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Post by Brian M on Jan 30, 2009 23:25:28 GMT
From: Fleur (Original Message) Sent: 30/08/2004 15:20 anyone any idea why the pump will work but not the lights (when on battery) as they are both on the same circuit. Worked fine on Thursday before we set off, nada on Friday. Checked fuses, etc. All fine. No problem with mains hook up but that of course is different circuit. Regards, Caroline
First Previous 2-13 of 13 Next Last Delete Replies Reply Recommend Delete Message 2 of 13 in Discussion From: BrightHawaiianSunrise Sent: 30/08/2004 15:50 Hi, I can offer help as an Electrical Engineer, if the pump is running yet pumps poorly or no water it will be more than likely the in line filter set along side the pump,this is usually stainless steel mesh and can be cleaned fairly easily.If the pump is not running, try and get as near as possible and connect a small side-light bulb in parralel with the pump,i.e.on same connections,if the light does not light then you have no supply reaching the pump,and may be a wire that is poor or bad connection, the pump pulls about 5 / 6 amps so it needs a good full battery and clean connections.Alas if the Rump is gone, you have the same sinario as the man that said it was just like the Donky that died,he was ok just now!!..Martin
Reply Recommend Delete Message 3 of 13 in Discussion From: Fleur Sent: 30/08/2004 17:44 Thanks so much for your prompt reply. I obviously didn't put my question very well. The pump runs brilliantly. But the12 volt lights don't work, and they are both running off the battery.We;ve done the obvious things with fuses and so on, but no joy.Power is obviously getting to the POWAPAK. Lots of water. No lights.
Reply Recommend Delete Message 4 of 13 in Discussion From: Glenantique1 Sent: 30/08/2004 17:58 Hi Fleur If your lights are the strip lights with the small push type switch at the end of the fitting -It could be these switches I have three lights and these type of switches seen to work when they feel like it -I keep promising myself to change them but then they start working for a while and I dont get round to changing them. Hope this helps, electrical faults are quite frustrating though our last trip we could not get the wate water heater to work or the heater only to discover the battery was on its last legs! Glenantiuqe1
Reply Recommend Delete Message 5 of 13 in Discussion From: BrightHawaiianSunrise Sent: 30/08/2004 18:16 To Fleur, Ok, They will most certainly be on their own circuit, so logically the problem would be around or near the ( Battery Charger is under front locker in my 1978 12/4) supply from the Battery Charger, do you happen to have a volt meter?? I guess not, well two bits of single wire would do......take a small bulb,12v ( dc) and attatch one wire to one terminal of bulb and the other to the (-ve) negative terminal of the battery, connect a long wire to the other terminal of the bulb and touch this onto various connections of the supplies INTO the light fittings, this would prove if there is a supply at the fitting.....but I would think that being common to all lights the fault would definately lay near or around the fused supply, make sure that your charger switch is on,and it is switched to Battery and not car.....I wish I was closer,I would gladly look for you and try and help, my Caravan is more or less down in Wales, but I spend every weekend there, (long weekend every weekend, as I don't work Fridays or Mondays any more lucky eh??) anyway I think that I may have some notes on the circuits somewhere, not sure of your location.....but I have to come up to the Lake District fairly soon...could maybe look on my way if you have not managed to resolve the problem, By the way please don't poke around with the flourescent fittings with power on, the oscilator that operates and produces a crude AC voltage accross the tubes can give you a shock,anything between 120/150 volts !!!! the (connections to the fittings are quite safe...12/14 volts dc, no problem... hey I have an "Inverter" you can find them on ....dare I say it (e-bay) with a 200 watt/ 300 watt one you could quite happily operate a table lamp, I use 15 watt bulbs in mine it is surprising what a soft pleasant light it gives....Martin DSC00321.JPG
Reply Recommend Delete Message 6 of 13 in Discussion From: Fleur Sent: 30/08/2004 18:35 Thanks Martin , I do have 12v circuit tester, but not an AVO meter . Could water have got in somewhere as the lights worked before we left home for the Cotswolds this weekend, as we live in Hampshire I don't suppose this is on the way to the Lake District for you. Am I right in thinking the lighting circuit is coloured blue and white ? which is the Live\ earth ? Thanks for the warning about poking around the flourescent tubes. We are wired for 240v so as long as we have plug in it is not the end of the world but I just hate having things that don't work , this also will stop us going to our favourite C/L just field with no power.
