RV Pucchase advice

[boswell009]

Can anyone advise me? I want to buy an American motorhome. I will be living in it full time ( in the UK ) and because of the length restrictions on the Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club sites, of which I am a member I can go no longer than 28 feet long. I know there are lots of different makes and models. Is there anything I really need to make sure it as on board i.e.; Inverter, solar panel? Depending on the part exchange I get for my motorhome I may buy a new or used one. I notice that a lot of American motorhomes for sale advertise the fact that they have a generator. Is this an essential piece of equipment as all the campsites I will be using have electric hook up. Any advice you may have (good or bad) will be much appreciated. Thanks for your time. Keith.

 

[Riverdog]

If you are buying an American RV have you checked into the compatability of the power supply?  My understanding is that electrical appliances run on a different voltage than the 110/120 that is the US standard.  So if  you do buy American and power isn't compatable, then a 110/120 generator is probably a good idea.  Otherwise you may want to stay with a local RV to avoid this type of headache.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

No, a generator is not essential unless you need an auxiliary power source for some reason. For the same reason, an inverter is not esential - you use it only when electrical hook-ups are not available. However, either one may be convenient to use while driving down the highway (unless you have a very long extension cord!).  We usually use our generator to power the motorhome's air conditioning while we drive, instead of using the dash board (automotive type) a/c. It cools the interior better and generally uses less fuel.  In any case, American motorhomes without a generator are rare, though there may be a few smaller ones where it is optional.

There are some American Class A motorhomes in the 28 foot and under range and there are quite a few Class C types in that size.

 

[Carl L]

The American motorhome will be equipped for 120VAC 60 Hz current.? ?That will power your microwave, refrigerator (when on shorepower) and your battery charger.? ?UK current is 240VAC 50 Hz.? ? You will have two real choices.? ?Replace the appliances and battery charger with UK models, or get a high wattage (5 KW or so) power converter.? The ones I have seen are a 240VAC 50Hz electric motor running a 120VAC 60Hz generator.?

 

[Tom]

Most Brits who buy a U.S. motorhome buy just a transformer to run in the UK. Most appliances don't care about the differenc in frequency (50Hz vs 60 Hz). TVs that might care don't work anyway because of the UK PAL system vs the US NTSC system.