Understanding the Power Consumption of Your Caravan
One thing that might not predominantly be on your mind while buying a caravan is the way you consume power while on a camping trip. Understanding the power consumption of your caravan could help you understand how much you can load on to the battery.
Starting with is, knowing what type of traveller you are. You could know this by answering 3 questions to yourself:
For how long do you plan a camping trip?
What place you are going to stay? &
What type of appliances do you use in your caravan?
Some people are short-term travellers, they are up for a weekend getaway all the time and some plan a longer trip and seek a home away from home. In between, there could others as well. If you are a weekend traveler you need very little power, on the flip side, if you plan a trip for a longer duration you need enough power to go on.
You may stay at a holiday park with hookups, where you can get a power source, or you may just wander to recharge your caravan battery through an Anderson plug.
A longer trip would need more appliances as compared to a weekend trip and that again rules what kind of power you need. Talking about appliances, there are 2 kinds of them: high-draw and low-draw. Most caravans have LED lights, refrigerator, microwave and a TV, but you can always have more appliances such as a coffee machine, a hairdryer, an air conditioner. It absolutely depends on the camping trip you want to plan.
The regular items such as LED lights and TV are low-draw appliances which consume less amount of electricity, while microwaves, toasters, coffee machines, hairdryers, air conditioners are extremely high-draw appliances. In short, any appliance that has a heating element is typically a high-draw appliance. These high-draw appliances won’t go on, on a battery alone.
Refrigerators are high-draw appliances as well, but most of the RVs have them, it is because they can run on LP-gas which is more economical than electrical power.
The best way to monitor the power consumption in your caravan is using a battery monitor. Well, why you need a battery monitor? It would help you know how much power you have in reverse and how much you are using. Battery monitors also tell you the condition of your battery and if it is needed to be replaced.
You may not give power consumption a thought, but it plays an important role in your camping trip. Now you know how you can gauge the power consumption which would help you understand whether you need a power source, or your battery would suffice it. Plus, you came to know how to monitor the power consumption of your caravan as well which would help you take informed decisions.
Starting with is, knowing what type of traveller you are. You could know this by answering 3 questions to yourself:
For how long do you plan a camping trip?
What place you are going to stay? &
What type of appliances do you use in your caravan?
Some people are short-term travellers, they are up for a weekend getaway all the time and some plan a longer trip and seek a home away from home. In between, there could others as well. If you are a weekend traveler you need very little power, on the flip side, if you plan a trip for a longer duration you need enough power to go on.
You may stay at a holiday park with hookups, where you can get a power source, or you may just wander to recharge your caravan battery through an Anderson plug.
A longer trip would need more appliances as compared to a weekend trip and that again rules what kind of power you need. Talking about appliances, there are 2 kinds of them: high-draw and low-draw. Most caravans have LED lights, refrigerator, microwave and a TV, but you can always have more appliances such as a coffee machine, a hairdryer, an air conditioner. It absolutely depends on the camping trip you want to plan.
The regular items such as LED lights and TV are low-draw appliances which consume less amount of electricity, while microwaves, toasters, coffee machines, hairdryers, air conditioners are extremely high-draw appliances. In short, any appliance that has a heating element is typically a high-draw appliance. These high-draw appliances won’t go on, on a battery alone.
Refrigerators are high-draw appliances as well, but most of the RVs have them, it is because they can run on LP-gas which is more economical than electrical power.
How to monitor power consumption?
The best way to monitor the power consumption in your caravan is using a battery monitor. Well, why you need a battery monitor? It would help you know how much power you have in reverse and how much you are using. Battery monitors also tell you the condition of your battery and if it is needed to be replaced.
You may not give power consumption a thought, but it plays an important role in your camping trip. Now you know how you can gauge the power consumption which would help you understand whether you need a power source, or your battery would suffice it. Plus, you came to know how to monitor the power consumption of your caravan as well which would help you take informed decisions.