Reply Recommend Delete Message 7 of 13 in Discussion From: BrightHawaiianSunrise Sent: 30/08/2004 18:55 White is negative,Blue is Positive,although switching them will not make any difference to most light circuits, but best to check just in case the colours have been switched before.....by the way I sent you wrong pic,these are mains replica gas lights that I added, from Lamparts near Marleborough....Hampshire is beautiful,I spent many years growing up in the Police Cottage Beauley !!, It is now almost derilict ,but was a beautiful house standing alone just outside the village on the Right, towards Salisbury...anyways we drift...!! Please see attached, Martin AUT_4184.JPG
Reply Recommend Delete Message 8 of 13 in Discussion From: Fleur Sent: 30/08/2004 18:59 Thanks. We have rocker switches and we think these were changed from the original push ones by previous owners ie. before Mum and Dad.. My Dad's only useful contribtution was 'sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't'. We have a 78/12/2 so no water heater. This is only a problem if we are on a CL for more than a couple of nights. Otherwise we choose CC sites with showers and wash up. I'm sure the battery circuit had a rewire about ten years ago and was wired for hook up by previous owners. Thanks, Steve and Caroline (Fleur is our rescue Greyhound).
Reply Recommend Delete Message 9 of 13 in Discussion From: Fleur Sent: 30/08/2004 19:09 Hampshire is beautiful , Andover is not!!! Thankfully it is only our postal address.We'll have a fiddle around and see what transpires. Open to anybody with ideas and will keep you posted. Steve and Caroline
Reply Recommend Delete Message 10 of 13 in Discussion From: Brian Sent: 30/08/2004 20:05 Obviously nobody is out on a bank holiday evening - nine messages in a few hours! Fleur The interior electrics on mine were a bit erratic when I got it so a bit of rewiring was called for. Starting at the front, follow the wire from the battery, mine came up inside the base of the chest of drawers at the front between the beds. Get a good earth on your circuit tester and check for power. There are then wires leading either back under the floor or to behind the front panel that feed the lights, water pump, and any 12v sockets you may have. I flashed the incoming power lead at these wires and worked out what each one did. (Remembering to switch on light switches!) On mine the front lights were on one wire, the lights in the kitchen and washroom on another I bought a ten fuse unit and connected each outgoing wire to a fuse with a power feed to the other side. As an aside the fridge 12v supply is a totally separate wire than runs under the floor direct to the fridge. As every Safari seems to differ, this may not be the same in yours, but the principles still apply. Good luck Brian Miller
Reply Recommend Delete Message 11 of 13 in Discussion From: TeddyvanGogh Sent: 02/09/2004 21:39 Hi Fleur Just been reading about your problems with the 12v lighting. Have you been able to sort the problem? If not, please let us know as we have had exactly the same problem in our 17/4 and we have since solved the problem. Eric & Les
Reply Recommend Delete Message 12 of 13 in Discussion From: Fleur Sent: 03/09/2004 08:43 Steve hasn't had a chance to do anything yet, so what you know will be a great help. Thanks so much, Caroline and Steve and Fleur the Greyhound. ----- Original Message ----- sso much From: TeddyvanGogh To: Classic Safari Caravan Enthusiasts Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 9:39 PM Subject: Re: let there be light
New Message on Classic Safari Caravan Enthusiasts
let there be light
Reply Reply to Sender Recommend Message 11 in Discussion From: TeddyvanGogh
Hi Fleur Just been reading about your problems with the 12v lighting. Have you been able to sort the problem? If not, please let us know as we have had exactly the same problem in our 17/4 and we have since solved the problem. Eric & Les
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Reply Recommend Delete Message 13 of 13 in Discussion From: Fleur Sent: 16/09/2004 11:52 Hi, Martin , It has been some time but finally found the time to have a fiddle with the 12v lighting ciruit. I couldn't find anything loose or bad connection. I traced the circuit with my tester around the box as best I could, there didn;t seem to be any live coming out to the lighting ciruit,but another set of blue & white wires did have live these I traced to a redundent socket (possibly for a 12v radio) swapping these wires for the lighting ones, bingo we have lights. Q1.Is this safe ? (it seems to go through the fuses / 12v switch) Q2.How come the lights worked worked before ?.
