This caravan came to us with a small inverter which was installed at manufacture. The problem: the inverter was too small and only wired to two caravan power outlets and not wired to all the other existing power points in the caravan.  Additionally, the layout of the entire power system; 12 volt and 240 volt, was poorly laid out and installed.  As a result, the caravan power system failed to provide sufficient power while off grid, was continually unreliable, and caused the owner’s unnecessary stress.

These are common shortcut and cost cutting practice used by both caravan manufactures and auto sparkies. It is a typical downfall in caravan power setups that causes hazard and inconvenience to the caravan traveller.

Caravan electrics and the electrical devises used in caravans today have changed in the last 5 years. AGM batteries are mostly redundant, with caravanners opting to upgrade to lighter and more efficient lithium batteries. Utilising roof space with solar panels to charge batteries, plus hard wiring the inverter to all power points is becoming the standard.  

Today, caravan powers systems need more power and must be reliable, particularly when camping off grid without mains power. This gives confidence to travelling families, couples living and working on the road, and grey nomads retiring to caravan travel who want to take their coffee machines, induction cooktops, electric BBQ’s, hairdryers, food blenders, microwaves, medical machines, and air flyers. Schooling on the road and working from home (on wheels), means access to off grid 240 volt power for laptops, Starlink, phones, cameras and drones is essential.

Take the time to listen to this video if you are considering buying a new caravan or looking to upgrade your existing caravan, it just might avoid you falling into the trap of paying for an upgrade to your caravan power system that fails to meet your expectations while travelling Australia.