When you’re on your road trip of a lifetime in your luxury Roam Motorhome, managing your power usage is essential to ensure that all the systems function smoothly and you have the best time possible.
From keeping the lights on to running your appliances and understanding how to efficiently use and recharge your batteries, this can make the difference between a comfortable trip and one filled with power shortages. Before setting off, take time to familiarise yourself with the motorhome’s electrical systems.
At the vehicle handover we will explain how all the power systems work, ensuring you know how to monitor battery levels and feel confident in using the different power options.
This guide gives you information on motorhome power usage, tips on battery management, and how the vehicle’s different batteries get charged using solar panels, the alternator or mains power when plugged into a campsite during your campervan rental.
Understanding your Motorhome’s Power Systems
Your Roam Motorhome has three primary power systems:
1. Vehicle (Starter) Battery: This is the same as the one in your car, responsible for starting the engine and running the vehicle’s basic electrical systems, like headlights, indicators, and the dashboard.
2. House (Leisure) Battery: This battery powers the living area of your motorhome, including lights, fans, water pump, and 12v appliances like a fridge or TV. It’s designed to provide a steady amount of power over a longer period, unlike the vehicle battery, which provides a large surge of power for a short time.
3. Mains Power System: When you plug your motorhome into a campsite’s power supply, this system provides 240v/mains power to your motorhome. It can directly power your 240v appliances and also charge your house battery through a built-in charger.
Your motorhome also has a LPG system that you can use while off grid for your fridge, cooktop, oven, central heating and water heating. This is explained in more detail below.
Charging the Batteries in your Roam Motorhome
1. Solar Charging
All our luxury motorhomes have solar panels installed on the roof of the vehicle. The panels convert sunlight into electrical energy, which is then stored in the house battery. Solar charging is ideal for keeping your house battery topped up during daylight hours, particularly if you are freedom camping without access to mains power.
• Advantages: Eco-friendly, allows for extended off-grid stays, reduces reliance on fossil fuels.
• Considerations: Solar charging is dependent on weather conditions and the amount of sunlight available, cloudy/bad weather days mean less power will be available to use.
2. Alternator Charging
When you drive your luxury motorhome, the engine’s alternator charges both the vehicle battery and the house battery. This is achieved through a split-charge relay or a battery-to-battery charger that ensures both batteries are charged correctly.
• Advantages: Reliable and consistent power generation while driving, no extra equipment needed.
• Considerations: Alternator charging is less efficient at low speeds or idling, and it primarily benefits the vehicle battery, so your house battery might not receive a full charge if you’re doing short trips.
3. Mains Power Charging
When you’re at a campsite, plugging into the mains power supply allows you to directly power your motorhome’s 240v appliances, and any others you may have brought with you. This includes the microwave, toaster, air conditioner (if installed in your vehicle) without draining your house battery. Simultaneously, the mains power system usually includes a battery charger that charges your house battery. Mains power gives a second power option to run your heaters, rather than using your LPB bottle.
• Advantages: Unlimited power for your appliances, quick and efficient battery charging.
• Considerations: Requires access to a campsite or other power source.
Using Electrical Items on Different Systems
Vehicle Battery System
• Typical Uses: Starting the engine, running vehicle lights, indicators, and basic dashboard functions.
• Appliances: None, as this battery is dedicated to vehicle operation.
House Battery System
• Typical Uses: Powering the living area, including lights, water pump, fans, and 12V appliances.
• Appliances: 12v fridge, TV, USB chargers, and any other 12v compatible devices. It’s essential to monitor your battery level on the onboard screen and avoid running too many devices at once to prevent a drain and power issues.
Mains Power System
• Typical Uses: Powering high-demand 240v appliances, charging the house battery, and running the motorhome’s electrical system without depleting battery reserves.
• Appliances: Microwave, toaster, air conditioner, electric heater, hairdryer, coffee maker, and other high-wattage devices. When plugged into mains power, you can run these without concern for battery depletion.
Power Management Tips for While on the Road:
1. Monitor you Battery Levels: Keep an eye on your battery levels using the built in battery monitor, which we will show you how to use during the motorhome rental handover. Knowing when your batteries are running low allows you to recharge them before they drop too far.
2. Plan High-Power Usage for Mains Hookups: Save the use of high-power consumption appliances like air conditioners, microwaves and hairdryers for when you’re plugged into mains power. This not only preserves your battery but also ensures you have enough power reserves for when you leave the campsite. These mains powered only appliances will only work when your motorhome is plugged into a mains power source.
3. Switch Off Unnecessary Appliances and Lights: It’s easy to leave lights on or forget to turn off appliances when you’re in a new environment. Make it a habit to switch off anything that’s not in use to conserve battery power. This is especially important for items like the fridge, which can be set to a lower setting or turned off if not needed. Your water pump can also be turned off when not in use to conserve energy.
4. Plan Your Energy Use Around Driving Times: Since the alternator charges the house battery while driving, plan your high-energy usage for when you’ll be on the road. For example, you could charge your devices like laptops, cameras or mobiles, or run the fridge on a higher setting while driving, then switch to more conservative power usage when parked.
5. Plan Your Stops at Campsites Strategically: If you’re on a longer journey, plan your stops to include regular overnight stays at campsites with mains power. This will give you the chance to fully recharge your house battery and use high-wattage appliances without worrying about power depletion.
LPG System Operation and What it Powers
Your rental motorhome also has a seperate LPG (sometimes called the gas) system. This is powered by a 9kg LPG bottle and is used for running the fridge, the cooktop and oven, hot water heater and the central heating. The bottles are stored in an external, vented locker and must be turned on for it to work. These must be turned off while driving and also while on the Cook Strait Ferry.
Your central heating system, fridge and hot water heating can be run on either mains power or the motorhomes LPG bottle, meaning these functions can be used with both freedom camping in your rental campervan or when at a campsite with mains power available. It’s important to know you can stay warm and toasty over the winter months in your freedom camping locations! Remember to switch the heating setting back to the mains power source when you plug the motorhome into a powered campsite. This way the heating, water heating and fridge can run off the 240V system, therefore saving your LPG bottle for when you are off grid.
All our luxury motorhomes are equipped with solar panels, allowing you maximum time off grid so you can explore those freedom camping locations. As a guide, we would recommend you plug your motorhome into a mains power source at least every 3-4 days over the summer months to give the batteries the full charge cycle they need with regular use. If the weather is cloudy, you have a rainy few days and during the winter months this mains power charge should take place every 2-3 days instead.
By understanding and managing your motorhome’s power systems, you can enjoy a seamless experiencon the road, whether you’re plugged into a campsite or off-grid, spending a night under the stars in a remote New Zealand destination. With careful planning and the right equipment we have installed on your vehicle, you can ensure that your motorhome has the power you need for all your adventures.