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Proven & Unbiased Information from Collyn Rivers
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Between 1959 and 1961 Collyn Rivers and Antony Fleming drove a Bedford QLR off-road truck twice the length and breadth of Africa studying road surface conditions.
A 43 minute film about their adventure, produced and narrated by Antony Fleming, has been viewed on YouTube more than 1.6 million times!
To view the film, and also read Collyn's telling of the tale, just click the button below.
The Camper Trailer Book. Free!
Not currently available as an eBook or paperback, RV Books is publishing The Camper Trailer Book on this site. Every week new sections will be released until the complete, fully revised, version is available.
Solar Success
Collyn Rivers is the author of Solar Success. Previously only available on a different website (solarbooks.com.au), you'll now find this book and a large selection of exclusive articles by Collyn Rivers dealing with the intricacies of setting up and using solar power to run your home, cabin, travel trailer or motorhome. Over the next few weeks all of the content from Collyn's second site will be brought over to RV Books to provide a more comprehensive coverage of a wider range of topics.
Featured article
How to stop paying for electricity
Updated 2020
How to stop paying for electricity
How to stop paying for electricity is easy. This article shows how. Going almost totally off-grid is more affordable than ever. Now the electricity provider pays us. You can do the same - here's how.
Solar is now cheap
We always wanted to stop paying for electricity, and now we virtually have. It is getting easier to free yourself from dependence on the grid.
Many governments subsidise home solar. Most buyers, however, purchase only small systems: typically 1.5 or 2.4 kW (kilowatts). These, in Australia in early 2019 cost A$2500 -A$3000 installed. This helps reduce existing bills, but increasing solar capacity is truly worth considering.
Our (NSW government) subsidised 6 kW system cost us A$4350. It produces an average of 25-40 kilowatt hours a day. We initially paid the electricity supplier A$ 0.27 per kW/h for about three hours each night. We sold the daytime surplus (of an averaged 17 kWh/day) for a contracted 20 cents per kilowatt-hour for two years. This brought in about A$1200 a year. The initial cost of installation was A$4500. The result was then free power plus an increasing yearly income inside four years.
How to stop paying for electricity - adding battery backup to our solar array
As with many others, we prefer not to totally rely on grid-power - even as a back-up. Having self-built our own 3.8 kW stand-alone system in Australia's Kimberley, we knew that do this is totally feasible. But unless electricity exceeds about $1 a kilowatt/hour it is currently not a money-saving thing to do. Whilst going totally off-grid still appeals we settled on a compromise that is proving very satisfying.
Recently updated articles
Electric Vehicle Batteries
The market for quickly-rechargeable, light and compact batteries is huge. One or another battery will eventually evolve. When it does, electric-only vehicles are likely to have a range unthinkable using fossil-fuels. Moreover, in the meantime, hybrids are an excellent compromise. Furthermore, see also Electric Vehicles – Hybrids.
Electric Vehicle Home Charging
Many existing home grid-connect solar systems have excess capacity outside peak periods. Solar energy fed in during the day can be re-drawn during off-peak periods, for much the same price, to charge an electric car. This is because many grid networks have excess capacity outside peak periods. Furthermore, such charging extends battery life: all dislike ongoing deep discharges.
Electric Vehicle Motors
Updated 2020 Electric vehicle motors AC/DC Electric vehicle motors use one or other of the two main kinds of electricity: alternating current and direct current. Both are effective as electric vehicle motors. Alternating Current (AC) is where electric current...
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
Globally, there is move to electric vehicles. Apart from minor rubber tyre particles they are virtually emission free.They are also about 80% efficient. If, however, their electricity is from fossil-fuelled power stations, their emissions are similar to year 2020 petrol-fuelled (or hybrid) vehicles.
