Rameder offers advice on caravans and power supply

Whether refrigerator or pump-controlled toilet flush, any caravan equipment of this kind needs electric power. While new caravans are usually equipped with a variety of different electrical connection options, this is not always the case for new cars with factory-installed towbars. This can then lead to the caravan refrigerator draining the car battery over night and the engine not starting up the next morning. To ensure that the campsite does not unintentionally turn into a permanent residence, the Rameder online shop at www.rameder.eu offers 13-pole electrical kits which can be expanded accordingly.

Cable kits without expansion option can prove very annoying for caravan owners. Used car dealers who sell customers a towbar with the vehicle often have cheap universal cable kits installed. And the electrical kits in new cars fitted with towbars usually do not offer any expansion options either. This means that the “steady plus” (pin 9) and “charging cable” (pin 10) functions cannot be used. Both of these are needed, though, to run electrical devices in the caravan. Continuous current from the car battery, for example, supplies lighting and the water pump in the caravan. As the light is not normally on continuously and water is not needed all the time, a connection to continuous current is not a problem. Refrigerators are a different story, though – running day and night, they would drain the car battery. This is where the charging cable comes in: it is only supplied with power when the engine is running. The charging cable charges a trailer battery which in turn provides the power for the refrigerator.

Rameder, market leader in Europe for towbars and car transport accessories, offers vehicle-specific 13-pin electrical kits which can be equipped with a universal expansion kit with continuous current and charging cable (including cut-off relay), which is also available at the online shop. So campers no longer get stranded and can always have a cool drink to hand.