complete newbies here we have not a clue what we are doing. Just recently purchased a 1996 Ford econovan campervan to take the big leap around Australia hoping to venture off early next year but theres a lot of work to be done. can someone please shed some light on how to heat up our hot water tank we know it is connected to the engine, as when we have been driving for some time there is hot water but when the van has been stationery for a day theres None. We go away for weekends and most of the time stay in free camps where there are no showers - first night is great, second we are freezing our butts off. We think the hot water contraption is a homemade job there is no brands, murals or the like. I have taken pictures, as best I could (we are replacing the cupboard today) of the system and the power switch. Id really appreciate any help that is given.
-- Edited by Jasbro on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 07:25:45 AM
Sounds to me like it has some sort of heat exchange unit fitted where the engine coolant heats the hot water in the tank - this would explain why it is hot the first day after driving. The switch probably is a booster element in the hot water tank...possibly 12v, possibly 240v and seeing as it does not heat the water it is probably burnt out unless fuses burnt out. Does the vehicle have a 240v connection point to plug 240v into van?...if so it's probably a 240v element to heat the water. Sounds like a great setup to me as I love ingenuity.
Good Luck.
-- Edited by hako on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 08:00:17 AM
Jasbro said
08:15 AM Apr 22, 2018
Just worked out it is connected to the radiator has when husband pulled the tank out coolant ran everywhere. Sorry to be a pain but how do you find out I if the van has a 240v connection where do you look - I have no idea whatsoever.
-- Edited by Jasbro on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 08:27:15 AM
Yuglamron said
08:43 AM Apr 22, 2018
Normally Caravans and Motorhomes would have a panel like this somewhere on the outside to hook up a 15 amp extension lead when using Caravan Parks.
The inlet is Male so you don't have exposed live wires.
Never apologise for asking questions.
The forum is where you ask them and it's only I*****s that don't ask.
Jasbro said
09:00 AM Apr 22, 2018
Aha I read on the back of the electricity switch (the on/off) 12 volt - whereabouts would I find the fuses please? The pump turns on and pumps the water out no problem.
Jasbro said
09:02 AM Apr 22, 2018
Ahhh yes we do have one of them, we have a 15amp blue cord that we use to plug in at caravan parks to run the aircon, fridge etc.
we also have a second battery in the cupboard we have charged that twice but by morning the fridge is not on, could the battery be used to heat the hot water as well- just guessing here.
jules47 said
12:28 PM Apr 22, 2018
Friend has a Ford Transit MH - she runs her engine when she wants hot water for a shower. Says that is the only way she has - heat exchange.
hako said
12:53 PM Apr 22, 2018
The battery will not be used to heat the water as it would go flat quicktime - it requires 240v.
Good Luck.
T1 Terry said
01:51 PM Apr 22, 2018
If you have enough solar you can actually rig up a switch to divert some or all of the solar to a 12v hot water element in the hot water tank. Actually best to use a 24v element because the solar 12v can get up to 20v open circuit and quite likely kill the 12v elements but not a 24v element. We make up a lot of these try set ups or where they have a bigger battery bank and inverter we set up a system to turn the inverter on and the hot water 240v element when the battery reaches a certain voltage, yet turn it off if the voltage drops below a certain point. A great way to use up otherwise wasted solar.
The way you have your hot water set up at the moment, just run the engine to heat the water and recharge the house battery each day for an hr or so, as long as it takes to get the water hot enough for the shower or recharge the battery. If the fridge turns off over night I'd say the battery doesn't have enough capacity to keep it running over night, either because it is near dead or just not big enough to do the job. If you have a 3 way fridge (gas/12v/240v) then the battery couldn't run it over night unless it was huge, these fridges are only designed to run o 12v while you are driving and should be on gas or 240v if you have it available when camping.
Hope that helps
T1 Terry
-- Edited by T1 Terry on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 01:51:47 PM
jules47 said
01:55 PM Apr 22, 2018
Re the battery in the cupboard - I take it is your "house" battery? i.e. supplies to 12v lights, etc., how do you charge this battery, solar panel? Battery charger?
Jasbro said
03:51 PM Apr 22, 2018
Hi Jules, we charge the house battery (never knew this is what it was called ) with a battery charger. We would like to eventually get solar panels but looking at everything else first
Jasbro said
03:57 PM Apr 22, 2018
Thanks so much Terry, we are looking at eventually purchasing some solar panels but trying to get the essentials done first yes we think the battery is dead, i think we just need to purchase another one. We have a generator so we can run the fridge/air con when we need to but try not to use it too much due to cost.
Jasbro said
03:59 PM Apr 22, 2018
Thanks Jules, we thought maybe there was something we were just missing but if we have to run our engine for a bit to get hot water than thats what we have to do. I am a sook when it comes to cold weather so I dont fancy cold showers
Jaahn said
12:21 PM Apr 23, 2018
Jasbro wrote:
Hi Jules, we charge the house battery (never knew this is what it was called ) with a battery charger. We would like to eventually get solar panels but looking at everything else first
Hi
Takes a while, and some money to 'get it all together' but asking here may point the way to go easier than just guessing what to do.
As far as charging the house battery, you can also charge it with the van motor's alternator. Good way to do it, and if you drive a lot may be all you need. It will charge the house battery while you heat the water too
So if it is not already rigged up for that, then fit a Voltage Sensing Relay, VSR, which will do the battery connecting automatically whenever you start the engine and disconnects it when it stops.