Articles by Category
Electrical (general)
- 12 volts dc from 24 volts dc
- AGM batteries for travel trailers – they are still worth using
- Battery charging and battery chargers – how to do it properly
- Blade fuse problems in travel trailers – they may burn or melt
- Caravan fridge problems – how to fix the most common faults
- Caravan Fuses and Circuit Breakers – how to know which to use
- Dc-dc charging – how to speed alternator charging
- Electrical converter problems in travel trailers – problems when used for free camping
- Electrical converters in RVs – they’re unsuitable for free-camping
- Fast battery charging from generators – cheap, effective and relatively simply
- Grid connect solar modules for RVs – here’s how you can use them
- Imported RV electrics
- Interconnecting batteries in parallel or series – here’s how and why
- Inverters for travel trailers – and motor homes too
- LiFePO4 jump starters really do work – they power other things too
- Lighting for travel trailers – it makes every sense to install LEDs
- Lithium battery rival
- Make caravan fridges work as claimed – here’s how to do it
- Quietening caravan water pumps – easy and cheap to do
- RV Alternator Charging Problems
- RV Batteries
- RV electrical wiring – twin-wire or chassis return – here’s why twin-wire is usually better
- RV Fuel cells – great idea, but cost is too high
- Solar regulators with current shunts – how to fix misleading readings
- Supply cables for travel trailers – choices of current capacity and length
- TV interference from LEDs – here’s what causes it
- Variable voltage alternator problems with travel trailers – how to fix
Batteries & Battery Charging
- 12 volts dc from 24 volts dc
- AGM batteries for travel trailers – they are still worth using
- Are Lithium-ion Batteries Worth Their Price – homes and properties
- Australian Battery Breakthrough
- Baghdad battery myth
- Battery capacity required for cabins and RVs
- Battery capacity required for home and property solar
- Battery charging and battery chargers – how to do it properly
- Battery ventilation is vital – why take any risk?
- Best Batteries for Stand-Alone Solar
- Blade fuse problems in travel trailers – they may burn or melt
- Connecting caravan batteries – there’s no magic way of doing it!
- Dc-dc charging – how to speed alternator charging
- Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
- Electric Vehicle Batteries
- Electrical converter problems in travel trailers – problems when used for free camping
- Electrolysis corrosion in vehicles – how to find and fix it
- Fast battery charging from generators – cheap, effective and relatively simply
- Generator Battery Charging – Quickly and Deeply
- How long can lead acid batteries last
- How to tell travel trailer battery charge – energy monitoring explained
- Imported RV electrics
- Interconnecting batteries in parallel or series – here’s how and why
- Lead acid batteries for caravans – they are still a good buy
- LiFePO4 jump starters really do work – they power other things too
- Lighting for travel trailers – it makes every sense to install LEDs
- Lithium batteries for caravans
- Lithium battery rival
- Lithium battery safety in travel trailers – are they all the same?
- Lithium-iron batteries in RVs – they are safe to use
- RV Alternator Charging Problems
- RV Batteries
- RV electrical wiring – twin-wire or chassis return – here’s why twin-wire is usually better
- RV Fuel cells – great idea, but cost is too high
- Variable voltage alternator problems with travel trailers – how to fix
- What Peukert really meant – but is so often misunderstood
Caravan/Tow Vehicle Behaviour & Suspension
- Travel Trailer and tow vehicle dynamics
- Travel Trailer suspension – it is mostly misunderstood
- Travel Trailer Tow Ball Weight – how much
- Travel Trailer weight safe to tow – depends on what tows it
- 10 Tips for Safe Travel Trailer Towing
- Caravan design need for change
- Caravan Length and Stability
- Caravan nose weight – it’s vital for safe towing
- Caravan wheel placement
- Choosing a Caravan Tow Vehicle
- Do Not Trust Travel Trailer Declared Mass
- Fifth wheelers are safer – here’s why they are
- Gross Combined Mass Upgrades
- How caravan and tow vehicles interact
- Is Caravan Independent Suspension Essential? – the answer is no.
- Loading a Caravan Safely
- Making travel trailers more stable – here’s how and why to do it
- Mechanical sway-control has little value at speed
- Motorhome and trailer tyres
- Need for a WDH – avoid using one if possible
- Overhung Travel Trailer Hitches
- Overweight RVs – a police point of view
- Reducing travel trailer sway – here’s how to minimise the causes
- RV Accident Data (Australia)
- RV Industry Changes Needed
- Should I grease my tow ball?