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Post by Brian M on Feb 1, 2009 10:06:11 GMT
From: Sylvesteruk1 (Original Message) Sent: 02/04/2006 12:39 I have recently acquired a one owner from new 1978 12/2 which is totally original inside and outside however it does not have 240 volt mains connection. Inside the cupboard/table at the front of the caravan is the 12volt / 240 volt electrical Powerpak unit with switches not unlike the ZIG unit in my 1979 13/4. There is also a transformer in the unit but the handbook does say that the your caravan is not wired for mains electricity. I notice that some 12/2 caravans have the mains entry box just below the right hand repeater flasher unit at the front side and as I have a spare box from the 13/4 I broke for spares I intend to install it. So could some kind member furnish me with details of the installation including wiring to the powerpak in the cupboard. Regards Mike
First Previous 2-16 of 16 Next Last Reply Recommend Message 2 of 16 in Discussion From: Brian Sent: 02/04/2006 13:16 Mike My 1978 14-2 has a home installed 240v system and I will try to describe its components. The outside socket is a round cable joiner slung under the chassis just in front of the nearside wheel. It has a twist off cap for travelling. A 13amp twin and earth then goes up inside the wardrobe to a triple trip switch and master switch type of domestic consumer unit. The three trip switches cover: 1. three power points mounted in the bed bases, and one other on the "cocktail cabinet" wall, and a main casette radio that is on the front most open shelf. 2. the mains lighting in the ceiling, one in the kitchen, one in the washroom, a spotlight over the sink, and two pretty glass shaded lamps towards the front window. 3. the mains supply to the fridge. When purchased, the 12v wiring was a jumble of wires going all over the place and so I spent some time sorting it all out. I brought a thicker cable from the battery to a 9 way fuse box in the bottom of the front cupboard between the beds. From this I fed new wires to the two 12v ceiling lights, to the fridge, the awning light, and to two new sockets, one on the side of the front cabinet and one on the "cocktail cabinet" wall. I used three round pin sockets and plugs, and have a 12v kettle, coffee maker, and 12v-240v power inverter with these plugs on and another feeds directly to a 12v car type radio cassette. I also feed my water pump from this fuse box. What I don't have is the ability to charge my 12v battery directly from the built in wiring and have to take along a regular car battery charger if going on a longer trip. So far it all seems to work well. Brian Miller
Reply Recommend Message 3 of 16 in Discussion From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 02/04/2006 13:21 Returning to a previous thread, and remembering (I hope correctly) that you are in the Chester area, not desperately far from me; some guidance (and if required some hands-on assistance) with wiring in exchange for one aluminium strip (with gasket and infill) OK? This week I am currently free Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and probably also Saturday afternoon. However the three weekdays are subject to rearrangement at very short notice; I may be called in to teach, and the notice for that could be as short as breakfast time on the day concerned. Saturday afternoon is provisionally free, but my piano tuner is due that morning, and if he is late or overruns I may be delayed. Next week I am free most of the week except for Thursday evening (and I need to be back home in good time for that) and Saturday. Regards, Oliver
Reply Recommend Message 4 of 16 in Discussion From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 02/04/2006 16:15 Some additional points: I would always recommend that the entry point should be a "standard" caravan entry point fitting. This is not restricted to one single design, but instead specifies a "chassis plug" which is compatable with the normal 16A 3 pin industrial "floating socket" that is the accepted standard for the caravan end of the hookup cable. That means that any standard hook-up cable, bought straight off the shelf, can be used immediately. Within that specification there are a number of options. The most popular types, and the easiest in use, are those which are fitted into the side wall of the caravan; variants between different makes and designs are largely a matter of the differences in the external cover (e.g. whether sliding or hinged). One design incorporates a nice feature to assist in removing the cable; there is a small a lever to lift the hinged and sprung end of the cap to the cable socket out of its locked position - other designs require you to insert a finger to lift it, and how easy this is depends on how much room there is. I have once met (on a motorhome) a type of through-the-wall fitting which is designed to be especially narrow (albeit a little tall), in which the actual plug part is pivoted into the