, do you need to switch the gas back on in order to keep the fridge cool? How long can you stop for without having to worry?
Thank you. Quick question maybe, but a long answer. The motorhome is fitted with a Truma CS (crash sensor) which means I can leave the gas on when travelling, particularly useful for the en-route heating. According to the manual you are supposed to switch the gas supply to the fridge off, but like most people, I don't bother. There is a safety feature with the fridge that means it won't ignite on gas until the ignition has been off for 15 minutes, so it doesn't ignite when you stop at a fuel station. So, with the fridge not using gas for the first 15 minutes, we've never had a problem with the fridge stopping for a lunch break. Even when we switched all the gas off when we travelled through the eurotunnel, the fridge would stay cold for a couple of hours.
Bob - thanks for your help with the fridge winter covers. I returned the “ extreme weather” version and got the clips on ones you indicated and dead easy to fit. Can I ask you a question on batteries that I know you have covered in terms of being off grid. We have a hymer van. The panel has a leisure battery indicator which when charged shows around 13 volts. I know that different things take different charges with say the tv on 12 volt being the biggest drain. I though had 2 batteries fitted. The panel say goes down 1 volt to say 12. Is that 1 volt from 24 if you follow me. We use plug in most of the time so not really a problem but on the handover the dealer didn’t seem sure
Hi Bob, We have had our heating on in the motorhome, on the drive. Seems to use slot of electricity ?,we have the alde heating system but seems to use alot of electricity this way. Any ideas. Sharky.
Has to be cheaper than heating on LPG. I do keep it on low, about 11 degrees. If you're worried about the cost, turn the heating off, put the hookup on a timer to charge the batteries for a few hours a day. Take all the soft furnishings indoors.
Love your work. One question I have is if I have my motorhome in a secured site (outdoors) and it has an alarm fitted, what's the best way to ensure the battery doesn't go flat and you receive warning messages about it. I have a solar panel fitted but guess that wouldn't be sufficient. Thanks
A decent size solar should be enough to keep the batteries charged up, providing just the charger is left on and no control panel, but an alarm will draw some power. I suppose the answer might be get more solar!
Bob. I see you operate heating via Command. Can you do this without even turning Alde control panel on? Or do you need both switched on? Very useful even though we are caravanners!
Hello Bob - to the FAQ on Off Grid, any views on the number of leisure batteries? I see that you only have one fitted to your van and I am sure I read somewhere that two were recommended whether you are on or off grid.
It depends how long you want to stay off grid for, our previous motorhome had two batteries. We don't stay off grid much anyway, but if we did I might consider upgrading the batteries and solar panel.
Another good one I’ve not got mine yet but I will be better prepared for watching these videos connecting my electric cable I’ve seen to connect van first then us-ply don’t leave on reel , etc it’s all here and Bob does these in such a way that you can follow it easily also recommend the site visit videos they show a lot such as approach site reception etc great job all round
Hi Bob we have a 2017 swift bolero but the dometic fridge has stopped working no lights at all. I’ve checked the fuses in the Sargent consumer unit all ok. Are there any other fuses do you know? Thanks very much or have you ever come across this problem.
Never had that. Had the 12v on route supply go, that was a fault in the Sargent PSU, but the fridge lights stayed. You probably need to check the supplies to the fridge. A good dealer should be able to help, if you can't do it yourself. It is possible it's a fault with the fridge itself, of course.
Hi, I am wondering why using heating is set up by motorhomers, caravanners etc and would you know what the consequences of not using any background heating could be? For the habitation area
Dangers are possible mould and damp getting in, destroying furnishings and bedding. Many people who leave their vans in long term storage will remove furnishings and bedding. I leave our cushions and bedding in so that the motorhome is ready to use whenever we are able to. I may be removing the furnishing if the lock down continues much longer than February!
As I’m new to motor homing, found these videos really helpful. Also great entertainment during lockdown. Whilst watching a few of your older videos, I noticed you appear to have some form of cover over your cab dashboard. What is the purpose of this?
Thanks for reply. I think I read somewhere that the film that appears on windscreens, that is difficult to clean off, is due to vapor given off from plastic dashboard when it gets hot from sun. I thought you’d found a way to combat this.
