Tackling grey water pong

Up to a short while ago I hadn’t given a great deal of thought to my grey water tank, beyond making sure it was empty on arrival at site and emptying it again before leaving.

 

However, two recent occurrences started me thinking.

One was a noticeable ‘pong’ in the wet room, which I initially put down to damp and started me looking for a leak somewhere – without finding anything.

At about the same time, on drawing up close to a grey water disposal point I noticed a lot of small pieces of spaghetti scattered around the drain. Somebody had obviously been putting all sorts of things down their drain!

Managing batteries at your leisure

When I noticed recently that my two leisure batteries do not seem to be holding their charge for very long it led me into a whole area that I knew relatively little about. In particular, things proved not to be as simple as I was anticipating.

For context, my van has a vehicle battery to start the engine etc. and two large leisure batteries under a back seat.

Understanding motorhome weight

Motorhome weight is important. Exceeding your allowed motorhome weight or camper van weight can be dangerous, invalidate your insurance and warranty (if you have one) and even lead to a fine.

The motorhome weight also has a bearing on what type of driving licence you need, as explained here.

Information about your motorhome weight will be on a plate on your van, but understanding what these motorhome weight figures mean is another matter. In the UK the V5C (aka ‘log book’) will show the gross weight (see below), but not the other figures.

This post seeks to explain what all these motorhome weight figures mean.

Going ‘off grid’

When going ‘off grid’ it’s essential to take measures that will minimise the drain on the leisure battery (or batteries).

It’s often very nice to have all of the bells and whistles of a big, well equipped campsite – but there are times when something more basic is more appealing. Also, the more basic the site, the lower the cost (in general).

Or it may be necessary or expedient to stay overnight in a layby or quiet road, though that’s rarely recommended (see separate post).