- Tow Vehicle/Caravan Weight Ratio Explained
- Towing Without a WDH – Weight Distributing HitchÂ
- Trailer Dynamics Simply Explained
- Warning for Potential Caravan Buyers – how to buy a caravan
- Weight Distributing Hitch limits cornering
- Weight distribution hitch setup – how much correction is needed
- Wheels falling off trailers – and how to stop it happening
- Why caravans sway and roll over – how to prevent it
Cooling and Heating
- Caravan air conditioning – here’s how
- Caravan fridge problems – how to fix the most common faults
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Diesel heating in travel trailers and motorhomes – it’s easy, effective and safe
- Interconnecting batteries in parallel or series – here’s how and why
- Make caravan fridges work as claimed – here’s how to do it
- RV Fridge Basics
- Safe RV heating – use diesel or LP gas
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 14: Fridges
General
- Travel Trailer suspension – it is mostly misunderstood
- 10 Tips for RVing Around Australia
- All solar house – self-building an off-grid all solar house
- Are Lithium-ion Batteries Worth Their Price – homes and properties
- Australian RV Road Rules – Summary
- Baghdad battery myth
- Buy a New RV in 5 Steps
- Buying used caravans – what to check
- Caravan air conditioning – here’s how
- Caravan design need for change
- Caravan facts and opinions – the nonsense so often on travel trailer forums
- Choosing a Caravan Tow Vehicle
- Choosing the right interior fittings for an Australian RV
- Convert to your own all solar home
- Driving across Africa – in 1956/60 the very last time it was possible
- Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
- Electric Vehicle History
- Electric Vehicle Home Charging
- Electric Vehicle Motors
- Electrolysis corrosion in vehicles – how to find and fix it
- Energy and Power
- Ensuring Successful Solar Projects
- Fuel savers do not work – almost all are scams
- Generators for Cabins and RVs
- Generators for Home and Property Systems
- Going off the electricity grid
- Have portable solar in your rented home
- How much solar capacity do I need?
- How much solar energy available?
- How much solar input – here’s how to find out
- How to Choose the Best RV Layout
- How to free camp legally in Australia
- How to stop paying for electricity
- Interconnecting batteries in parallel or series – here’s how and why
- Inverters for Homes and Properties
- Is a 4 wheel drive needed for motorhomes
- Is Napisan a Safe Toilet Chemical?
- Lightning risk in RVs – how to reduce that risk
- Living with solar – how make it all work
- Napisan and Look-Alikes safe for Septic Tanks – a professor’s view
- Our Solar Equipped RVs
- Overhung Travel Trailer Hitches
- Problems with stand-alone solar – much applies also to RVs
- Quietening caravan water pumps – easy and cheap to do
- Retarding rust electronically – claims are exaggerated
- RV fault issues – who is responsible?
- RV forum common sense – a rare commodity?
- RV Solar and Alternator Charging
- RV Solar Basics
- RV Toilets – Which is Best?
RV Solar
- All solar house – self-building an off-grid all solar house
- Australian Battery Breakthrough
- Grid connect solar modules for RVs – here’s how you can use them
- How much solar input – here’s how to find out
- How to tell travel trailer battery charge – energy monitoring explained
- Interconnecting batteries in parallel or series – here’s how and why
- Lithium batteries for caravans
- Lithium battery safety in travel trailers – are they all the same?
- Living with solar – how make it all work
- Our solar equipped RVs – all proved a major success
- Problems with stand-alone solar – much applies also to RVs
- RV Batteries
- Solar input available for travel trailers – know what’s available and increase it too
- Solar regulators with current shunts – how to fix misleading readings
Travel
- Travel Trailer Tow Ball Weight – how much
- 10 Tips for RVing Around Australia
- Australian Road Rules Confuse
- Australian RV and towing rules and regulations – a constantly updated general guide
- Australian RV Road Rules – Summary
- Best Way to RV Around Australia
- Buy a New RV in 5 Steps
- Caravan design need for change
- Caravan Length and Stability
- Caravan tare weight issues – some declared weights may not be correct
- Caravan wheel placement
- Choosing a Caravan Tow Vehicle
- Choosing the right interior fittings for an Australian RV
- Claims for dual-cab ute towing capacity mislead travel trailer buyers
- Do Not Trust Travel Trailer Declared Mass
- Driving across Africa – in 1956/60 the very last time it was possible
- Electrical converters in RVs – they’re unsuitable for free-camping
- Free camp safely in Australia – this article shows how
- How to Choose the Best RV Layout
- How to free camp legally in Australia
- How to Reverse a Travel Trailer
- Is a 4 wheel drive needed for motorhomes
- Loading a Caravan Safely
- Microwave for RV oven power draw – it’s more than many users think
- Motorhome and trailer tyres
- Need for a WDH – avoid using one if possible
- Overhung Travel Trailer Hitches
- Quietening caravan water pumps – easy and cheap to do
- Reducing travel trailer sway – here’s how to minimise the causes
- Retarding rust electronically – claims are exaggerated
- RV forum common sense – a rare commodity?
