Taking to the road and seeing Australia in a converted bus has been a great experience – one we intend to continue for some time. Lots of people ask us how this came about and what we did to prepare for life on the road. In this article we will look at what is involved […]
This is the second (and final) part of my introduction to basic electrical theory – for owners of motorhomes and caravans. In this section we will look at watts (and we all know that solar panels are rated in watts) and also the connection of batteries in both series and parallel. But before we launch […]
Presented here, in a very easy to understand format, is basic electrical theory. This is the stuff that I learned in my first year as an apprentice electrician (and that was just after they invented digital watches). This basic knowledge is an absolutely essential grounding if you are to have any hope of installing, repairing […]
Installing Solar Panels Correctly on your Motorhome or Caravan So you have decided to install solar panels onto your caravan or motorhome – great! Here are some important tips that will help you to get the most out of your expensive solar panels. Wiring size Take care with the size of the wiring. Using cable […]
We receive several emails every week from people who enjoy reading our blog and who have questions about how they too can begin to enjoy the lifestyle that we live. We enjoy reading these emails and like the feedback, there are always a number of questions about building a motorhome. In this article I would […]
Getting Help When You Need It Most We love to take our motorhome to some of the remotest places in Australia, we like the solitude and the feeling of isolation. I realise that this type of exploration is not for everyone, but the reason most people travel in motorhomes and caravans is to explore Australia […]
240v fridge or a low voltage fridge for your motorhome or caravan. Yesterday I was asked for my advice on the purchase of a refrigerator for a motorhome. Under consideration were a 240v 220ltr household fridge and a 12/24v 220ltr Danfoss compressor based unit (Waeco). I was asked to comment on the economics of each […]
Shade Tolerant Solar Panels? I have heard a number of travelers repeat the great “shade tolerant” sales pitch given them, when selecting solar panels for their motorhome or caravan. Much of this is just that – sales pitch. Firstly, nobody in their right mind is going to intentionally locate their expensive solar panel in the […]
Not sure if your expensive solar panels are doing their job? Here is some simple tests that you can do to determine how your solar panels are performing. A solar panels currency is current (measured in amps) – so you are going to need some method of measuring current. Some solar regulators have a display […]
No matter whether you are a “The glass is half full” kind of person or a “The glass is half empty” type, you will agree that one advantage of drinking from a glass is that you can see just how much of the liquid remains. Sadly our motorhome and caravan batteries are not like that […]
This is a question we get asked often. Once fellow travellers discover that I have an electrical background and training, I am regularly asked to examine their solar installation to determine why it is not working. Here is a list of the top 5 causes for Solar that does not perform on caravans and motorhomes […]
My brother-in-law recently purchased a pure sine wave inverter via eBay. In the supplied information the inverter looked like the perfect replacement for his modified sine wave “Xantrex” brand inverter (that has performed flawlessly for a number of years). The inverter purchased is currently selling (on ebay) for $579 plus $135 shipping When the inverter […]
A list of some of the questions we often get asked about our Hobohome lifestyle… Where do you get your drinking water from? In most part of the country, drinking water is not difficult to obtain. Many parks and public toilet blocks have taps. If you ask at a petrol station (normally when buying fuel) […]
This is Part two of How to Find Free Camps in Australia. Part 1 can be found here. In part one we looked at places where you might just find a spot to camp for a night or two, in this the second part we take a look at some places to avoid and some security and […]
How to find Free Camps in Australia This is part one of a two part article discussing how to find “Free” camps in Australia. Those of you that regularly read our travel blog will know that as we travel Australia in our motorhome, we spend much of our time staying in free and nearly-free camps. […]
Motorhome and Caravan Toilet Chemicals – which is best? This is an age old question for almost all travelers, motorhomers and caravaners alike. At many gatherings and ‘happy hours’ the conversation invariably turns to “What toilet chemicals do you use?” There are two main types of toilet treatments for portable and inbuilt motorhome / caravan […]
When we took to the road in 2003, we did so with our two Burmese cats. Some people have dogs and we have met people who travel with a bird. In this article we discuss the benefits and limitations imposed when travelling with pets. We lost one of our cats (she was hit by a […]
Almost every motorhome and many caravans use an inverter. These clever electronic devices take the low voltage direct current (DC) power from our batteries and convert it to the same high voltage alternating current (AC) that our household sockets deliver. This allows us to have 240 volt mains power with us no matter how […]
Every vehicle has an alternator, we know that it is responsible for keeping the starting battery from going flat. But can we use the alternator to charger our motorhome house batteries too? What is the best way to do this? Before we look at the options, let’s look at the issues: Crank batteries differ […]
Most people who have anything to do with solar power know that a solar regulator is necessary. Not too many of these people understand the exact function of a solar regulator or how it does what it does. For the purpose of this discussion and unless I state otherwise, I will be talking about the […]