DRAINED BATTERIES + OFF GRID = 😩 Night 2 of Living in a caravan for the first time!
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- čas přidán 9. 08. 2023
- Welcome back to another episode and thank you for being here!
What a intense yet funny start to the day it was waking up to realise overnight we completely drained our batteries 😂 to then look outside to heavy clouds and rain knowing we had to preform some sort of miracle to save night 3 haha.
Luckily though we have learnt so much since and appreciate all your comments of advise
If you haven’t already please like and subscribe! We will see you on the next one
Best I've seen since Russell Coight. Keep it up!
Lol
Good job on the van guys, it looks awesome, a few tips to help would be only have your inverter turned on when you need it, use gas water heater when off grid and electric heater when plugged in, grey water hose needs to be connected so you don’t dump your water out like that, invest in an amphibian 10-15a adapter so you can plug into any PowerPoint, keep learning your doing a great job
Always connect a grey water hose, empting on ground like that is not allowed.
Good to see yous are staying close to major towns while yous are learning before heading out to play in the outback with the big boys. Also thanks for keeping the adventure transparent , showing us the good times AND the not so good times, too many vanlife tubers just show all the rainbows and unicorns which gets very repetitive and boring. Tow safe guys and look forward to the next vlog.
Hey guys, Keep up the good work, couple of things though, You need to get towing mirrors for the car or you'll cop a fine, turn the inverter off when your not using it, turn the water refill hose up flat out to fill the tanks up faster, for the bottles you could reheat in the microwave ( some people will have a cry about it though ) only run a couple of lights in the van instead of all of them. But most important thing is ENJOY it, you'll soon work it all out, and don't stress, plus if worse comes to worse buy a little 2kw Genny until to get the hang of it.
Wife & I are really enjoying your channel. Thanks for sharing so much (mistakes and successes) it's all very exciting. This is very helpful to others (including us). Here's a tip; love & be kind to one another. Apologise for hurting feelings & Forgive each other daily. Enjoy every moment ! God Bless.❤
I think caravanning with a dog & young kids is crazy... but doing it while you are learning - hats off to you! As the young people say YOLO!! I can see lots of good advice in the comments too. That’s how we learnt the most - from others.
Get a quiet generator to use when you are away from other campers.
That’s a good idea we’re gonna look into that
The only time to use Air-con and/or electric heating in a van is when you are plugged in to mains power. When living in a van everything is limited. Didn't you find out about living in a van during your research and planning?
We just go for it we don’t really research and plan
It is the thorough pre-research and pre-planning that makes a van trip around Australia the enjoyable adventure it is. You are only starting your unresearched and unplanned 'excellent adventure'. 'Just going for it' has the potential to result in more disappointment, frustration and anger.@@thatfalzonfamily
Looking forward to watching your adventures guys. Enjoy all the learning like we did. You will find your groove real soon.
Keep up the great work.
I see it all the time,people just love the comfort,at home I understand, good jacket,box matches,billy can,I can’t see the sense in going bush and carrying your house with you.
I always take a 3 kw Generator with us and just use it in cases like this. Don’t worry it happens to everyone on the road. You are going to need a filter in-line for the fresh water.
Take care have a wonderful week 🦘🦋🌈
1 definitely get your diesel heater fixed its the best to keep van warm and uses stuff all battery
2 when not plugged into power use gas switch not electric to heat hot water system for showers
3. Don't get caught emptying your grey water like that some places its really not allowed.
4 keep having fun! Enjoy
We travelled with a 9 month old, and used gas to heat up, and a thermos to keep the water hot. Worked perfectly. Bit slower but saved power. Also you should look into a diesel heater for the cold nights (save power on heating during the night)
Loving the honestly! :)
Thank you for the heads up my friend we will keep that in mind and thank you 😊
Great video! I am loving that we get to see you guys learn along the way. We don't get to see this raw look with other youtubers. Am also glad you are enjoying vanlife, as this should hopefully mean we get to keep seeing your vids 😁👍
your getting there, just remember if it heats anything then it will draw high power, use gas to heat your water and turn off when not in use to save gas. Its all about conserving water and power only have minimal lights on and conserve water. we use wiki camps to find water and dump points, in inclement weather we stop at a caravanpark or show grounds one night in five or six just to top up batteries and do the washing and top up water. We were told that grey water becomes black water after 24hrs in the tank, so should be desposed of into a dump point not on the ground(not 100% sure on this)wife and and i are still learning after nearly 12 years.enjoying your vids keep them coming
Oh my, you guys are rookies for sure. So much to learn on your journey. Sorry but I laughed when you went to the EV charge station. Highly recommend you guys get some towing mirrors for your car before the cops nab you. Also do you have the ability to use gas to heat your water for the shower instead of using battery power.
