Parts Explained
54 explainers across 8 categories — the whole habitation side of your van, plus the base vehicle bits that matter.
Leisure Electrics
7 itemsLeisure Battery
The separate battery that runs your lights, water pump and fridge — without you ever waking up to a dead engine.
Split Charge Relay / B2B Charger
The clever switch that sends spare engine power to your leisure battery as you drive.
Battery Monitor
The little screen (or app) that tells you how much power you actually have left.
12V Fuse Board / Consumer Unit
The little box of fuses and switches that protects every 12V circuit in the van.
Inverter
Turns your 12V battery power into normal 230V mains power for laptops, kettles and chargers.
Solar Panel & Charge Controller
Keeps the leisure battery topped up for free while you're parked up.
Mains Hook-Up (EHU) & RCD
The campsite lead that brings normal 230V power straight into the van.
Water Systems
7 itemsFresh Water Tank
Where your drinking, washing and washing-up water lives until you need it.
Water Pump
The small electric pump that gives you running water from the taps.
Water Heater (Truma / Whale-style)
Heats your water using gas, mains electric, or both — for washing up and a proper shower.
Grey Waste Tank
Collects the water from your sink and shower until you can empty it responsibly.
Waste Outlet Valve ('Blade Valve')
The lever under the van that lets grey (or cassette) waste out — in a controlled way, not a puddle.
Non-Return Valve
A one-way gate that stops water flowing backwards where it shouldn't.
Inline Water Filter
Takes the taste (and some of the nasties) out of your fill-up water.
Gas & Heating
8 itemsGas Locker & Cylinders
The sealed, vented box that keeps your propane or butane bottles safe.
Gas Regulator & Changeover Valve
Steps the cylinder's high pressure down to a safe, steady flow for your appliances.
Gas / LPG Leak Detector
Sniffs out LPG before it becomes a real problem.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm
The single most important safety device in the van — detects the gas you can't see, smell or taste.
Blown-Air Heater (Truma / Webasto / Eberspächer)
Warms the whole van by blowing heated air through ducting to every room.
Gas Hob & Grill
Your cooking ring, running on the same LPG supply as the heater and water heater.
3-Way Absorption Fridge
A fridge with no compressor — it can run on gas, 12V or mains, which is why it needs to be dead level.
External Flue & Vents
The small outside grilles that let gas appliances breathe safely.
Body, Roof & Weatherproofing
7 itemsRoof Vent / Rooflight
The hatch in the roof that clears steam, cooking smells and stuffy air.
Skylight
A fixed or opening window in the roof that lets light flood into the van.
Habitation Door & Seals
Your main way in and out — and one of the biggest places water tries to get in.
Roof Seam Sealant
The unglamorous stuff that quietly stops your van's biggest cause of expensive damage: water ingress.
Awning
Rolls out from the side of the van to give you shade, shelter, and a bit more living space.
Habitation Windows (Double-Glazed Acrylic)
Lighter and better insulated than glass — but they need a bit more care.
Fly Screens & Blackout Blinds
Keeps the bugs out and the morning sun off, without shutting the window entirely.
Base Vehicle & Chassis
7 itemsBase Vehicle Engine
The same engine principles as any van or car — just working harder, more often, fully loaded.
Cab Air Conditioning
Keeps the driving area cool — usually separate from any habitation cooling system.
Swivel Cab Seats
Turns the driver and passenger seats around to face into the living area when parked.
Cab-to-Habitation Bulkhead
The partition (or curtain) separating the driving cab from the living area.
Tow Bar & Towing Electrics
For a bike rack, small trailer, or towing a car behind a larger motorhome.
Levelling Ramps / Chocks
Gets the van sitting level on a sloped pitch — important for the fridge as much as your sleep.
Reinforced Chassis & Suspension
Beefed-up springs and axles that cope with the extra weight of a habitation body, water and gear.
Furniture & Conversion
6 itemsDrop-Down (Luton) Bed Mechanism
Lowers a ready-made double bed from the ceiling at bedtime, and out of the way by day.
Rock & Roll Bed / Seat
Folds flat to become a rear seating bench by day, and flips to a bed at night.
Dinette / Seating-to-Bed Conversion
Turns your table and bench seats into an extra sleeping area.
Storage Lockers & Catches
Cupboards and under-seat lockers built to stay shut while you're driving down a bumpy road.
Fold-Out / Pedestal Table
The table that folds away to almost nothing when you need the floor space.
Luton / Overcab Bed
The permanent bed built into the space above the driving cab.
Safety & Monitoring
5 itemsSmoke Alarm
Your first line of defence against a fire while you sleep.
Fire Extinguisher & Fire Blanket
Kept somewhere you can actually reach them in a hurry — not buried in a locker.
Habitation Service (Damp Check)
An annual health check for the 'living' part of the van — the equivalent of an MOT for your habitation systems.
Tank Level Sensors
Tell you how full (or empty) your fresh and waste tanks are, without opening a hatch to look.
Reversing Camera & Sensors
Essential once you can no longer see out of the back window.
Comfort & Technology
7 itemsTV Aerial / Satellite Dish
Keeps the telly working wherever you're pitched up.
Onboard WiFi / 4G Router
Gets you online at the pitch, not just at the phone signal your handset happens to find.
Motor Mover
Lets you manoeuvre the van into a tight pitch by remote control — no engine required.
Automatic Levelling System
Levels the entire van at the touch of a button — no ramps, no guesswork.
Awning Lighting (LED Strip)
Low-power LED strip lighting under the awning for evenings outside.
Cab Infotainment & CarPlay/Android Auto
The same touchscreen tech as any modern car, in the driving cab.
12V / USB Sockets
Charging points around the van that don't rely on the mains inverter.