Jaahn
T1 Terry said
12:39 PM Apr 23, 2018
Jaahn wrote:
Jasbro wrote:
Hi Jules, we charge the house battery (never knew this is what it was called ) with a battery charger. We would like to eventually get solar panels but looking at everything else first
Hi
Takes a while, and some money to 'get it all together' but asking here may point the way to go easier than just guessing what to do.
As far as charging the house battery, you can also charge it with the van motor's alternator. Good way to do it, and if you drive a lot may be all you need. It will charge the house battery while you heat the water too
So if it is not already rigged up for that, then fit a Voltage Sensing Relay, VSR, which will do the battery connecting automatically whenever you start the engine and disconnects it when it stops.
Jaahn
Agreed, or a DC to DC charger to help save any alternator overload problems and a faster charge after the 70% SOC point has been reached.
There is a company that makes a bypass set up that allows the full alternator output to flow through until the DC to DC charger can outperform the direct alternator connection charge rate. We fitted a few to the lithium systems we install but the bypass was only 10 amps max for around 15 mins, then the 40 amp DC to DC outperformed the direct connection set up so we found no one wanted to waste the added $$ for such a small gain.
hi all,
complete newbies here we have not a clue what we are doing. Just recently purchased a 1996 Ford econovan campervan to take the big leap around Australia hoping to venture off early next year but theres a lot of work to be done. can someone please shed some light on how to heat up our hot water tank we know it is connected to the engine, as when we have been driving for some time there is hot water but when the van has been stationery for a day theres None. We go away for weekends and most of the time stay in free camps where there are no showers - first night is great, second we are freezing our butts off. We think the hot water contraption is a homemade job there is no brands, murals or the like. I have taken pictures, as best I could (we are replacing the cupboard today) of the system and the power switch. Id really appreciate any help that is given.
-- Edited by Jasbro on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 07:25:45 AM
Sounds to me like it has some sort of heat exchange unit fitted where the engine coolant heats the hot water in the tank - this would explain why it is hot the first day after driving. The switch probably is a booster element in the hot water tank...possibly 12v, possibly 240v and seeing as it does not heat the water it is probably burnt out unless fuses burnt out.
Does the vehicle have a 240v connection point to plug 240v into van?...if so it's probably a 240v element to heat the water.
Sounds like a great setup to me as I love ingenuity.
Good Luck.
-- Edited by hako on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 08:00:17 AM
Just worked out it is connected to the radiator has when husband pulled the tank out coolant ran everywhere. Sorry to be a pain but how do you find out I if the van has a 240v connection where do you look - I have no idea whatsoever.
-- Edited by Jasbro on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 08:27:15 AM
Normally Caravans and Motorhomes would have a panel like this somewhere on the outside to hook up a 15 amp extension lead when using Caravan Parks.
The inlet is Male so you don't have exposed live wires.
Never apologise for asking questions.
The forum is where you ask them and it's only I*****s that don't ask.
Ahhh yes we do have one of them, we have a 15amp blue cord that we use to plug in at caravan parks to run the aircon, fridge etc.
we also have a second battery in the cupboard we have charged that twice but by morning the fridge is not on, could the battery be used to heat the hot water as well- just guessing here.
Good Luck.
If you have enough solar you can actually rig up a switch to divert some or all of the solar to a 12v hot water element in the hot water tank. Actually best to use a 24v element because the solar 12v can get up to 20v open circuit and quite likely kill the 12v elements but not a 24v element.
We make up a lot of these try set ups or where they have a bigger battery bank and inverter we set up a system to turn the inverter on and the hot water 240v element when the battery reaches a certain voltage, yet turn it off if the voltage drops below a certain point. A great way to use up otherwise wasted solar.
The way you have your hot water set up at the moment, just run the engine to heat the water and recharge the house battery each day for an hr or so, as long as it takes to get the water hot enough for the shower or recharge the battery.
If the fridge turns off over night I'd say the battery doesn't have enough capacity to keep it running over night, either because it is near dead or just not big enough to do the job. If you have a 3 way fridge (gas/12v/240v) then the battery couldn't run it over night unless it was huge, these fridges are only designed to run o 12v while you are driving and should be on gas or 240v if you have it available when camping.
Hope that helps
T1 Terry
-- Edited by T1 Terry on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 01:51:47 PM
Hi Jules, we charge the house battery (never knew this is what it was called ) with a battery charger. We would like to eventually get solar panels but looking at everything else first
Thanks so much Terry, we are looking at eventually purchasing some solar panels but trying to get the essentials done first yes we think the battery is dead, i think we just need to purchase another one. We have a generator so we can run the fridge/air con when we need to but try not to use it too much due to cost.
Thanks Jules, we thought maybe there was something we were just missing but if we have to run our engine for a bit to get hot water than thats what we have to do. I am a sook when it comes to cold weather so I dont fancy cold showers
Hi
Takes a while, and some money to 'get it all together' but asking here may point the way to go easier than just guessing what to do.
As far as charging the house battery, you can also charge it with the van motor's alternator. Good way to do it, and if you drive a lot may be all you need. It will charge the house battery while you heat the water too
So if it is not already rigged up for that, then fit a Voltage Sensing Relay, VSR, which will do the battery connecting automatically whenever you start the engine and disconnects it when it stops.
Jaahn
Agreed, or a DC to DC charger to help save any alternator overload problems and a faster charge after the 70% SOC point has been reached.
There is a company that makes a bypass set up that allows the full alternator output to flow through until the DC to DC charger can outperform the direct alternator connection charge rate. We fitted a few to the lithium systems we install but the bypass was only 10 amps max for around 15 mins, then the 40 amp DC to DC outperformed the direct connection set up so we found no one wanted to waste the added $$ for such a small gain.
T1 Terry