EASY ELECTRICAL CHECKS & FIXES

Knowing how to make some simple electrical checks could help keep your holiday on track and avoid a long wait for recovery.

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One of the most common questions that we get asked when doing Q&A sessions at motorhome shows has to be about motorhome electrics and it always feels a little like Groundhog Day whenever these issues pop up.

Electrics often fill people with fear, and thoughts of vast auto electrician bills and hours spent hunting out obscure electrical components in a maze of wiring. In reality, though, many electrical problems are easily solvable with no special training and can often be as simple as replacing a fuse or cleaning an electrical terminal. Many can be traced back to low voltage, and there are a number of simple checks that you can do yourself without having to pay for a specialist.

Even if you hate the thought of DIY and prefer the local garage to check things over, being armed with some basic electrical tips might help avoid you getting stranded. If you’re thinking that a call out to a recovery firm is a quick thing, in reality it depends where you are and the volume of calls the recovery firm is handling. I’ve waited more than five hours on occasion, when stranded in France on a Saturday, and even when help arrived there were no mechanics around until Monday, wasting two days of holiday time.

But armed with a little basic knowledge many electrical issues can be solved. So let’s get started!

THE BASICS

Most motorhomes have two batteries - one that starts the engine and powers the base vehicle systems and a second, entirely separate battery that powers all the habitation equipment. Both batteries run on 12V DC and the habitation battery is recharged by plugging into a mains hookup or via a solar panel if one is fitted.