Hi Bob only a quick question do you leave your heating on constantly as in 24/7 whilst the van is on the drive or do you put it to come on via the timer. I am only asking as our 2015 lunar caravan is on the drive and we have the Truma blown air heating. I have been putting it on from 11pm to 7am on the Truma timer, but since January we have tried bringing the temperature down to 10 degree's and leaving it on 24/7 and have seen a significant difference in our electric bill so have now have changed this from 2kw down to 1kw to see if there is a difference but might even bring that down again as the truma heater can go down to 5 degree's, as I just want to keep it aired, whilst we are not using especially during this weather that we are currently having. I am curious in how others are doing this and thought I would ask. Thanks in advance.
Yes I do leave our heating on all the time on 10 degrees. If I didn't leave the heating on think I would take out all the soft furnishings. I'm often in and out of the motorhome to film, so I like somewhere to sit!
@@BobEarnshawMoHo brilliant thank you for your quick reply it's much appreciated. We only bought the caravan in July 2019 so we are fairly new to the this and we absolutely love it! As mentioned above I have left the heating on timer overnight since we bought it, just to keep it aired but recently changed that. We love the caravan even though we didn't have much of a season last year and we're unsure what going to happen this year, but it just gives us so much freedom. Your channel has been invaluable and I enjoy everything yourself, Jenny and poppy put up. I find your your arriving video's very informative and really enjoyable, and you recently put up your tour to Wales 2014 video, if you ever decide to to come back to Wales I would highly recommend the CC Pembrey Site, it is by far our favourite site even though it's only about 20 mins away from our house but it's much better than the CC FreshWater East site.
No, 240v mains electric and gas heating from the Alde. I was trying to make the point that I can't heat the van with 12v. The fan is powered by 12v is what I meant to say, but heating is gas off grid.
My motorhome is on electric hook up on the drive at the moment due to the current coronavirus lockdown. Is it best to keep it on hook up all the time or should it be disconnected at intervals?
@@BobEarnshawMoHo Hi Bob, thanks for the quick reply. Like many of your subscribers we are new to motorhoming and it is great to get the advice you give
![New To Motorhomes Pt6 | Winter Touring Tips [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/i1ezZBaJmEo/mqdefault.jpg)
![New To Motorhomes Pt6 | Winter Touring Tips [CC]](/img/tr.png)
Stumbled across your channel what a wonderful, exceptional back catalogue of Vlogs, thank you so much for being so considerate and sharing your experience and knowledge, this represents hundreds of hours of work, Imm so pleased you enjoy his pastime, you have helped me greatly.
Glad to help
Great video Bob - when I first bought a van I watched all your tutorials which helped my confidence enormously and still refer back to them. Thank you!
Great to hear!
Bob, you are so thorough with your explanations and it is priceless for us beginners. My MoHo is on my drive. I wanted to put the heating on but was afraid to do so now that I have drained down the water. I am off to put the heating on. I am so grateful to you for your help xx
Fabulous blog bob. I have been Motorhomeing for to years now I wished I would have a bog like this to watch when I first started 🚍
Glad you enjoyed it
As new motorhome owners, we are grateful that you create this type of videos. We have spent the Christmas weekends watching your movies and long for spring when we can go out on the roads. Right now it is a snowstorm and five degrees below zero here in southern Sweden!
That's cold! A cozy 2 degrees here.
I’ve just watched all five parts and found them invaluable as I pick up my new motor home tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to make them as I’m sure they’ll always be new people coming into this way of life and will find this little series you’ve put together a life saver.
Very useful Bob, even for a caravanner. I have to say, your channel is one of the few that I watch the whole vlog when I watch them. Packed with helpful info, as I said much of which is caravan relevant too.
Thanks 👍that's great to hear. Think I'll be struggling for relevant content in the next few months!
Bob. Congratulations on another superb video. It's clear, paced and structured well, and so interesting. I don't have a motorhome but your videos are a "must see" for motorthomers. Thank you Bob.
Thank you very much.
Thanks a lot Bob very helpful and excellent demonstration,look forward for more of your great videos.keep them coming !!!
Thanks for the tip about heating, I had no idea that you could run it with the boiler drained. I went straight out and switched it on! All the tips are useful to a newcomer like me.
