Blog

The sole purpose of having solar panels on a motorhome is to recharge its habitation battery. But not all solar panel systems are created equal. There can be significant differences in the way the panels have been mounted on the roof.

The components of a solar system, and the way they’ve been installed, will determine whether the solar panel system will fulfil your expectations while off-grid camping.

In this blog, we discuss what to look for when buying a used motorhome with solar panels. We touch on rigid and flexible solar panels, and the quality of the panels, solar controller, and habitation battery. We also chat about the electrical certificate of fitness, the wiring that connects everything together, and whether a portable solar panel may be your best solution.

This review was written by Paul Owen and originally published in the Motorhomes Caravans & Destinations Magazine on 4 October 2023. We are republishing the review with the magazine's permission.

As you pull into a beachside freedom camping site for the evening you notice the battery on your mobile device is almost drained. Thankfully your recreational vehicle has an inverter onboard which can draw power from your motorhome’s 12 volt (V) battery storage — reviving your phone.

In this blog, we discuss what an inverter is, different types of inverters and how to match one to your motorhoming needs. We also look at how many watts (W) you’ll likely require and how to prevent battery damage when using your inverter.

Most motorhomes leave their showrooms with absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries. Forming the backbone of 12 volt power supplies, they help make it possible for you to enjoy electrically-enhanced camping independent of the national power grid.

But are AGM batteries your best option for freedom camping — or do lithium-ion batteries give you more power for longer?

In this blog, we talk about the advantages of both AGM and lithium-ion batteries. We also discuss why you should consider upgrading your energy storage to the latter — and your charging system to suit.

Plus, we cover how to choose the right lithium-ion battery for your motorhome and how to monitor your battery’s charge.

Your motorhome electrical system is your lifeline to modern civilisation, comfort and convenience. When connected to mains power, it will distribute 240 volts (V) to the three-pin sockets located throughout your motorhome cabin.

But what about when you’re not connected to mains and you have to rely on battery power to camp in comfort?

In this article, we talk about motorhome batteries, where their power comes from, and how to safely recharge them from different sources.

The advent of motorhome appliances that run on LPG has greatly improved the ability to enjoy off-the-grid camping. However, LPG is a dangerous liquid that has the potential to cause significant harm if not handled correctly.

Explosive LPG can leak from a gas cylinder or gas appliance — or carbon monoxide (CO) can silently snuff out your breathing while a faulty diesel or LPG heater warms the cabin.

When a lightning bolt struck Ben Franklin’s kite in 1752, it sent a direct current of energy to the key he’d tied at the end of the kite’s string. Ever since then, we’ve been looking at ways of generating, transmitting, storing, and using that energy — and modern human eƒxistence is now totally dependent upon it.

Our motorhomes, caravans and campervans are obvious examples of this dependence. They all need a source of electricity to function.

Even our gas appliances and diesel heaters are reliant on having some form of electrical power to ignite their burners. It’s therefore important to know how much 12 volt (V) energy your motorhome has stored before settling into a long stretch of freedom camping.