The Caravan Owners Club

[n1cktd5]

Hi,
I am unsure to go for a UK supplied or a German supplied Hobby. The main issue I have is the 12v power. I have had numerous emails and chats with varius parties but I am no further. With the battery and transformer supplied in the German vans (optional extra) I am right to say that when pitched the battery will power the lights, pump and mains sockets, via a battery / transformer set up ?

My idea is to have this AND then have another battery being fed by solar power to keep it topped up. I will fit a changeover switch so as to have plenty of 12v on tap to feed the transformer.

Is there any bad effect on the battery, will it loose power quicker. I have a 750w inverter also BUT this has a permanent fan and so is always grabbing power - to be honest it was a waste of money.

Any advice would be good, as UK dealers quoting £12k + £1200 for oven and 12v system with 100amp battery doesn't inspire me to change.

Going to Germany and saving £2k does...Its important I get this right.

Sorry if I am harping on a bit about this as I know most of you go on 240v but for us ralliers 12v & Calor are king !. Its essential that I un hitch the car and have power to all from my battery/batteries.

Thanks,

Nick

[keith]

Nick it doesn't matter where you buy a battery and transformer will be fitted as an extra It will only power the 12V accessories i.e. pump and 12V lights this is all of them except the 230v over the dining table and the reading lights in the bedroom. If you are rallying you will need the gas/elec water heater, as standard is 230V elec only. There is no inverter fitted to Hobbies. When connected to the mains the voltage is reduced to 12V for the lights etc. The 230V is then available for water heater mains lights and sockets. The only main difference buying here is the 230V sockets will be changed to uk 3 pin but you can do that yourself for about £20 or just use plug converters £5 per pack of 3 at Curry's. Buy in Germany and you can have all your extras fitted plus an awning and still come home with change.

[n1cktd5]

Thanks Keith,

In Germany, when they fit a battery pack. Can I then (In UK) take feed from this and put in 12v sockets and/or fit stereo etc.

Also do you know if when on battery feed the transformer makes live the standard 230v sockets ?
Thanks,

Nick

[Doc]

Hi,
I am unsure to go for a UK supplied or a German supplied Hobby. The main issue I have is the 12v power. I have had numerous emails and chats with varius parties but I am no further. With the battery and transformer supplied in the German vans (optional extra) I am right to say that when pitched the battery will power the lights, pump and mains sockets, via a battery / transformer set up ?
. . . . .
Sorry if I am harping on a bit about this as I know most of you go on 240v but for us ralliers 12v & Calor are king !. Its essential that I un hitch the car and have power to all from my battery/batteries.

Thanks,

Nick

Right Nick, this is an oft deliberated 'problem' when thinking of buying a German 'van either here or in Germany.

In the case of Hobbys you will have no 'van battery or 12V charging system unless it's built in (the so-called Autark Pack, ~840€) during it's build at Hobby's factory or it's fitted by the dealer (in UK or Germany {see below}), or you DIY, as quite a few of us have done (~£120-£150).

The standard 12V supply in Hobbys (and many other German 'vans) is derived from either, the mains transformer (and much is 18V AC) or via the 13 pin socket from the car battery. There are change-over relays which automatically switch from mains-derived 12V to car battery 12V, when the 'van is not connected to 230V.

Now I noticed today that Joeressens have got the 2006 'vans and pricing on their website, and if you go here http://www.hobby-caravans.com/hobby/hobby-zubehoer-gb.htm you'll see all the options etc that are available. They do a 'small' lead acid battery and regulated charging system for 329€. Big gel battery and charging system is 600€.

Don't know what UK dealers charge but I'd be amazed if was good VFM.

With a 'van battery in situ it is possible to route 12V power to wherever you want in the 'van, PROVIDED you fit an auxilary fuse bank close to the battery.

With a 12V 'van battery supply, you will need to disconnect the change-over relays in the Hobby electric box so that you never use the mains-derived 12V Power supply when connected to mains, only the battery 12V supply.

If you are not confident in fiddling with the electrics, I'd leave it to a dealer like Joeressens to retro-fit it, if you don't want the expense of the factory Autark pack.

Compared to Hobbys, some other makes of German 'vans are far more 'anglicised' by UK dealers, (or the factory) e.g. TEC, LMC, Dethleffs, Burstner, Hymer, Cristall and Geist. So you do get something for the elevated UK price over continental prices; not for Hobbys though!!

[keith]

Thanks Keith,

In Germany, when they fit a battery pack. Can I then (In UK) take feed from this and put in 12v sockets and/or fit stereo etc.

Also do you know if when on battery feed the transformer makes live the standard 230v sockets ?
Thanks,

Nick

Yes you can take a feed from this for stereo make sure you put an inline fuse . No it doesn't make the mains sockets live. I don't know of any 12V system that does. You could fit an inverter but would probably be better off with a separate dedicated battery for this. There have been many posts on this subject try doing a search for "inverter".