housing; it is able to save width because there is insufficient room to get your fingers inside the fitting to release it, so instead one swings it outwards in order to connect the cable onto it, and again to disconnect it. When in use the cable then exits at an angle (very roughly 45 degrees) downwards rather than horizontally. I have also seen this design routinely on sale at caravan dealers. Personally I wouldn't tolerate another of these; I found it was forever pulling the swivelling plug out from its plastic pivot housings, and because of the cramped access it was then inordinately difficult to reset it, but it was impossible to properly close the fitting for the road without doing so. The other type of fitting, much less common on caravans and a rather cheaper fitting, is a basic bulkhead-mounted industrial fixed plug fitting; in caravan use this is unsuitable for fitting on the outside wall, but it can be fitted under the floor. Although it is basically an industrial fitting they are (or certainly used to be) readily available from caravan dealers. I fitted that type on my first 17/2, because it didn't require me to make a hole in the side of the 'van (and as a bonus it intially seemed better value for money), and I then lived with it for many years until I eventually got fed up with having to grovel underneath the 'van every time I hooked up or disconnected, especially if it was raining (the exercise was a very efficient method of transferring all the water from the side of the caravan directly onto myself), so I eventually replaced it with a through-the-wall fitting. The consumer unit should be one designed for caravans. This will normally include an ELCB / RCCB, two excess-current circuit breakers (one of 10A and one of 5A), and a neon lamp to give warning if the polarity of the incoming supply is incorrect. Having said that, I find that the most convenient and most comprehensive test of polarity is a 3-neon plug-in tester (around a fiver from your friendly local caravan dealer); I plug that into a mains socket in a position where it can be easily seen from outside the 'van through a window, and before leaving a site I plug it in there and switch it on. It then remains in place until I next arrive at a site and hook up, and the very first thing I do immediately after switching on the power is to look through the window to confirm that all three neons are lit, which is the signal that everything is correct. In doing this I try to remember not to touch any part of the van until this check has been made; I have only once ever found a reversed polarity (on a CL, as it happens), and have never found "no earth" or - far worse - the lethal situation of live and earth wires interchanged, but it is best to make sure ... I have met consumer units fitted with fuses instead of circuit breakers; they will do exactly the same job, but significantly less conveniently, and in my view they are to be avoided for that reason. Ratings for caravan use are low enough for there to be more risk of blowing a fuse or tripping a circuit breaker than occurs at home, and when that happens it is much quicker and easier to reset the trip than to replace a fuse. Siting the consumer unit needs some thought. Consider both the design of the 'van and your personal patterns of use. I gather that modern practice is to have it set into a bulkhead or locker front, so that the switches are always accessible and the neon always visible, but most of would feel that that would deface the 'van - especially as we are talking of retro-fitting rather than something that was incorporated at the design stage. However if it is going to be concealed (as all ours always have been) then you need to consider access in a hurry. One possible location is inside the wardrobe; on a 12 this almost has to be under the false floor, rather than within the hanging space or behind one of the shelves, since the latters areas are likely to be fairly cramped when the 'van is in use for a holiday of any significant duration. (Larger Safaris with a double wardrobe may offer more flexibility here.) Although this is my personal preferred location, you do need to be able to get access reasonably quickly (by lifting the floor); so it may not be such a good location if you routinely stow a lot of shoes or other impedimenta on top of that false floor. On my newer 17/2 a previous owner has fitted the consumer unit into one of the bed lockers. I stow sleeping bags there, and at least two or three times per season I find that when replacing bedding back into the locker I inadvertently trip it; I will sometime get round to fitting some sort of protective shield. Prior to the introduction (last year?) of new legislation effectively prohibiting DIY fitting of domestic electrical installations all the parts were readily available from caravan dealers. I would expect that they still are, but I have not had occasion to check the point. I don't know whether the new regulations apply to caravans, but since I read recently