Very helpful and a wide range of basic issues covered. Great presentation style too. Love the way you show things so carefully with your camera for us numpties with little tech savvy.
Thanks Bob, we had caravans 30 years ago. We are waiting on delivery of our first motor home. These blogs are useful reminders of how to do the basics and the changes of tech from all those years ago.
Thank you, things have also changed a lot in the 19 years we've had a motorhome.
This will be interesting.
I’m sure this will help lots of people just purchasing a motorhome
Do you leave the handbrake on while your motorhome is left parked for a long time?
Yes, hopefully I will take it for a drive, to get my mum's shopping, essential journey!
@@BobEarnshawMoHo
That’s a good idea. Or even drive somewhere to go for a walk.
Very interesting Bob, explained very clearly, thank you x
I don't have a van,
I would like one some day, but I still really like your content, maybe its just your relaxing style 🤗
Thank you
Hi Bob & Jenny, we don't own a motorhome, however we took delivery of a new Swift caravan in Aug 2020, but haven't been able to use it yet due to covid shielding.
We are returning to caravaning after a break of 19 years. Your UA-cam videos are wonderful and by far our
favourite. My wife and I have spent many enjoyable hours bringing ourselves back up to date with your excellent touring advice and tips.
Best wishes, Bill & Donna
Thanks Bob very informative as always. 😀👍🏻
Thanks for another very useful video, Bob!
Utterly perfect Bob and Jenny thank you exactly what I needed thank you very very much
Thanks for the suggestions.
hi bob i enjoyed watching your videos on new to campervan very helpful info
Thanks
Great video👍👍 love the check list/preflight check list😁😁
Excellent
I use a spray bottle that once held window cleaner with a cap full of pink diluted with water to pre mist the bowl in my MH works great and much cheaper than buying it premixed. As for the checklist, its a good idea and belt n braces do a final walk around of the MH/caravan, that minute could save you a lot of money.
We have two solar panels with 1600 inverter so we have plenty of power, for off grid
Really helpful video as always. Thank you
enjoyed that bob very informative video & ideal for any newcomer or even the seasoned motorhomer , we can never stop learning 👍
Hi Bob,
Could not feel more ready to hit the road after watching all your invaluable videos👍👍, thank you,
It was to be a Bailey 69/2 but they’ve now confused me with the Adamo 694.....
Apologies if you’ve covered this but given the time you spend in your van did you consider refillable gas bottles ?
Thanks again to both of you for making the effort.
The boss is not convinced they are worth it, we don't use that much gas!
Always great useful tips for newbies 👍 thank you
Hi Bob for safety reasons I would recommend Motorhomers to uncoil their mains electric cable when connecting to the hook up . When on site we unfortunately we saw Motorhome catch fire due to the mains cable being left in a heap next to the van. Not nice thing see at the time no one in the Motorhome.
Yes, I see coiled cables all the time, I wish people would realise the risk.
Old Spice 😂😂.
I do agree the blue bags are very convenient .
Great video Bob 👍🏻. Love2stay at Shrewsbury have a Elsan point on every pitch and they do require the use of the Green chemical you mentioned .
Hi Bob and Jenny 👏 just us 2 Saying hi and thanks some great information 👍 keep safe and say well 👍 den and sue 👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🚌🚌🚌
Thank you, Hi to you two!
Most interesting even after 40 years in the game. Always refreshing our memory x
Thank you.
All very interesting and helpful-appreciated.
Great video again. Just a tip if you are driving on the continent on a lot of sites you have to pay for your electricity by Kilowatts which costs anything from 50 cents to €1 for a KW. So it might be a good idea if you put you frigid on gas manually because I’ve found out that my frigid uses quite a lot of electricity and gas is cheaper. Just a thought! In the uk your electricity is usually paid for in your site fees.
Good tip!
Hi Bob and Jenny .