[beejay]

My new 2005 Hobby has a Dometic transformer fitted. This provides 400 watts, at 12.7 volts D.C. only, for ALL the lights and the water and toilet pumps. There is no mains lighting fitted. The new lighting is very good with a light tube around the pelmet and mini "push-in" halogen ceiling/corner lights. However, my transformer tripped out (not overloaded!) and speaking to Ambergate I was told there is a problem and a "fix" is available via the supplying Dealer. Thankfully, they also said it will reset if turned off for 30 minutes, which it did. (Dometic U.K. could not help as they could not identify the product code and did not recognise my description!! ) Anybody else had any trouble with this unit or know anything about the fix ? Incidentally, fitting a charger/battery as DIY may require a different approach as the unit appears sealed but disconnecting car input and 12 volt transformed output is easy as the blade terminals are accessible under a cover.

[n1cktd5]

Hi Doc,

Hope that you sort your little accident out (saw on T & T) It annoys me but these muppets need to atch the road more...

Anyway, the "Large" GEL battery that is provided is only 80Ah

When I think "large battery" it makes me think of 220Ah. Why only 80, surely this is a bit small - whats worrying is 600 euro !!!! And there is an option for a small version...what is that a set of AAA's

will be fitting an Elecsol 100 / 120 in mine.

Nick

PS - The van is on the way......October 17th and counting !!!

[Doc]

Hi Nick, yep that 'minor bump' was exceedingly annoying after over 40 years of trouble free towing!!

I've gone for two 85AHr batteries in parallel instead of one bigger battery, as it's far easier, for me, to lift an 85Ahr battery than a single 120AHr one.
One battery is in an old TP2 brown charger box which has a big strap round it making it fairly easy to take out and charge seperately from the 'van, if needs be. Together with the car battery, I have loads of battery capacity.

It's all in the front bed locker by the connection block for the 13pin wiring cable.

[Doc]

My new 2005 Hobby has a Dometic transformer fitted. This provides 400 watts, at 12.7 volts D.C. only, for ALL the lights and the water and toilet pumps. There is no mains lighting fitted. The new lighting is very good with a light tube around the pelmet and mini "push-in" halogen ceiling/corner lights. However, my transformer tripped out (not overloaded!) and speaking to Ambergate I was told there is a problem and a "fix" is available via the supplying Dealer. Thankfully, they also said it will reset if turned off for 30 minutes, which it did. (Dometic U.K. could not help as they could not identify the product code and did not recognise my description!! ) Anybody else had any trouble with this unit or know anything about the fix ? Incidentally, fitting a charger/battery as DIY may require a different approach as the unit appears sealed but disconnecting car input and 12 volt transformed output is easy as the blade terminals are accessible under a cover.

Beejay, here are a couple of photos showing the Hobby electric box in my 2002 450UB and it's similar to all other Hobbys I've seen. Is yours like this? I replaced the Hobby 'mains' switch with an RCCB (mis-spelt on the photo) but Hobby may now fit RCCB's as standard now.

1) cover on
and showing the small Optimax transformer (on the left) which feeds the pelmet lighting, which is designed to only run via 230V hook-up, as the current for the 22 small bulbs is ~5A at 12V, and would be a drain on purely battery power. I've left it like that, but keep meaning to replace the bulbs with high power LED's so that the current draw is much less.

2) cover off
showing the innards!

[shrimp]

I don't know whether this helps but I had a battery and charging system fitted at a uk dealer for £280.

[beejay]

Hi
The Dometic transformer is completely different to the one in the photo. As I said it now provides 400 watt at 12.7 volts regulated supply and this is d.c. only. The pelmet lighting is now a light tube, the ceiling light a 3 bulb 12 volt halogen unit and there is no mains lighting fitted. Hobby have also deleted the RCD and only fit one, 10 amp, MCB with live and neutral linked. As there is space in the box I have fitted an RCD and 3, two pole/single module MCBs splitting the outputs to the transformer, Hobby mains and my additional socket wiring between them. That way I preserve lighting if anything trips the mains circuits. The two pole / single module MCBs are not available in the U.K. I buy mine in France at £4 each. They only take up one module width but are combined live and neutral together. The Dometic transformer is mounted in the bottom of the wardrobe with a notice "do not cover". It is also fitted with a fan. My unit cut out but it reset whilst in transit. Ambergate reckon temperatures were high (25 degrees!) and this was the problem. (wait until I get to the med) However, I have yet to see the fan working as I now keep a close eye on it. As a further point with new vans, check the heating pipe connections on the fan in the wardrobe base. This is the second Hobby I have found the pipes not connected and lying on the floor. In the first Hobby the heat build up in the base caused the waste pipe to soften and collapse blocking the outlet which how I discovered the problem. I now drill the outlet flange and fit the pipes with a s.t. screw.