that the regulations applying to domestic gas installations don't apply to caravans it is at least possible that the same may apply to electrical installations. In any case, it remains permissible to do the fitting oneself, providing that the installation is then inspected (and passed) by a duly certified contractor; in the case of a caravan, if the regulations apply at all one would presume that an Approved Workshop able to undertake servicing and repairs would be approved to make such an inspection, and would routinely do so anyway as part of an annual service. Check the rating of all the appliances that you intend to use. When I wired up my first 17/2 I calculated that I could get away with putting the fridge plus the water heater plus the battery charger all onto the 5A circuit breaker, leaving the 10A one for the power points; I was not using mains lamps, but if you are - or if you are using a different water heater from mine (Carver Cascade GLE) - then you need to do the calculation afresh for your situation. With only the power points running on the 10A circuit breaker I could then use either my 2 kW fan heater or my domestic electric kettle, but not both at the same time, plus any low-power appliances that I happened to be using (e.g. Hoover Brushvac, charging the laptop, etc. etc.). That enabled me to use a normal domestic kettle, which is vastly quicker than these low power caravan kettles, and also gives the option of boiling a larger quantity of water on the odd occasions when that is required. I simply got into the habit, if I was using the fan heater, of routinely switching it off before switching on the kettle, but I also found by experiment (initially checking with a domestic feed fused at 13A) that if I forgot to switch off it would always trip the on-board 10A circuit breaker rather than the site trip. You do however need to be socially responsible, in the form of being aware that on some sites the installation is not engineered to cope with all pitches using the maximum allowed current simultaneously, and if that happens then it is likely to trip the site supply. This came to notice a few years ago, particularly with Caravan Club sites which had been laid out before the modern trend to all-electric living developed, and it will particularly apply to sites with older installations; one hopes that most new installations will be engineered to accommodate peak demand for full occupancy. Others are likely to be gradually upgraded, but it may take some years yet. So if the site is full and the weather is arctic don't rely on your nominal 16A being necessarily available unless the site operator has confirmed that it will be. If therefore you are caravanning in the colder months of the year, and you want to use 2 kW of fan heater (8.3A) plus your water heater (say 3A for a Cascade GLE) plus your battery charger (maybe 1A), electric lighting (perhaps 0.5A) and perhaps a few other odds and ends (total perhaps 13A plus), the likelihood is that so will everyone else - and on sites with older installations if you all do so then you may trip the supply, and then no-one has any power at all. So if the site is full and there is any doubt about the supply, it is better then to keep the fan heater down to just 1 kW, augment it by your gas heater, and use the gas kettle (although there is no reason why you can't fill it with water out of the hot tap - unlike a domestic hot water system it is not fed by a header tank which may accumulate all sorts of contaminants, and is perfectly safe to drink). No problems of course if the site is noticeably less than full, or if the operator confirms that it has been engineered to cope with maximum use by the full occupancy. Regards, Oliver
Reply Recommend Message 5 of 16 in Discussion From: Sylvesteruk1 Sent: 02/04/2006 16:37 Oliver, Brian, Thank you for you response but I think you both have mised my point, the caravan is totaly original and I have surplus SAFARI parts to supplement what is already fitted I just want to fit them in as per other SAFARI 12/2`s with a 240 volt supply. Alas if I wanted to fit all the bells and whistles I would go out and buy a brand new £15K caravan. We have similar where pre war MG enthusiasts have fitted New Rover engines and 5 speed gear boxes with overdrive thereby totaly loosing the originality and the pre war enjoyment. May I recap, could someone who has the 240volt supply coming in through a flap door and connection BELOW THE RIGHT HAND SIDE REPEATER LIGHT to the POWERPAK please get in touch. Regards Mike