Very busy time for me so bit behind on your vids, I'll catch up in about 8 weeks when things settle, keep washing those bands
A great Vlog Bob. Very informative and helpful thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much for that
Hi Bob, Dave here. We don't have the luxury or room to keep our motorhome at home. It is kept off grid in secure storage a few miles away. As the freezing weather sets in, we have drained all tanks and opened all taps in the event of any water left in the pipes to be able to expand freely and not burst the pipes. We have brought home all the soft furnishings to keep dry, opened all cupboard doors and the fridge. Finally, we have SORN the van off road until such time when Lockdown ends and we are able to get out and have some fun. My question for you is this ; What is your opinion on batteries, both engine battery and leisure battery ? Some say disconnect and others say 'don't worry'. Both batteries are fully charged and in good order,, nothing electrical is left on to drain them. Any advice on this ? Let's look forward to a nice Spring and Summer of touring. We can't wait to begin using the motorhome for the reason we bought her. Best Wishes, Dave and Soph x
To be honest I don't have experience of storage. Always kept our vans at home.
Hi Dave,
If you have a separate tank for the flush toilet don't forget to drain this as well.
When the waste and fresh tanks are empty close the valve / replace bungs. Otherwise you may get small squatters moving in.
Don't leave any food in MoHo, it attracts mice.
You may think you have no drain on battery, but alarms do draw current 24/7 (usually from cab battery).
Turn gas off at bottle.
Unless you are parked on side of a mountain use wheel chocks instead of handbeake (they can stick on).
Regards
@@arthurdent2900 Thanks for your advice mate, much appreciated. We have most things covered bar one that you mention. We'd forgotten about releasing the handbrake. Sometimes it can be the smallest of things forgotten that can prevent heartache later. Cheers for that. Dave.
You only need about 2to 3turns on the gas bottle easier to turn of in case of an emergency
I would go for the stop cocks in an emergency, also I have the surge protector.
Thanks again.
Excellent as ever 💙❤️💙❤️
Liquid gold Bob, thank you. I've lived on my motorboat for a number of years since I escaped the rat race, but have just sold up to move aboard my first motorhome.
Many of the systems are quite similar (12V/230v), but these insights you give in your videos are invaluable to me thank you. Id never heard of the portable (pure sine wave) power stations before i saw this video, exactly what i need (with some additional solar panels) to keep small devices ticking over without needing to pay the (in my opinion) extremely excessive £4 per day hook up charges (£4 electric on my 60ft boat lasts me nearly 10 days! and thats with 2.4Kw oven, 2.2kw kettle, big screen tvs e.t.c). Wish they did metered electric points on campsites because the charges seem unfair and frankly unregulated.
Cant wait to join the CCC (and CMC), brings back fond childhood memories of rainy nights in caravans with the family and the little collection of CCC campsite badges bluetacked to the caravan door. Bless you for doing such brilliant useful videos.
Thank you very much.
I've thought of a question that perhaps you or your subbers could help with. We've just bought our first motorhome (Autotrail Tracker) which is compact. We need to buy two folding chairs for sitting out under the awning and our first attempt was unsuccessful - one broke at first use and has gone back. Can you please recommend a good quality type that will fit under a bunk or in a storage locker?
We always thought the Royal Chairs were pretty good. I do have Oztent King Goanna chairs, but they are a bit bulky to pack.
Very comprehensive Bob, maybe you could talk about the leisure battery in terms of size and how many hours it will keep things running before it or they need recharging.
Yes, I have something in mind on batteries.
Another helpful video. It really helps we have the same van.
Thank you so much will definitely help us when picking our new Motorholme up in March very interesting
How exciting for you
0nce again..a superlative overview and explanation of essentials..... unmatched ANYWHERE on youtube
Thanks really interesting.....Nice haircut Bob 💇🏼♂️x
Thanks! 😃
Hi Bob, I'm getting a new MoHo this summer. It's coming as standard with a few things I'm not happy about. e.g. AGM batteries, split charger, even though it's a Euro 6 engine, standard tyres and the gas fridge.
Another popular UA-camr has changed his gas fridge for a normal compressor fridge and I would do the same as soon as I can. Although it's nice to have the gas option, according to the Dometic data sheet for the 133lt fridge, the Absorption (gas) variety uses twice the power as the same compressor fridge.
Of course, the gas fridge is perfect if you're mainly on hook ups and can use the gas option when you're not.