I had a feeling something was right when I looked at it. Ha ha ha ha I’m glad you guys enjoyed the video. Stay safe
I would recommend a generator for back up plan as well as the solar
If you want more power from your altinator you need to disconnect on your smart altinator at the negative terminal. Also when emptying your grey (waste) water run a hose from the connection so it goes down the waste hole at a caravan park or on the grass not on the concrete where people walk.
Ok thank you for the heads up we will keep that in mind thank you 😊 do you have a van?
Very disrespectful to the caravan park owner , you were only after power ,not fill the water tanks& then empty your grey water onto the concrete . Not a good look !
Enjoyed watching your video. Well done for getting out and having a crack and trying new things. We’re not caravaners but love long road trips, so looking forward to watching your adventures. Awesome fishing channel too 😊
hey mate i work with a battery company, those deep cycle batteries are expenisive and thought ild give you some information, if you ever go to get a warranty for the battery, flat batteries will void warranty, for a deepcyle try not let it get below 8 volts (roughly 4-5hours of use)
Thank you for the heads up mate really appreciate it. I will keep that in mind
Just found you guys, great vid, I want you go back and watch this vid in six months and to be amazed how much to have learnt about caravanning.
Gas all the way for heating everything guys and a small quiet genset as a backup for the van batteries . try locate some 12v or 24v appliances instead of the 240v ones as well . Great job with everything guys and you will be in your groove in no time .
Thank you for the heads up. I really appreciate that and you’re right we will get into a groove very soon
Big effort to go into the bush a bit green.. Gotta start somewhere I suppose.
A tip to keeping warm.. After 1 year of travelling mainly around Victoria & then across the Nullarbor through S. A. & up the West Coast. We spent $250 on an 80% down & 20% feather doona from Harris Scarf. Excellent choice by the wife. We are warm as during the winter months. No diesel heater in our van 😊& no extra weight to worry about.
Gee so much to learn hey. Your doing awesome & everything is a learning curve. Well done guys💝
Thank you we are loving it so much 😊
@@thatfalzonfamily 💝 it shows :) love you both. Keep well :)
Hats off to you guys for going all in like you have most people will learn how to use and live in there caravan’s over time it took us a year and 3 different caravans before we got it sorted and we’re still learning every time we go
Thank you for the confidence I really appreciate that and the nice words we love it and we will keep learning and showcasing to use. Hope you’re well stay safe
Oh guys you'll get there, it's a learning curve, love you Guys ❤❤
Yes I’m sure we will. Thank you for watching. We love you too. Enjoy your day BSafe
I love how real you guys are! So entertaining
I’d recommend buying a generator for those times where you want to charge everything up during free camps or your using either the microwave or bottle warmer or even the kettle 🙏🏼
Great work Guys, 2 ideas. 1 use the gas to heat your hot water when off grid, and 2 turn off your inverter when not in use. "Keep the Dream Alive" Michael
Run your hot water on gas that's where your chewing up the power. Turn off the hot water system at the tank.
Yeah 💯 needs to be on gas
Thank you 😊 we will keep that in mind. Cheers
Get your diesel heater fixed so you can have heat at night, run your hot water service on GAS. Use gas stove to heat bottle or use kettle, but you don’t need the inverter on all the time, when off grid. Turn inverter on only when needed, that way van will always run on 12v and gas.
Yes we definitely need to get it fixed. Thank you for the heads up I appreciate it
That’s all good. You guys have just jumped right into the deep end. Most people start in a tent, move to a camper trailer, than maybe pop top caravan and lastly full size caravan. Once you’re sorted it’ll be awesome.
I love it ❤
You make me smile 😀
Love the honesty guys keep up the high spirits
Thank you 😊 hope your well
Love your videos. You will always learn something new everyday when using the van. Just a pointer when dumping the grey water tank, you should have a hose connected to the outlet and place it in a drain area. That's why these days, with owners of offgrid parks are asking for people to have a grey water tank to store there waste as they don't like people just dumping there waste on there properties as the smell and small bits of food are attracting vermin.