- RV Fridge Basics
- RV Toilets – Which is Best?
- Safe toilet chemicals – can Napisan be used in septic tanks?
- Sleep apnoea machines for camping – correct choice is vital
- Solar input available for travel trailers – know what’s available and increase it too
- Top 10 Australian RV Apps
- TV interference from LEDs – here’s what causes it
- Weight Distributing Hitch limits cornering
- What off-road really means
Health & Safety
- Travel Trailer weight safe to tow – depends on what tows it
- 10 Tips for Safe Travel Trailer Towing
- Battery ventilation is vital – why take any risk?
- Blade fuse problems in travel trailers – they may burn or melt
- Caravan Fuses and Circuit Breakers – how to know which to use
- Caravan nose weight – it’s vital for safe towing
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Claims for dual-cab ute towing capacity mislead travel trailer buyers
- Diesel heating in travel trailers and motorhomes – it’s easy, effective and safe
- Fifth wheelers are safer – here’s why they are
- Free camp safely in Australia – this article shows how
- How to Reverse a Travel Trailer
- Is Napisan a Safe Toilet Chemical?
- Lightning risk in RVs – how to reduce that risk
- LP Gas risk in travel trailers – deaths & brain damage still occurs
- Making travel trailers more stable – here’s how and why to do it
- Mechanical sway-control has little value at speed
- Napisan and Look-Alikes safe for Septic Tanks – a professor’s view
- Overhung Travel Trailer Hitches
- Overweight RVs – a police point of view
- RV Accident Data (Australia)
- RV Industry Changes Needed
- Safe RV heating – use diesel or LP gas
- Safe toilet chemicals – can Napisan be used in septic tanks?
- Sleep apnoea machines for camping – correct choice is vital
- Supply cables for travel trailers – choices of current capacity and length
- Towing Without a WDH – Weight Distributing HitchÂ
- Using correct size cables for RVs is essential
Legal & Compliance
- Travel Trailer and motorhome compliance – the Caravan Council of Australia explains all
- Australian Road Rules Confuse
- Australian RV and towing rules and regulations – a constantly updated general guide
- Australian RV Road Rules – Summary
- Buying used caravans – what to check
- Caravan design need for change
- Caravan tare weight issues – some declared weights may not be correct
- Gross Combined Mass Upgrades
- Imported RVs – there can be major problems re-registering private imports
- RV Compliance – Here’s how to know
- RV electrical work – Victorian exception
- RV fault issues – who is responsible?