If you're mainly off grid and using the gas option all the time, then an alternative option, to me, would be preferable. That is to stack up on batteries. It's a matter of choice of course. Your getting started videos are suppurb and this is not a criticism by any stretch. Your videos give food for thought. Thanks.
Thank you, yes I watch John and Mandy too. Nothing wrong with the standard set up, unless you intend to spend a lot of time off grid, we don't. Also a compressor fridge makes a lot of sense if you're off grid a lot and don't want to use a lot of gas.
Many thanks again
Always welcome
Thanks for your videos Bob. Can you tell me what to expect when running the fridge or heating on gas. For example - does the fridge consume a lot of gas and how long would I expect it to last, especially when wild camping? We are planning on getting a MH and find your tutorials very informative.
Not a lot is I think the real world answer. Around 380 grams per 24 hours for a larger fridge like the Dometic RMD8555. Heating consumes much, much more on gas.
@@BobEarnshawMoHo thanks Bob. Much appreciated.
Thanks Bob, your very detailed videos are extremely helpful for newbies, even Australian ones. Just tried to download your checklist for pickup and it is not available atm. Could you direct me to your latest. Many thanks as we pick up our motorhome Monday next after waiting 15 months.
I must have had a clean up! I've reinstated the file. Moving Off Checklist
1drv.ms/u/s!AhzcfwtTupJGgbJaf1imk9oLWT5Zjw?e=aDR0Yf
Have fun with the new Motorhome!
@@BobEarnshawMoHo Many thanks, very useful.
A good view and information on Motorhome topics, we have the Bessacarr 574 so it’s good to have Bob giving a like for like explanation. Thank you ..
Brilliant and informative as ever, thank Bob 🥰
Thank you very much!
I love these video's and have made notes for when we finally get a motor home. I also appreciate that each section of the video has a sub-title, so you can go straight to that section if you want to review a specific query. Also, great reading the comments for other tips that may be useful. Just a quick observation, though. I had a look at the checklist for when you leave site, which is really helpful btw; however, the one you held up seems to have more items than the down-loaded version, which is dated June 2020. So I just wondered which is the most current one? I appreciate it's not a definitive list and I'm sure when we eventually start using a motorhome there'll be things we need to add (or take off).
Thank you for your hard work in making these video's and I look forward to your next one.
Thank you, we keep changing the check list to suit, and may have taken items off when we changed motorhomes. The one on the download is the most recent. Perhaps I should add an issue number. Lol.
Morning Bob could you recommend a sat Nav for use in Europe as I've seen Falcon and Aguri and was wondering which one you use? Kind regards.
This is the one we use, links for it are in the video description
ua-cam.com/video/i0w2i7xv9LQ/v-deo.html
Great video Bob very informative and helpful! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for your really helpful, informative articles, we are new to motorhoming and can’t wait to get out and about. We are sharing a really large motorhome with our son, using it when he doesn’t want it and will not be towing a car, when going out with the motorhome how do you know where you can park to visit towns, attractions etc ? I’ve watched most of your trips and you always seem to know where the suitable car parks are. Best wishes to you, Jenny and Poppy. Lesley Gilman
We are going to do a pitching and parking video.
Hi Bob, we have the same van as you, the same age and the same fridge! We've never had a light in ours, can't see a light in it and took it there wasn't one fitted but in this video you mention your fridge light working. Any chance you could let me know where to look for it or send a photo of yours? Cheers
I never noticed the fridge lights, but is a strip of Leds, set in a recess on the right hand side, between the door and in the shelves, running top to bottom. Best report that under your warranty.
Thanks Bob, I’ll investigate
Love watching all your motorhome related tips, how to's etc. How about a vid on things to expect to go wrong, when purchasing a new motor home , I've been watching and reading other motorhomers who get quite disappointed when paying out large £ and get so many issues requiring claims and taking months to get fixed. I'm trying to not let it put us off making a purchase
Don't let it put you off, you only hear the bad news. Most people (like me) are happy with their purchase. I wouldn't expect things to go wrong!
