Re: Importing an RV into the UK

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This is what i did to the Revolution

I fitted an 8kva 240v to 110v transformer with dual 110v outlets to duplicate 50 amp service.
We used 110v throughout the coach (because it was full of 110v appliances) the only 240v was for the front TV which we ran a seperate power lead.

The rear TV ,sattelite reciever ,dvd etc was cheap items from ASDA (UK Wal Mart) and were dual votage 110v or 240v some were 12v and came with there own power pack.

Whilst talking to a Tech at Lazydays in 2005 he comented that the wireing may get hot because of the length of the 50Hz cycle compared to 60Hz cycle

My findings on this conversion and it seems most arguments on conversions tend not to mention are .

The A/C units make a lot of noise,as if they are working very hard  .This has been confirmed by other UK RVers so not just ours
The heat pumps were the same

The Microwave/convection oven makes noises,buzzing etc plus the timer is out of sync

The washer drier worked fine but timer was also out of sync

The EMS had gremlins ,i found it hard to control heat pumps to furnace etc

All these problems corrected themselves when on generator (the EMS took a while to sort its

Terrified of a fire (and i dont scare easily) i constantly felt the wireing ,and yes some of the heavy AMP wire got warm ,the rear heatpump burnt a wire,The ceramic heater wire got hot and burt through.

So is there any truth in what the Tech at Lazydays said or not ,i dont know im'e a practical chap not into science and can only post my experiences.


My thoughts on conversion are ,If i was going to keep the coach i would go for full conversion and i mean full conversion TV ,A/C Microwave and if the wire issue is proven i would get it rewired.Just see the thread on the RV fire .

As it was our plan to sell the Revolution and we already had the appliances we just did the bare minimum and the new owner did a full conversion.
 
I fitted an 8kva 240v to 110v transformer with dual 110v outlets to duplicate 50 amp service

Cheers Ian

Did you ever get enough (230V) power to run at 50 amps (110V)?

As I understood it, 16amps at 230V (generally the max you can get in the UK) would only give you just over 32amps at 110V.

I was told that even if you got above 16amps you would be in danger of burning the orange power hookup lead.

Confused.

Paul
 
Hi Paul
We never had any problems with supply,although we never used the A/C  only in fan mode and stopped using the heatpumps
 
OK

We just turn on whatever we want to run and let the EMS work out what we can have.

We've used the air con heat without too many problems - if there are too many things on for the available amps the air con will blow cold instead of warm air.

We do know that we can't run both air conditioners together so don't even try - unless we're on the generator (which we try to avoid for obvious reasons*).

Paul

* price of diesel for anyone it wasnt obvious.
 
Andy
Sorry we couldn't help you, wish you had stipped to say hello, maybe next time.  Best of luck with the Gulfstream, they make a pretty coach. 
 
Does the 50 cycle vs 60 cycle power enter into it?

Hi Ron

Yes, the difference can cause minor "inconveniences" - such as the problems with clocks on various appliances as mentioned by Ian.

Unfortunately, there isn't too much you can do about that.

You would have to swop all the appliances to 230V to get around it, which is obviously expensive - asuming you find appliances to fit the holes the 110V stuff came out of.

Paul
 
Induction motors, like those found in air conditioners, are always playing a game of 'catch-up'. That is, the armature is always trying to rotate fast enough to catch up with the rotating magnetic field of the stator. It can never do so, so the motor shaft will always turn somewhat slower than the theoretical maximum. That's why you typically see motor speeds of 1725 rpm or 3450 rpm - not an exact multiple of 60 Hz. When operating a 60 Hz motor at 50 Hz at the same voltage, it must work harder to handle the same size load, so it turns slower and uses more power, possibly causing overheating of the motor and the wiring going to it. Very simply, a 10hp/60Hz motor will only put out 8hp when running on 50Hz. Under load, such as the a/c compressor, it's drawing more current, working harder, and therefore making more noise. If the service factor of the motor is 1.2, running it at 50Hz should not present an overheating problem, but if it's only rated at a service factor of 1.0, it very well could overheat. Hopefully it will have a thermal cutout that will prevent motor damage or possible fire.
 