Guys so good your doin ya dream with the little fam. Just watch and research ask questions ect. Duel batts for ya car dc-dc charger from car to van through anderson plug, bluetti power hub for off grid on those overcast days. Conserve power with gas usage on certain things. Camp fire cooking ect. Back to basics rule of thumb really for everything. Good to have those comforts but being conservative is key guys. You will get there. Also get a decent length of hose with grey water connection around 3m is suffice. That's obviously so you dont make a bog hole around ya camp. 🤙
There is always that one good bugger that gets it and lends a hand to fellow good bugger.
Yeah that’s right my friend
@@thatfalzonfamily just came across your channel, awesome content mate , you’s are my type of people and relate to your content, enjoy your journey, live life on your terms. 🤟🏻
Caravan park or run a generator, what about fitting some tow mirrors, dropping grey water on slab? Use hose. Use the gas for HWS when off grid
Thank you 😊 will do
You guys are doing really well. Aria and Scarlett are such good girls. Keep safe ❤
Russell coight: I never go into the outback without a decent supply of water, and the general rule for how much you'll need is three litres per day, per person, per man, per degree over 25 degrees celcius, per kilometre if walking on foot, in the winter months dividing it by two, plus... another litre... at the end.
Falzon family: I never go to a hipcamp without a decent supply of kilowatts, and the general rule for how much you'll need is three kilowatts per day, per person, per man, per degree under 25 degrees celcius, per minute of hot shower, in the winter months multiplying it by two, plus... another kilowatt... at the end.
Yes I agree with you I love this lifestyle
for baby formula, we either thermos or you can use 80/20 mix , 80 ml of room temp water and 20ml fresh boiled water, to get the temps right, its much quicker
you will learn love it guys keep it up ..subbed
Dump waste water into proper drain. Other wise it smells for next person. Some sites don't like you dumping grey water onto the ground. Might be easier to warm bottles in jug hot water. Use a filter when filling up the water. Use the gas for hot water heating. Saves drawing off the battery. Also look at a DC to DC charger between car and caravan helps keep batteries topped up. ALOT to learn.
Dont worry about these assholes commenting mate. Keyboard warriors. Just nasty. My wife and I learnt the hard way with our first van. It's a massive learning curve. Keep the vids coming!
Thank you we don’t care mate cheers for the heads up stay safe
Hey guys just watched your vid we are so happy for you guys yep there’s a lot to learn but you’re doing great.
Noticed that you have Victron stuff which is great "Blue is good" well the best.
To save power off grid run you hot water on gas I’m sure you can as electric hot water is a killer.
Ok for 1260 watts of solar at 70% efficiency would mean on you gauge Cerbo GX monitor you see around 882 watts in full sun. You would never get 100% as solar is very insufficient, so more panels the better. (Note keep your panels clean as dust and dirt will be a killer for your power.
Try to run only the 12volts LED lights in the van not the Down lights as they will such more power, our center hatch has LEDs all around and it only uses 0.8 amps as for the down light they will be more than 5 or 6 amps.
What batteries are you running and what are the amp/ hours combined?
We loved you guys more as soon as we saw Rocco as we have a Beagle as well his name is Dexter, and he is 12.
I was gonna ask use that how long it last untill it empty. How many days
I hope you have got that diesel heater fixed sure beats using electricity, Great Video BTW ps can you heat your shower water with gas?
Use the gas hot water switch
Get rid of the electric jug
We have a 340 on the roof and 400 of lithium use an induction cook top and have never gone under 82%
Maybe a redarc DcDc charger to charge from the car would help
Okay, thank you so much for the heads up I would definitely try it
@@thatfalzonfamily I made the mistake of putting the smaller 1225D in should have been the 1240D it over comes the problem of the smart alternator and also gives you a solar input as an extra fit it as near the caravan batteries as possible
Excellent entertainment ... I will definitely follow you as you RAPIDLY become EXPERTS ...
Wow you are learning a lot funny as with trying to charge up lol😂 a large wake up call but You do need to read up on where you put Waste water & get a waste water hose you need
enjoy your travels
I keep telling u stuff use now but use a bringing me back memories from our campervan small trip
This is why I love watching you guys. The learning process you are taking is showing everyone it’s not as simple as it looks.
Can’t wait for the next episode
Yep, a learning curve but you will get there. Towing mirrors are a definite. Keep up the good work. 👍
Omg.. watching your video I’m so nervous taking out caravan out now. We are newbies too.. We have a jayco with 4 solar panels and 4 batteries and inverter. That’s all I know. 😂😂..