@@BobEarnshawMoHo there are also alot of bad reviews of poor service from dealers how common is that?, maybe do a video on making a new purchase, and what to look out for, ask etc. Will dealers order a van in , or are we expected to have one they have used for viewings,
Food for thought, thanks. Did you watch our video of when we bought ours? ua-cam.com/video/hOdk3uKKgZI/v-deo.html
Great series of videos for beginners which are really helpful. Just wondering what Duvalay sleeping bag you use - is it the 5mm one or the 2.5mm one
We bought the 2.5mm ones, wish we'd bought the thicker ones though!
Nice one there bob good info video how u leave your heating on over the winter when plugs into mains from the house does it eat into your electric bill kev
Yes, but I don't think it costs a huge amount leaving it on low.
Hi. Am I right in thinking you don’t need to drain the cold water system down in winter if I leave the heating on. As we prefer to keep the van ready for use all the time. Many thanks
You need to drain both the water tanks in case it freezes and cracks the pipes, many of which are exposed outside. You can still run your heater without water in the tank.
Excellent information on this video Bob. 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
A really useful video, thanks. Quick question: if you stop for a rest at the side of the road, do you need to switch the gas back on in order to keep the fridge cool? How long can you stop for without having to worry?
Thank you. Quick question maybe, but a long answer. The motorhome is fitted with a Truma CS (crash sensor) which means I can leave the gas on when travelling, particularly useful for the en-route heating. According to the manual you are supposed to switch the gas supply to the fridge off, but like most people, I don't bother. There is a safety feature with the fridge that means it won't ignite on gas until the ignition has been off for 15 minutes, so it doesn't ignite when you stop at a fuel station. So, with the fridge not using gas for the first 15 minutes, we've never had a problem with the fridge stopping for a lunch break. Even when we switched all the gas off when we travelled through the eurotunnel, the fridge would stay cold for a couple of hours.
Bob - thanks for your help with the fridge winter covers. I returned the “ extreme weather” version and got the clips on ones you indicated and dead easy to fit. Can I ask you a question on batteries that I know you have covered in terms of being off grid. We have a hymer van. The panel has a leisure battery indicator which when charged shows around 13 volts. I know that different things take different charges with say the tv on 12 volt being the biggest drain. I though had 2 batteries fitted. The panel say goes down 1 volt to say 12. Is that 1 volt from 24 if you follow me. We use plug in most of the time so not really a problem but on the handover the dealer didn’t seem sure
Your system is 12v not 24v, you don't add the voltages together. The battery will always drop slightly when things are switched on.
Thanks
Hi Bob,
We have had our heating on in the motorhome, on the drive.
Seems to use slot of electricity ?,we have the alde heating system but seems to use alot of electricity this way.
Any ideas.
Sharky.
Has to be cheaper than heating on LPG. I do keep it on low, about 11 degrees. If you're worried about the cost, turn the heating off, put the hookup on a timer to charge the batteries for a few hours a day. Take all the soft furnishings indoors.
Love your work. One question I have is if I have my motorhome in a secured site (outdoors) and it has an alarm fitted, what's the best way to ensure the battery doesn't go flat and you receive warning messages about it. I have a solar panel fitted but guess that wouldn't be sufficient. Thanks
A decent size solar should be enough to keep the batteries charged up, providing just the charger is left on and no control panel, but an alarm will draw some power. I suppose the answer might be get more solar!
@@BobEarnshawMoHo Well there is the room for it. Thanks Bob.
Hi Bob which product do you use to clean the rubbers on the windows m
A wipe with a damp cloth and spray with silicon spray.
Will you bring back the haircut videos? I enjoyed them
Maybe we'll have to!
Bob. I see you operate heating via Command. Can you do this without even turning Alde control panel on? Or do you need both switched on? Very useful even though we are caravanners!
The Swift Command can switch the Alde on or off. I just leave the Alde panel alone, it's too complicated anyway.
Hello Bob - to the FAQ on Off Grid, any views on the number of leisure batteries? I see that you only have one fitted to your van and I am sure I read somewhere that two were recommended whether you are on or off grid.
It depends how long you want to stay off grid for, our previous motorhome had two batteries. We don't stay off grid much anyway, but if we did I might consider upgrading the batteries and solar panel.