Reply Recommend Message 6 of 16 in Discussion From: Brian Sent: 02/04/2006 19:39 Sorry Mike - an additional paragraph in my message might have clarified where I was coming from. It is my opinion that Safaris up to at least 1978 were not fitted with mains suuply as standard. From the extensive collection of photos I have it is apparent that the inlet socket is fitted on almost every conceivable panel (except the front where water ingress would be a possibility). Your location is one that appears in some pictures, but adjacent to the wardrobe seems to be more common. I therefore think that your inlet position was down to a previous owners preference and nothing more. Similarly the siting of what ever protection device you choose is also a matter of personal preference. As Oliver says his is under a bed, this would not suit me as I keep metal deck chairs in one of mine and a spare wheel, awning and tools in the other, all of which could play havoc with a consumer unit. So, while I do hope that a member comes forward with details of an installation that matches yours, you would be replicating one particular installation and not necessarily one that was a Safari specification. Hope this clarifies things. Brian Miller
Reply Recommend Message 7 of 16 in Discussion From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 02/04/2006 21:15 Brian beat me to it while I was trying to research for you - unfortunately without success - what was the content of the relevant regulations back in 1978. For others reading this who may not have access to the 1978 Handbook, it states clearly that "Your caravan is not wired for electricity. Should this facility be required, the installation must comply with Section J of the IEE Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Buildings ... " This strongly implies what Brian has said, and what has always been my understanding, that where mains electrical wiring was installed it was put in on an individual basis. I presume that in most cases that would be installed by the dealer at the point of sale, and while in some cases that would be Pearman Briggs (the retail arm of Safari Caravans Ltd.) they were by no means the only dealer selling them, and I am sure that any dealer selling a brand new caravan - of any make - would have been happy to install mains wiring if the customer required it. While lauding your quest for originality, I strongly suspect that there is therefore no such thing as an original Safari specification for the installation. Having said that, I have just put the phone down after previously off this reply to chat with a new member who called me about his 17/S. However it transpires that he also has a 1978 12/2, with only one previous owner; he understands that the 'van is original, and it is fitted with mains electrics, so I have asked him to pick up this thread and give you details of his installation. It is also my understanding that when mains wiring first came in it was only for battery charging and running the fridge, but that it was not long before owners were demanding power points as well, so specifications for installations developed very rapidly. This was of course at a time when the whole field of equipment that was fitted to caravans, and that owners expected and (in the case of mains installations) that sites started to provide for, was developing rapidly. Only a year or two before your 'van was built I remember visiting the Caravan Club site at Leyburn with my parents' '74 12/2, and buying some food from the site shop one morning the purchases included some frozen food. Knowing that we were going out for the day, the warden offered to keep it frozen for us, and was quite amazed when we told him that there was no need as we had a fridge in the caravan. And I also well remember a Safari Owners' Club rally in the Glastonbury area one November in the mid-nineties, where we were on a commercial site which had mains hook-ups - but with a limit of only 5 Amp! Presumably a hark back to the days, by then surely a decade and a half earlier - when hook-ups were used for little more than battery charging and fridges; I could just get away with a 1 kW electric fire, but not 2 kW, and certainly not a kettle. I note that later in the Handbook, on page eleven (sic) - page numbers being written out in words, the manufacturers give instructions for connecting to the site electrical supply. However I am sure that is intended only to be of relevance to those owners who choose to have mains wiring fitted. A great many owners, when their 'vans were new, upgraded to whatever add-ons they felt suited their use. Most also felt that they had bought a modern luxury caravan and many kept it up to date as specifications generally advanced, so such modernisations as mains wiring, onboard batteris (fitted to the earlier 'vans, by changing to the later style front locker), radio cassette players, cassette loos, additional lighting, better water pumps, were all fairly commonplace during the period when these caravans were regarded as either current or very recent models. I apologise that I had missed your point that you already have the input point and you know where you want to fit it. As Brian has already said, this is one option; it is certainly not prescriptive, but you have to choose somewhere and this is as good a place as any, so if it is what you want then do it. Since your 'van does not have an inlet point but does have a battery charging Zig unit I suspect that the