- Tow Vehicle & Caravan Weight Definitions
The Camper Trailer Book
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  1: Camper Trailer Overview
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  2: Where to Go in Australia
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  3: What can be towed where
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  4: Tow vehicles
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  5: Trailer Chassis and Suspension
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  6: Trailer Hitches
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  7: Trailer brakes & braking
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  8: Wheels and Tyres
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter  9: Batteries
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 10: Battery and Alternator Charging
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 11: Generators
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 12: Fuel cells
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 13: Energy monitoring
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 14: Fridges
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 15: Water
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 16: Internal and water heating
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 17: Lighting
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 18: Supplementing with Camper Trailer Solar
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 19: Solar – bringing it all together
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 20: Example Systems
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 21: Installing the electrics
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 22: Building and modifying
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 23: Preparing for the trip
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 24: Why things work loose
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 25: Communications and GPS
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 26: Safety
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 27: Vehicle Recover
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 28: Legal Issues
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 29: Stuff you may need to take
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 30: Tools and spares
- The Camper Trailer Book – Chapter 31: Terminology Explained
Electric Vehicles *New*
Household Solar *New*
- Ensuring Successful Solar Projects
- Refrigerators for Home and Property Solar
- Solar Regulators for Home and Property Systems
- Battery capacity required for home and property solar
- Best Batteries for Stand-Alone Solar
- Going off the electricity grid
- Vital things about solar in the USA
- TOP 10 SOLAR SCAMS
- Generators for Home and Property Systems
- Solar Modules for Homes and Properties
- Solar Shadowing – reducing the losses
- Grid connect solar problems – what vendors may not reveal
- Inverters for Homes and Properties
- How to stop paying for electricity
- Have portable solar in your rented home
- Convert to your own all solar home
- Fuel cells for homes and properties
- Upgrading solar system has unexpected traps
- Solar charge your electric car at home
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- Australian RV and towing rules and regulations – a constantly updated general guide
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- Travel Trailer Tow Ball Weight – how much
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- Lithium batteries for caravans
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Want to find out more? Our books cover all these topics and a lot more.
Whether you’re buying your first RV or updating to a bigger, more comfortable rig, there are a great many things you need to know and consider. How to Choose and Buy an RV breaks things down so that you can decide what you want and whether or not what you’ve found is right for you.
Solar That Really Works! explains every detail of designing and installing solar in boats, camper trailers, travel trailers and motorhomes.
Caravan & Motorhome Electrics covers every aspect of designing, installing and fault finding of the electrics in fifth wheel and conventional travel trailers, camper trailers and motorhomes.
The Caravan & Motorhome Book covers every conceivable aspect of camper trailer, travel trailer and fifth wheel travel trailer, campervan and motorhome usage.
Travel Trailers and their tow vehicles rarely jack-knife and roll over - but when they do the results are catastrophic. The cause, and how to prevent it, is explained here. Why Caravans Roll Over offers solid advice for keeping yourself safe on the road.
learn more
Solar Success explains how to design and build home and property systems that ensures affordable solar success first and every time.
Whether you're buying your first RV or updating to a bigger, more comfortable rig, there are a great many things you need to know and consider. This book breaks things down so that you can decide what you want and whether or not what you've found is right for you. It's technically sound and comprehensive so that you can proceed with complete confidence. How to Choose and Buy an RV is the ultimate guide for those times when you want to, well, choose and buy an RV.
Travel Trailers and their tow vehicles rarely jack-knife and roll over - but when they do the results are catastrophic. The cause, and how to prevent it, is explained here. Why Caravans Roll Over offers solid advice for keeping yourself safe on the road.
Caravan & Motorhome Electrics is the totally rewritten successor to the original globally selling Motorhome Electrics. The book's content now also covers every aspect of designing, installing and fault finding of the electrics in fifth wheel and conventional travel trailers, camper trailers and motorhomes.
Solar Success explains how to design and build home and property systems that ensures affordable solar success first and every time.
The Caravan & Motorhome Book covers every conceivable aspect of camper trailer, travel trailer and fifth wheel travel trailer, campervan and motorhome usage. Like all of Collyn Rivers' books it is technically sound yet written in plain English.
Solar That Really Works! explains, in clear English, every detail of designing and installing solar in boats, camper trailers, travel trailers and motorhomes. It is up-to-date, valid globally and technically accurate. It is clear, concise and easy to follow without sacrificing important detail.
This is Collyn Rivers' newest book. Building on his years of experience and extensive knowledge of engineering and all things travel trailer and RV, this is the book you need with you when shopping for an RV.
Collyn Rivers has done it again! – if you need to know anything about motorhome electrics, then this book is for you... Collyn must be, without doubt, the foremost authority in Australia on this subject.
Should be compulsory reading for everyone involved with Travel Trailers: Design / Engineering, Marketing, Journalism (print & electronic), Regulations, Inspections, Driver-Training, Travel Trailer Clubs, Towing and Modifications.
Collyn is an accomplished engineer who knows how to design and build successful systems. It is refreshing to see practical advice written in plain language when there is so little solar information around. . . this is an essential text . . . you won’t find a better guide.
Without doubt, this is the best book we have ever read . . . it will be treasured, and read on a regular basis.