Power
This is part ten of 'How to choose a mobile home'. |
- Does it have house batteries?
- What type are they?
- How long do they take to re-charge?
- What type of charger is it?
- How many amp hours power do they store?
- What is the maximum wattage for drawing power off before you need to plug into 240v or use a generator?
- Are the batteries only charged when the motor vehicle is running or from solar or a generator?
- Does the battery system have a monitor?
- How many 12v/24v sockets are there inside the vehicle?
SOLAR
- Is there solar?
- What size regulator does it have? Can it be extended? Can it shut itself off?
- What size is the invertor?
- What is the average solar capture for where and when you are going to be travelling?
- Is it enough for your needs?
GAS
- If gas, then one bottle or two?
- Is there a co2 and a gas detector inside the vehicle?
MAINS - 240V
- 240v or not at all? (110v for our US readers)
- What power outlets are there? Are they in useful places?
- What power outputs might you need for certain appliances? Where?
GENERATOR
- Diesel generator?
- What size? Is it enough for your appliances?
- Is it easily accessible and able to be lifted?
For those reading from overseas, our NZ electricity socket is a type I: a 3 pin - two upper prongs angled in at the top toward the centre, and one lower centred upright prong.
- What appliances run on more than one fuel source? Often a fridge will be described as 2-way or 3-way meaning it runs on 240v and 12v or 240v, 12v and gas. This is certainly useful if you want continuous refrigeration instead of just at your destination as you can switch to 12v while travelling, and use gas if you can't plug in to 240v when you get there.
240v (mains or generator) would certainly make the transition from fixed abode to mobile home a whole lot easier, as we have some appliances that we want to take with us.
I am not a fan of gas but it seems like a necessary evil.
LED lighting running off 12v would be great - I like cool white lights not warm yellows. Solar would be cool - who can argue with 'free' energy? So a good battery bank is a must but the weight would need to be accounted for. On our travels we have seen a lithium ion battery set-up that did away with a couple's need for gas too.
I think our best bet is to have as many options as possible and to help with inevitable contigencies. We don't anticipate that we will have many, if any, opportunities to plug in and re-charge.
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