Keep Connected: Electronics for Motorhome Owners

Some people like to use their motorhome to get away from modern life and are quite happy to switch their laptops and mobile phones off for a weekend and ignore them until Monday. Others, however, would prefer to keep in touch. Often though, with limited plugs and sockets in a motorhome, it’s not easy to keep all your electrical needs in check. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of what you do have available to you.

Prioritise Your Gadgets

Your mobile phone is, really, an essential these days and if you’re travelling anywhere you need it to be able to call the emergency services or someone like your motorhome insurance provider. This, or a laptop, should take priority over things like hairdryers or MP3 players. Some campsites will have additional facilities where you can charge your phone, so make use of them.

Don’t Overload Your Sockets

Though it’s perfectly suitable to put extension plugs into your existing sockets, when you start extending the extenders there is a chance you will overload the sockets. If you’re running off battery, this could completely flatten or damage it, and if you’re using a generator it’s possible that it will cause a fault. Also beware of how much energy each gadget uses; a clock-radio requires considerably less power than a TV or laptop.

Beware of Fire

There is an extra risk of fire in motorhomes and flames spread especially fast. Hair straighteners are particularly common culprits if left on and older laptops and computers tend to get very hot very quickly. If you must leave hot gadgets charging, make sure they are on a flat, fire-resistant surface like a kitchen worktop rather than your canvas upholstery.

Motorhomes are becoming more accommodating for gadget users and there aren’t half as many problems keeping everything charged up these days as there used to be. However, think about what power you’re using and equally spare a thought for the environment: if you don’t need your laptop, leave it at home for a week!