caravan 12 v/ 240v

thanks racey , the wire tested is the power wire to the car plug not plugged in or connected to battery but plugged in to 240 .
c/van 2004 , didn't come with battery ,
Am I right in thinking that when plugged in to the 240 supply it is trickle charging the 12v supply .

thanks all , jayco 2004 & did not come with battery, So the question is ( forgetting the battery i have fitted ) is it all right to connect to car plug & power at the same time ?
cheers

Nick,
Theoretically it should be OK but this brings up another point.

I only got my 23 foot 2006 Jayco Sterling about 12 months ago and as it was already fitted with a battery, albeit that it was not in the van but the wires were, it was easy to sort it out.

The Anderson plug fitted to our van only powered the frig in the van from the car so I do not know if this is normal Jayco practise or if this is something that was done by the previous owner. I never run the van three way frig off 12 volts so it seemed a little strange to me.

When you ask "is it alright to connect the car plug and power at the same time?, I would think it is, but whether the car plug is charging your batteries or just powering the frig while travelling I cannot say.

If you know how to use a multi meter it will be an easy thing to find out.

If your car plug is charging your van battery then all you are doing when plugged into 240 power is charging the car battery as well as the van battery, if your van charger is big enough, I assume.
The charger will merely see it as another battery and keep charging provided the charger is big enough.

I say that because I do not know exactly what your setup is as your outline does not paint a clear enough picture.

The things needed to get a better idea are;
1 What is the rated output of your vans transformer/battery charger
in amps.
2 What sort of plug is fitted to the power supply line between the
car and van. Is it an Anderson plug or the 7 or 12 pin flat plug.
Andesron plugs carry more current.
3 What does that power lead actually power. eg Van battery or Frig
12 Volt power

Nick, I am leaving for a 4 week holiday in the morning so I may or may not be able to get back to you depending on whether I can get internet connection over the weekend. If I can I will certainly help you but there are many others here with far more knowledge than me on these subjects if I am unavailable. Failing that a quick chat to your local autolecy will sort it out in no time.



The above drawing shows how I would expect the circuit to be laid out with the frig comming off the house supply if needed. Some may prefer the frig powered from the car, it is a personal thing in my opinion.

Cheers, Bruce.