Zig unit may not be original, albeit that it is in period and is similar to those fitted to other Safaris that do have mains installations. It looks as though either someone started to wire it for mains at some stage, or perhaps needed to replace the 12V distribution unit and took the opportunity while doing so to provide for a future upgrade to mains wiring, or perhaps used a very unofficial mains cable at some time just to provide battery charging. Since you don't wish to upgrade to mains power points, all that you need to make the system work is a cable direct from your inlet point to the the mains input terminals of your battery charger, and also to your fridge if that is a 3-way one. However it would be irresponsible to install this without a suitable protection device, so the sort of consumer unit that both Brian and I have suggested should be regarded as imperative. Hope this helps, Oliver
Reply Recommend Message 8 of 16 in Discussion From: Caz_n_Neil Sent: 23/04/2006 23:26 Hi Mike, I have a Zig unit fitted in the side of the cupboard as you come through the door, (your left) This is a combined 12/240 unit, don't know the model number but can find it if necessary. The main hook up cable is just under the front of the van to the right of the 'A' frame. There is a mains on/off switch inside the seat then the cables run to the Zig unit. Don't know the exact designation of our van but it is a 1983 Cosalt Safari, 2 berth approx 13/14 foot lomg. Hope that helps Neil
Reply Recommend Message 9 of 16 in Discussion From: Sylvesteruk1 Sent: 24/04/2006 13:19 Neil, Thanks, however I am all sorted using the original fit POWAPAK all systems are go and the caravan looks tickity boo so much so I an thinking of fitting some Formula 1 grand prix alloys to keep up with the Jones`s! Seriously it does seem a shame to change the spec of our caravan heritage. A similar thing has happened in MG circles where you can now fit a Rover K series engine and a 5 speed gearbox in your 1960`s MG. If you are that way inclined go out and by an 2005 MGTF but don`t ruin a period classic. In the same way with our lovely old caravans if you need all the bells and whistles go and buy a second hand modern caravan preferably twin axles so you can have four alloy wheels. Mike
Reply Recommend Message 10 of 16 in Discussion From: Brian Sent: 24/04/2006 13:34 I have already spoilt my 1970 Volvo Amazon with Minilites and a full leather interior from a Volvo C40, so making my Safari match in the wheel department seemed a logical thing to do. Anyway I still have a pair of steel wheels that could be put back on if I ever came to sell the Safari. Each to his own! Brian Miller
Reply Recommend Message 11 of 16 in Discussion From: Sylvesteruk1 Sent: 24/04/2006 15:39 Brian, As president of the SAFARI GLASSES APPRECIATION SOCIETY how would you view my thoughts of an upgrade on my SAFARI glasses. As they are only cheap cast glass I thought of replacing them with lead crystal! As you say each to there own. When I am at Wicksteed Park I shall keep a guard on my Volvo V70 otherwise you will be after those seats for the SAFARI. Regards Mike
Reply Recommend Message 12 of 16 in Discussion From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 24/04/2006 15:43 Like Brian, while I respect Mike's view I confess to a slightly different take from him over the question of authenticity. These caravans were originally designed and marketed as luxury caravans with the very latest levels of luxury equipment. Many of the original owners (and through my parents I knew a fair number of them) then kept them up to date as specifications continued to develop. The one previous owner of my very nice 1978 17-2 was the managing director of Morco, and he had the 'van extensively fitted out with his firm's products, along with such other upgrades as Coleman Polar Cub air conditioning (which may well have been appropriate for him since the 'van was more or less permanently based in the south of France). In all our various Safaris I confess that all of our family have tried to find a comfortable balance between keeping to the original spirit, of a modern and supremely well-equipped and eminently useable caravan, with at the same time as much authenticity as is compatible with that. So for example I have no authenticity problem with my late parents' decision to fit cassette loos to their last two Safaris (although for myself I find a portable one a more efficient use of space), but perhaps even Mike might accept that upgrade since they were fitted by Pearman Briggs, indeed by one of their workshop staff who had actually built classic Safaris ... And they had radio cassette players fitted to both theirs, as I have fitted to both mine. And both my 17-2s have been fitted with full mains electric wiring; I am not sure whether that on the 1980 one is original (it may well be, but if not it was fitted for the original owner), but on the 1978 'van I fitted it myself in order to replace a substandard - and potentially lethal - installation to botched Continental specifications (e.g. reversible inlet, but only single-throw switches, plus defective earth and damaged insulation ... ... Ouch !). And I further confess that while having accident repairs done on my 1980 17-2 I have just had the old Bowen water heater replaced with a modern gas/electric unit. In essence the caravan is still a Safari, but one which is kept up to date in the spirit of the original design and of the original owners. But I intend it as a caravan for everyday use, or at least such use as I can conveniently find the time for, rather than it being a historical document. Sorry! ... Oliver
