Caravan Wiring

steve7713

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I have picked up a caravan this week, it was cheep and requires some work, one thing I want to test is the electrics over the weekend.

I know it works with and electric hook up, one thing I have noticed so far is the battery, it has a charger connected to it but how do I get it to run the lights ect.

I have found plenty information on the tow bar side, does anyone have any information on the internal wiring for caravans?
 
first is make sure the battery is charged up the charger is for
when your connected to a electric hook up to keep the battery
topped up you normally find the battery does the water pump
and a few lights it would help if we knew what caravan you got
and welcome to the world of pissing other motorist off me been
doing it for years :)
 
As far as I can see the charger is connected to the mains and charges the battery and that is were it stops.

I am OK with the 240v side of things it is the 12V side I am unsure/unfamiliar with. How does the 12V connect to the lights and water pump?

It an old caravan a Sprite major7 I think is about 20years+. We normally use the tent, but I got the chance for this and I thought we would try and see if the caravan would suit us better.

Also looks as if one of the brakes has lock up, hope the weather is good to me this weekend.
 
I have been unable to find anything on the Major7, I have been looking for a few days.
 
I have been unable to find anything on the Major7, I have been looking for a few days.
r u sure it is a major 7
the number equates to the berth so ur van is a 7 berth??
 
Touring caravans are basically a 12 volt system the same as a car. When you connect your lead up to your car it uses the cars 12 volt system for the exterior lights and also the battery is usually charged as well . When you hook it up on site to a 240 volt supply the caravans battery charger will keep the 12 volt battery charged up and it will be this that works the interior lights etc . On a 20 year old van you will probably just have a few 13 amp sockets that run on mains power for use with a tv etc
 
That was I thought, it labeld up as a Major 7 and I have been able to count 7 beds. The 2 front couches convert into 2 sets of bunk beds, the couches and the table in the back convert into a double bed and there is also space for a bunk bed over the double bed, there is some parts missing for it but the space is there. All this in 17ft.

It is basic in other areas 2 ring cooker with grill and fridge, I will still have to test these out when I get gas and a toilet space I would have to get a porti loo for this if I want it. no loss, you don't normally get these in tents but all the site we go to have good facility's.
 
That was I thought, it labeld up as a Major 7 and I have been able to count 7 beds. The 2 front couches convert into 2 sets of bunk beds, the couches and the table in the back convert into a double bed and there is also space for a bunk bed over the double bed, there is some parts missing for it but the space is there. All this in 17ft.

It is basic in other areas 2 ring cooker with grill and fridge, I will still have to test these out when I get gas and a toilet space I would have to get a porti loo for this if I want it. no loss, you don't normally get these in tents but all the site we go to have good facility's.
look here for the layout
Sprite Sprite Range Layouts :: Swift Group
 
It has the same basic foot print as the Major 5 in the link.

Am I right in thinking that the 12V should be connected in the following way, charger (connected to the main), battery, and connections to the lights and or water pump.

The lights and water pump have no direct connection to the mains, and the mains is only for the 13amp sockets.

I have not looked at the fridge yet, I think it runs on gas or battery.
 
back to your original question charge your battery up and check what works will be the best option but i assure you the water pump and some lights will work just on the battery forget telly on the battery cuz it will drain it like noones business as for the fridge that works on gas or electric hook up not 12v trial and error i say thats the only way you will learn
 
The fridges do work on 12 volt mate . They are designed to be used when towing the van but then you will have the option of gas or 240 volt when hooked up on site
 
The idea is that if your touring on a daily basis your fridge will still be working as you go from place to place keeping your milk etc cold . Years ago i worked for Sunseeker caravans . They made static vans but wanted to get into the tourer market so they needed someone familiar with 12 volt systems and that was me lol . I don't know how many 1000,s of tourers they made but every single one was wired up by me. They gave up after a while and stopped making them. so i moved over onto the plumbing department of the statics and got paid £15 for every van i plumbed up . I was doing 15 vans a day and in those days that was a serious amount of money. However the caravan or boat industry for that matter cannot handle any kind of slow down in orders (they are hire em fire em industries ) I was laid off as i was the largest earner in the place . However the factory manager kept me on as a snagger ( going round the country sorting out new vans that had ANY kind of faults ) . Well i got fed up with that and started my own business up which is still going to this day . So as far as caravans are concerned especially older ones i know a little bit about them
 
Thank for the help, I had a look today and I found that the battery was dry. I put in a temp battery and tested the lights, one of the strip lights is damaged and the outside light has water damage and will have to be replaced.

Do you know if the wet cell battery can be reused after it has be refilled and charged?

Also looks like the electric water pump had been removed are they easy to refit?
 
normally the pump just connects to the side of the caravan
looks like this
Watermaster_premium_truma.jpg

and the other end in a water tank/bucket
but check with charlie senator he more than a expert than me ;)
 
I can't really help with the leccy stuff (I leave all that to OH), but I got to say have a look on The UK Camp Site for Tent and Caravan Campers in the UK, do a search for basically whatever question you have and theres a99% chance that it has been covered.
We are very keen caravanners and have just got back from a week at Primrose Valley today, we also host a lot of 'meets' through Uk Campsite. You can ask any questions if you need to, there is always someone on there with the answer. Check out the 'Campsite Search' too, there are reviews on nearly every campsite in the UK & lots in Europe.

Happy Vanning :thumbsup:
 
Over the weekend I got the caravan into my drive and could connect it to the mains, I tested the mains OK.

I have put in car battery to replace the faulty leisure battery (I will replace this when the pennies start coming back in), one problem I have found is with the battery charger. The charger is and older metal type this has a buzzing noise. Can I change this with the spare car charger I have? I think it is a 6amp charger.
 
The idea is that if your touring on a daily basis your fridge will still be working as you go from place to place keeping your milk etc cold . Years ago i worked for Sunseeker caravans . They made static vans but wanted to get into the tourer market so they needed someone familiar with 12 volt systems and that was me lol . I don't know how many 1000,s of tourers they made but every single one was wired up by me. They gave up after a while and stopped making them. so i moved over onto the plumbing department of the statics and got paid £15 for every van i plumbed up . I was doing 15 vans a day and in those days that was a serious amount of money. However the caravan or boat industry for that matter cannot handle any kind of slow down in orders (they are hire em fire em industries ) I was laid off as i was the largest earner in the place . However the factory manager kept me on as a snagger ( going round the country sorting out new vans that had ANY kind of faults ) . Well i got fed up with that and started my own business up which is still going to this day . So as far as caravans are concerned especially older ones i know a little bit about them

Quality yes i would say that pretty much qualifies you, lol.
 
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