MY QUESTION TO YOU GUYS AND EVERYONE.
We have extended side mirrors but I don’t want to connect them on my suv coz it will damage the paint work by tightening them up..
So what can I do to prevent any paint work damage on my mirrors.??
Would a thick piece of rubber placed on the back of my side mirrors help?
Buying new towing mirrors that extend not an option. Way too expensive..
Any help would be great thanks …
Luke and Alex you guys are doing great! When are you heading down to Victoria?
It’s so cold here, make sure you all rug-up.
Ive seen people fill water at the parks. They bring the attachment. Smart people out their.
You guys are absolute pissers 🤣, funny stuff. Keep it up. They way you dumped the grey water on the ground at the park 🤦♂️. Love it.
cant wait for the vidoe about whats yous work and how yous affored this
Stay tuned we will do a video on it
lol great work guys :)
Hahaha cheers man
Amazing for 20$ worth of fuel . You could let the car idle at camp. So you dont need to drive anywhere. and charge the batterys 3 times over.
The dcdc charger will charge the same weather your idiling the car or driving.
Last solution is a cheap generator with a 25 amp charger. 3 litres of petrol will last 8-10 hrs. Their is many ways to eliminate the troubles you are going through.
If u want easy fast coffes. Use a jet boil.
If your going to use power hungry appliances at camp . Run the car. The charger will offset the battery loss to a high degree.
Gas hot water . All the way 👍
Gas all the way when using you HWS. Also, when off grid it’s a good idea to save water by turning the shower off an on when using. Wet yourself down - turn off - wash hair - turn off - rinse - turn off - you get the drift. 😊. Unless you have continuous hot water system the tank is only small and doesn’t hold much. Also saves heaps of water. Our tanks can last us 4-5 days off grid generally and our hot water last ages when using the on off method. Good luck with it all as newbies you have a lot to learn but you will get there. 😎
Oh ps - never empty your grey water on to the ground unless you ask and it’s ok. Always put down drain with sullage hose. It’s always good to check first 😉
Guys did I see Luke towing the van with cruise control ? Not a good idea if you have adaptive cruise control.
Hey guys? You guys are not stupid! Have a look at the Elnicks adventures! They are living their best life with three kids under 4, they are awesome tubers! Get some advice by them, they had a new born at this year and continued on with there caravanning their life ❤
Dude you gotta use gas to heat the water and the diesel heater to heat the van while your not plugged in to power
If only I knew you were on the Sunshine Coast - could have charged up & had hot showers at my place in Noosa! Offers still there next time you’re in the area !
I’d love to know how many kms you are getting from a tank of fuel .
I think you said it was a 120 lt tank
Nah bro, the tank is 140 L. I will do a video on that soon brother
You can buy a little pop up kettle that is lower wattage than the household ones. Its blue like the ones that go on the gas, but electric......uses far less power , bought it from a camping store around $65 , bit pricey but good and quick if you have plenty of power.
The amount of fixed solar panel output should be plenty. As a general rule, your battery capacity should probably be at least half that in Ah (i.e. about 600 Ah in your case).
You could possibly get one or two 200-300W portable solar panels to allow you to obtain maximum charge output efficiency given the limitations of fixed panels. Also possibly get a portable power storage system e.g. Bluetti, Eco Delta etc.
Any appliance that heats or cools will use the most power in your caravan so limiting that where possible would be the general aim 🤘
If you have a 50 amp charger and a 200 amp battery, it is 4 hrs to charge. 25 amp charger is 8 hrs to charge.. 100 amp charger is 2hrs. This does not include absorption mode. Which can be up to 2 hrs .however, when absorption mode is reached, your battery is 95% charged. Every thing you do has an effect on some sort of commodity. Fuel, gas or battery. And that is MONEY. Every journey starts with a single step.
How do you know where the edge is if you don't go out there . ? 👍 that bottle warmer draws 8 amp at 100 watts. That's a no no.. get a Jet boil for coffee and sterilise bottles. Cheap version from kmart $50 ish
Remember when you buy any thing it has to have 2 uses. And remember your gvm.
weight.. as far as solar is concerned. Wattage is calculated in watts per hour. The number you read is an average PER HOUR. NOT 1260 WATTS THIS MIN
Congrats on the new van, looks awesome! I do get a few laughs from your vids, you are real and not false like others. Cheers and enjoy! Oh yeah, and a generator would be handy off grid.