Reply Recommend Message 13 of 16 in Discussion From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 24/04/2006 15:48 "As they are only cheap cast glass I thought of replacing them with lead crystal!" Many original owners did, including most members of the Safari Caravan Owners' Club. Half mine are ... ... Along with fine bone china crockery to replace the dreaded melamine. And apart from looking and feeling better, it is more durable, doesn't scratch or stain, and for hot meals the crockery can be warmed before serving. Regards, Oliver
Reply Recommend Message 14 of 16 in Discussion From: Caz_n_Neil Sent: 25/04/2006 22:19 Hi Mike, Not quite sure what your point was there. The Zig unit in my van IS the original. As far as I am aware it is all oem except for radio cassette and some extra sockets. As to the alloy wheels, I am thinking of getting some from a safety point of view. The steel wheels have been on for 23 years now and, while they can be painted up okay they will have had a fair share of knocks in their time. If I wanted a twin wheel van I would no doubt have bought one, the same if I wanted to put a V8 into and old MG to make it into more of a performance motor. We bought the van we have because we liked the different from the normal styling, quality of build and solid cupboards/fittings. From what I can see it looks like Safari constantly moved/changed the interiors as hardly any two seem the same in the pics on here and none the same as ours. My initial reply was because I thought you were asking for information from people with 12/240 wiring. As I do not know what the different models have I described what was in ours in case there was anything there that may have helped you. Again, my personal view is that the alloys Brian has on his van look much better than the steel originals, indeed I think they look as if they were they originals. Anyway, as has been said, each to their own. Neil
Reply Recommend Message 15 of 16 in Discussion From: ColinCLee Sent: 18/06/2006 16:43 Hi Sylvesteruk1 As a new member have just read your original request of April2. I have a 1978 15/4 that is wired for 240v input just as you describe. The Transformer Unit is an Arleigh Powerpak Caravan Power Unit (AL750) I have a three sheet brochure with wiring diagrams and would be pleased to foward a copy, given your address. Regards Colin
Reply Recommend Message 16 of 16 in Discussion From: Sylvesteruk1 Sent: 23/06/2006 18:27 Colin, Thanks but I located a wiring chart too so all sorted out and having just returned from a weeks holiday in the 12/2 everything is okay and I did not blow the CC site electrics! Mike
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Post by corrispunx on Jun 14, 2009 10:29:10 GMT
The lights in our 1980 12/2 worked perfectly until dumbo here wired the battery the wrong way round. A few sparks later, no lights. Are there any in line fuses/trip switches that I should know about? Thanks Paul
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Post by Brian M on Jun 14, 2009 17:49:50 GMT
Paul
As you can see from the threads from the old board, there wasn't a standard electrical installation when the Safaris were new and many owners seem to add to and modify the factory installation.
Hopefully you have blown the fuse(s) on your light circuit. the problem is finding them.
If you don't have any fuses, cross wiring the battery may have messed up the electrical controls in the light fittings. The mini fluorescent type have a small printed circuit board inside them.
Have a look in the following places for fuses as I have seen 12v feeds coming in in each of them:
Bottom cupboard between beds at the front Under the beds on either side On the side wall of the wardrobe
with luck you'll find a fuse box.
If not, on mine there is a waterproof junction box under the chassis about 3ft from the front, that might even contain a fuse.
You need to check if there is power getting to the light fittings, if there is you have blown the fittings. If there is nothing then you need to search and find your fuses.
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Post by corrispunx on Jun 21, 2009 10:45:39 GMT
Hi Brian, There was no fuse box from the start of the 12v to the control panel above the wardrobe. A 25v fuse had blown in this panel. Lights all good now. Thanks Paul
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