Good morning all!

By SimononSolway Date 18-04-2024 12:45

Well, after thirty or so years of camper vans, including three years full time in a motorhome, I finally realised that I could not justify the added annual expense of Tax, MOT & Insurance on a second vehicle, so I have taken the somewhat reluctant plunge and bought myself a caravan. I soon realised that I didn't want a 'conventional' caravan with all the associated stigma; but I decided that I could probably manage a Puck. - The curvy shape is somewhat reminiscent of my old VW T2 Bay which I had for many years and toured extensively. Happy memories...

Anyway, I picked up my 1996 Puck last week in Bolton and towed it 130 miles home to West Cumbria. The first thing I noticed was how easily it towed. Even with a 1.2l Vauxhall Aglia, going over Shap in a good force 7 wind. There was no weaving or anything to worry about and the narrow width meant that I didn't have to mess about with mirror extensions. Even the fuel consumption did not appear to be appreciably heavier. Once home I simply unhooked it and pushed it onto the drive myself. So far so good.

So I began to have a play with my new toy. Everything seems to work well, and I like the layout. Especially the ability to make a cup of coffee in the morning without first having to put the bed up which isn't always possible in a camper van! I have already made a list of necessary modifications which include: 1) Fitting a heater. I am going for a Propex HS1800, but would be interested to hear what other people have used. 2)Fitting a second leisure battery. 75Ah seems very small, and there is plenty of room, so why not? 3) Fitting 200w Solar Panels and MPPT Charge Controller. These modifications should give me a bit more scope for where and when I can enjoy my new 'van. But I am excited to see how other people have gone about kitting out their Pucks and what issues they have run into. If anyone can think of anything else which I need to consider as a new Caravanner and a new Puck owner, please let me know. I have to admit that all this talk of nose weights and aquarolls leaves me feeling a bit like a Liverpool fan who has somehow found himself in the Stretford End at Old Trafford on match day!

Please be kind.

Simon

By Steamerpoint Forum Admin & IT Support (£) Date 21-04-2024 00:06

Welcome to the forum Simon. Great choice to buy an Eriba. Very much away from the mainsteam caravan design. The Puck is very much the basic end of the range, so you can do quite a lot.
I considered fitting a leisure battery, but decided on a more temporary measure given that most of our time was spent on sites with power. I put a leisure battery in the car boot. I would attach an inverter that converted 12v DC to 220 AC and put this into the main caravan 220v supply socket. For powering the lights and other low powered items, it worked a treat. I know it is less efficient because you are converting the power twice in part (from DC to AC and back to DC) but for light use and just the odd night, we never had a problem. It is also worth noting that in the UK, wet leisure batteries fitted in a caravan should be in a separate compartment that is air tight sealed from the inside of the caravan, but vented to outside. That includes sealed lead acid batteries and gel batteries. Hydrogen Chloride is given off during charging, apparently even so called sealed batteries, which have pressure relief valves that can release gas during charging.

A lot of people do it though and just fit them under the bed/sofa. Good luck with whatever modifications you go for. :wink:

By 430gt Date 21-04-2024 10:56 Edited 21-04-2024 10:58

Don't really agree with the comment about sealed leisure and AGM and GEL batteries being in a closed and externally vented container.

Eribas shipped with Varta GEL and the battery is in the habitation space under the seat. However note that there is a cutout in the seat support face board. This is there not only to allow the bed swing arm to be located and suppoted, but more importantly it allows for any battery gas, heat etc to escape.

The key is not to have a closed and non vented space but a larger space with venting to large space (i.e. the habitation area). The volumes of air involved do not support an explosive combustion condition to occur. Same goes for marine batteries fitted to yachts.