Another good one I’ve not got mine yet but I will be better prepared for watching these videos connecting my electric cable I’ve seen to connect van first then us-ply don’t leave on reel , etc it’s all here and Bob does these in such a way that you can follow it easily also recommend the site visit videos they show a lot such as approach site reception etc great job all round
Glad to help
Hi Bob we have a 2017 swift bolero but the dometic fridge has stopped working no lights at all. I’ve checked the fuses in the Sargent consumer unit all ok. Are there any other fuses do you know? Thanks very much or have you ever come across this problem.
Never had that. Had the 12v on route supply go, that was a fault in the Sargent PSU, but the fridge lights stayed. You probably need to check the supplies to the fridge. A good dealer should be able to help, if you can't do it yourself. It is possible it's a fault with the fridge itself, of course.
Hi, I am wondering why using heating is set up by motorhomers, caravanners etc and would you know what the consequences of not using any background heating could be? For the habitation area
Dangers are possible mould and damp getting in, destroying furnishings and bedding. Many people who leave their vans in long term storage will remove furnishings and bedding. I leave our cushions and bedding in so that the motorhome is ready to use whenever we are able to. I may be removing the furnishing if the lock down continues much longer than February!
As I’m new to motor homing, found these videos really helpful. Also great entertainment during lockdown.
Whilst watching a few of your older videos, I noticed you appear to have some form of cover over your cab dashboard. What is the purpose of this?
It's photographic cloth to stop reflections when we're filming the driving.
Thanks for reply. I think I read somewhere that the film that appears on windscreens, that is difficult to clean off, is due to vapor given off from plastic dashboard when it gets hot from sun. I thought you’d found a way to combat this.
👍
Hi Bob only a quick question do you leave your heating on constantly as in 24/7 whilst the van is on the drive or do you put it to come on via the timer. I am only asking as our 2015 lunar caravan is on the drive and we have the Truma blown air heating. I have been putting it on from 11pm to 7am on the Truma timer, but since January we have tried bringing the temperature down to 10 degree's and leaving it on 24/7 and have seen a significant difference in our electric bill so have now have changed this from 2kw down to 1kw to see if there is a difference but might even bring that down again as the truma heater can go down to 5 degree's, as I just want to keep it aired, whilst we are not using especially during this weather that we are currently having. I am curious in how others are doing this and thought I would ask. Thanks in advance.
Yes I do leave our heating on all the time on 10 degrees. If I didn't leave the heating on think I would take out all the soft furnishings. I'm often in and out of the motorhome to film, so I like somewhere to sit!
@@BobEarnshawMoHo brilliant thank you for your quick reply it's much appreciated. We only bought the caravan in July 2019 so we are fairly new to the this and we absolutely love it! As mentioned above I have left the heating on timer overnight since we bought it, just to keep it aired but recently changed that. We love the caravan even though we didn't have much of a season last year and we're unsure what going to happen this year, but it just gives us so much freedom. Your channel has been invaluable and I enjoy everything yourself, Jenny and poppy put up. I find your your arriving video's very informative and really enjoyable, and you recently put up your tour to Wales 2014 video, if you ever decide to to come back to Wales I would highly recommend the CC Pembrey Site, it is by far our favourite site even though it's only about 20 mins away from our house but it's much better than the CC FreshWater East site.
So you have a 12v heater and gas heating?
No, 240v mains electric and gas heating from the Alde. I was trying to make the point that I can't heat the van with 12v. The fan is powered by 12v is what I meant to say, but heating is gas off grid.
My motorhome is on electric hook up on the drive at the moment due to the current coronavirus lockdown. Is it best to keep it on hook up all the time or should it be disconnected at intervals?
I have always left my motorhomes connected every since I started motorhoming in 2003.
@@BobEarnshawMoHo Hi Bob, thanks for the quick reply. Like many of your subscribers we are new to motorhoming and it is great to get the advice you give
Hi
When you say you have the heating switched on whilst on the drive , is it on all the time in winter or just when you go inside ?
All the time, on 11 degrees, just to kee and the cold out.
@@BobEarnshawMoHo many thanks
Top draw Bob, thank you 🐧🐧
Glad you enjoyed it
Are you thinking of getting a new van if so what sort
No, not at all. We might be borrowing one though.
Thanks Bob shared to Facebook Group.
Thanks Ian
😊👍