Basic Equipment most used
Selecting the basic equipment is essential when upgrading or setting up a new build. The options available for most appliances need careful consideration.
About Us
If your van is fully electric then you need to consider whether 12V, 24V or 240V appliances suit your set up.
If you have gas on board then other variables are there for cooking, heating and refrigeration.
You may also have diesel in the mix for cooking or heating.
Which is best can vary enormously.
Our Options
Refrigeration
Fridge size and power sources are the major considerations here.
Do we have separate fridge and freezer or a single unit. Size is a main consideration here, a smaller fridge can have a small freezer in the top, A larger fridge can have separate doors to the fridge and freezer compartments..
Power sources for refrigeration
can include Gas, 12v, and 240v
A 12v compressor type fridge freezer is the simplest and mot efficient type of unit.
A 3 way (gas, 12v, & 240v) fridge is generally the cheapest and if you are mostly in caravan parks and power is available then that can be a good choice. The fridge will run mostly on 240v and when 240 is not available it will work well on gas. The 12v is only suitable as a way of maintaining the fridge when traveling as it is not efficient enough for normal use.
Hot water, heating and cooling
Depending on the energy source the combinations are huge here. You can have a gas stove and hot water system along with electric lights and air conditioning. You may opt for a diesel heater for cooking, hot water and room heating. You can also go fully electric for all cooking, heating water and the van, as well as air conditioning.
Gas is commonly used for instant hot water units, and sometimes room heating. Carrying gas bottles of 9kg or 4kg are the main choices and will define how long you can run devices for. Instant gas give you instant hot water.
Diesel heaters are available for hot water, and room heating. These are water storage devices and are very cheap to run and very efficient. The initial costs can be in the thousands of dollars and may require a separate small diesel tank. Diesel heating takes a little while to heat the water tank so usage needs to be planned 20 or 30 minutes ahead.
Fully electric options for water heating and room heating are available and probably the cheapest to run. Hot water can be instant but is usually a water storage tank with heater element in it. Heating the room is then through the reverse cycle air conditioner (or heat pump). Electric hot water is usually a tank that can take between 15 and 30 minutes to heat up so needs planning ahead.
cooking
Depending on fuel source the options here are fairly obvious.
Most people are familiar with the 3 or 4 burner stove top in the kitchen bench that is gas powered. This provides instant heat and excellent temperature control for the stove top and an oven if available. Currently this is the most common cooking method.
Diesel stove and oven combinations are an excellent choice if you are also running a diesel heater for hot water and room heating. That way you can eliminate the gas from the van and have a combination of diesel and electric. Carrying diesel is pretty normal so topping up a small tank is easy enough and much easier than getting gas refills.
An all electric option could include an electric hot plate, oven and maybe an air fryer. Going electric has major advantage of not needing to carry either gas or diesel and so is safer and cheaper to operate. Of course you must ensure you have enough battery capacity and inverter large enough to manage so this needs to be planned in the build as its more involved if doing a conversion. Electric hot plates for the bench-top provide instant heat but ovens are usually a bit slower (than gas) to heat up.