There you are
I knew someone would know why the A/C is noisey working on 50Hz,I knew why it was noisey but dont understand electricity that well  and that it didnt sound right .We never had cause to use the A/C in the UK although we did use the heatpumps,I should imagine if you used the A/C whilst wintering in Spain the noise would drive you mad by the end of the day,it just drones throughout the coach.After a while all the gremlins in the EMS ,timers,microwave etc start getting to you.
Although i loved the Revolution i wasn't sorry to see it go.
Ian
 
Paul,
Think of it like a carrot on a stick. Tie the stick with a 10lb. carrot attached to your head or shoulder, out in front of you about 5 feet - this is the 60Hz carrot/stick combination. Now try running as fast as you can to catch it. No matter how fast you run, it will always be out of reach.  Replace the carrot with a 20lb. one (this is the 50Hz carrot/stick combination) and again try running as fast as you can to catch it. You still can't catch it, but because the 20lb. carrot is heavier, you expend the same amount of energy, but more of it is used up as heat (you get hotter, quicker), sacrificing speed in the process. That's what is meant by the motor always trying to play catch-up.

O.k., so it's not the best analogy in the world! ;D
 
....Now try running....

Now you're just being silly!  ;D ;D

Anyone who knows me is fully aware I don't do running.  ;D

All this talk of healthy food and exercise makes me want a pie an a pint.

Paul
 
Ian,

I added your list of issues as caveats at the end of the file here. Thanks for providing the list.

I had a few questions/clarifications:

The EMS had gremlins ,i found it hard to control heat pumps to furnace etc

Are you saying that you couldn't control the sequence in which appliances were blocked/allowed, or that the EMS just didn't work at all?

Terrified of a fire (and i dont scare easily) i constantly felt the wireing ,and yes some of the heavy AMP wire got warm ,the rear heatpump burnt a wire,The ceramic heater wire got hot and burt through.

That burned wire on the rear heat pump, was that inside the heat pump?

Was the ceramic heater one of those small portable ones? Where did the wire burn through? (Inside the heater, or at the plug?)
 
Tom
the problem with the EMS was  when you turned on the rear heat pump the furnace fired up,turn on the furnace the fans worked on the A/C the same time you just didn't know what was going to happen next,when we ran on generator,original 110v 60Hz it would take 5 to 10 mins to sort itself out.

The whole lead on the ceramic heater got hot ,i could smell it first

On the heat pump if i remember correctly the wire was vissable when you took the inside cover off .


 
Thanks for the clarifications Ian, much appreciated.
 
Home at last in sunny wales ;D where it is pouring with rain as normal  ;)

As promised here are some photo's of our RV. Already day dreaming of the moment we will finaly have it over here.

The photo's can be found here.

I couldn't attach the photo's as I think they are too big ???

Bernarr and  Cary from RV Exports are shipping it over for us as they came recommended by several people.

I hadn't realised that I didn't take a photo with both myself and Tanya in front of the RV. The man standing next to Tanya is Colin Barnley of Long view RV Superstores, who we found was very good.

Still haven't decided on the Electrics route.  ???

Now if  I could just get a long extension lead to the US I wouldn't have to worry about the Hz or the volts :D
[edit]Activated link.[/edit]

 
Nice looking coach Andy. I can see you driving that down the narrow roads on the Gower peninsula  ;D
 
Hi Ian

I have to say that we've not experienced the problems you mention.

The one time we had the air conditioner blowing cold last year it was a little louder than in the US, but we've had no problems with the heat pump side of it. It may switch from heat pump to furnace but that (I believe) is due to the outside temp being below 5C and it auto-switching to gas.

The washing machine and microwave timers are a little out, but as nobody who converts their electrics to 230V actually changes these items (from the 110V ones) they will have the same problem.

We have a ceramic heater which is often running for 10hrs a day and haven't had any issues with the lead/cable getting hot.

Paul


 
Hi Paul
probably my bad luck.
Just said our good byes to Lindsay and Linda they just put thier Eagle in storage ,they fly back to Glasgow tonight.
Ours go into storage just over 2 weeks time  :'( :'( :'(
Some Brits here on Thousand Trails ,got 3 brit flags flying must go and say hi
Ian
 

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