You only get Max solar depending on temps, angle of the panels. If you have them in parrell then you won't get good watts, if you had them in series you would of got more power as in series is better got cloudy days. My 300w 70v solar blanket gets 23ah into battery on a perfect day, on full clouds ill still get 8amps. What battery bank you got. On my camper trailer I hot 1x 140ah lithium and I custom made a 330ah lithium..I'll be making another 330ah to have 660ah..and in total I'll have 900w solar..making it based off solar/battery but use fire and charcoal when I feel like not using power
Just buy a good hot water flask to keep hot water in there. Pre-fill the bottle with normal temp water at a right ratio (just gotta try a couple of times to get the right required ratio), so next time you just pour and mix in the hot water from flask to the desired level and you'll always have the right temperature for your little ones.
Go and buy a kings generator mate think like $380 great back will run for 5 hrs 1 tank fuel
I reckon ditch the inverter 12v only and gas for hot water..have fun
Have you thought of getting a portable charger to keep on board
I’m sure someone sells them for caravan batteries it would probably be good to have for emergencies
You’ll be sweet with your power once you get use to the van and work out what you use and what power loads they are we live in our van with 2 adults and 2 kids and we use around 50 amps a day but we have a diesel heater and gas hot water and little things like we don’t have a kettle and use a jet boil but you’ll figure it out team it’s the best lifestyle ever 🤙🏻
Also when your of grid I see you turned the electric hot water on but should be using the gas
Your 240 volt appliances are draining your batteries fast.
Yeah good idea we will look into it thanks
Yes we’ve cut out a lot of appliances now stay tune so we can show you and you can tell us what you think
Good luck with your trip, loving your CZcams content
I love your enthusiasm and what a baptism to caravanning. Keep going and ask plenty of questions as everyone will give plenty of advice. Some good and some bad.
Maybe using the gas for the bottle stuff might be a batter idea , trip in a van and Sarah and Keelan are good channels to checkout
instead of the steriliser you can buy the Kmart ones that go in the microwave? that's if the microwave uses less
I will definitely go have a look at it. I microwave uses about 2000w
With showers, turn shower on wet yourself down turn off water then soap up and shampoo hair then turn water back on 0n to rinse off. Water will last
Longer good luck
Yeah we hated being near people aswell.
😊 hey champ
Does your van charge a your driving?
If not maybe get an auto electrician to unreal a dc to dc 40 amp or advisedly depends on your battery ah, then when you drive you can get 40amps as you drive or leave it at camp plug into the car and turn your car on
Problem solved, if i have said shimmying wrong because I'm not Tech savy but my electrician worked it out now we are fine
What about getting a generator?
bunnings had small Dewault 2KW generators for about 1200$
little things - turn your microwave off from the powerpoint when off grid. You need to check your wattage of ALL 240 appliances you want to run and start to do the maths on usage. I assume the heater you ran was the aircon. That's a killer off grid.... need to layer the clothes up! Good luck... you will laugh at this vid in a few months time 😃😃😃
You can sterilize bottles with Milton tablets (kits and tablets available at chemists).
Nice set up!
Just keep the water in bed with you at night, it’ll keep it at body temp. Throw the sterilizer away and just use Milton’s.
when your off grid the best hing to buy is a petrol generato from bcf or somhing like the but if you going to buy one buy yemerha we had ow for use like 15 and not 1 problem
Use the gas for hot water off road, you can leave it on all night then and have hot water when ever you need it and doesn’t touch you battery power. Gas is far easier to replenish when needed. I have hot showers every morning off grid that way and if staying off grid need another solution for heating up the bottles then the bottle warmer, that is what’s killing your batteries inverter on all night drawers power even when not in use
You can’t use the inverter 24/7 , use gas when off grid!
Use your gas hot water off grid not electric, turn inverter off until it needs to be used. Defs get a genie
You can get a collapsible kettle from kmart
Buy an invertor generator for emergencies, Honda are great
Get a double induction hot plate hardly uses any wattage
Switch your hot water system to gas. Kettle to gas and a diesel heater happy days.
We had someone unplug us. Keep checking some f n up people around
Luke Luke omg you are a worry, you guys are needing to learn so much.
Wanting it all but not having a clue,
Not every town has Kmart !!
A gennie could he handy to be able to charge your batteries when the sun is not shining.
What are you doing with
your grey water should go down a caravan designated drain … especially if you do not use environment friendly products