1. The Caravan Battery

If the manufacturer, or your dealer, has not fitted a battery we recommend that one is fitted in order to get the best out of your ZIG electrical system. Most manufacturers allocate a space for the battery and supply the necessary cable for connection. In this case, simply locate a new battery in the space provided and connect the wires to the battery; red to positive, black to negative. The 25 amp line fuse (supplied) should be connected in the positive lead. Note that if blue and white wires are used, blue is positive, white is negative. It is important that a proper connection is made to the battery using terminals and screws. Crocodile clips must never be used, they deter orate quickly and are a fire risk. A smear of petroleum jelly should be applied to the battery terminals. See no. 4 in “Important notes”, regarding batteries. If the manufacturer has not allocated a space for the battery, refer to “Fitting the battery” in “Instructions for fitting”.

2. Using your 12 volt equipment

Turn on the “12 volt switch” and set the “Car/Caravan” switch to Caravan. The battery condition indicator will light either red or green, depending on the state of battery, and the 12 volt equipment in the caravan will be operative. This switch need only be turned off when the caravan is not in use. Note that the ‘fridge’ is independently wired and is not controlled by this switch. If it is desired to use the current from a car, set the “Car/Caravan” switch to “Car” (the car must of course be connected).

3. Charging from the Mains

Ensure that a mains supply is available to your caravan through the external mains input socket and set the “Mains On-Off” to “On”. The “Charger” switch should be set to the “On” position. Fully automatic electronic charging regulation is fitted to the CF2000 this means that it will supply only the current the battery needs, overcharging will not occur.

4. Charging from the Vehicle

When the vehicle is attached to the car and the “Charger” switch is set to the “Towing” position, charging of the caravan battery will take place when the vehicle engine is running. The amount of charge depends on a number of factors – the state of charge of both batteries, the cable in use and the distance between the car and caravan batteries.

5. Selection of 12 volt source

It is possible to choose the source of 12 volt current for the caravan from either the car or caravan battery. This facility will be found very useful when on sites without mains electricity, as it will allow the car to run the caravan equipment when it is on site, leaving the caravan battery well charged for periods when the car is moved. To use the car, simply connect the 7 pin plug and socket (either direct of through an extension lead) and set the “Car/Caravan” switch to “Car” – when the car is removed, reset this switch to “Caravan”. IMPORTANT: To effect this operation the right hand switch MUST be in the on-site position. It is important to remember that if the car is not driven for long periods and the switch is left in the “Car” position THE CAR BATTERY WILL BE FLATTENED.

6. The Battery Condition Monitor

The purpose of the device is to warn that the caravan battery is becoming discharged. The red light will glow when the battery voltage is below 11 volts, above this voltage the green light will glow. No harm will come to the system or the battery if the accessories are used when the red light is on, and it will be found that possibly another few days reserve of current is available after the red light first appears. A true reading will only be given when all 12 volt equipment is switched off and when neither charging system is operational. The red light may come on when an appliance is switched on, this is normal – current surges cause momentary voltage drop. It is important to remember that the battery monitor is not a charging indicator. The fact that the green light is on does not mean that the battery is fully charged. Even with a flat battery the green light will glow if either charging system is operational, due to the high terminal voltage present at the battery.

7. The fuses

There are 6 fuses fitted to the CF2000. The mains fuses are in the small fuse holders behind the front panel and are standard 20mm x 5mm glass quick blow fuses. The fuse holders can only be removed with a screwdriver (this is to comply with electrical safety regulations). The three 10 amp fuses mounted on the left of the fuse box protect the various accessories connected to the ZIG system and are standard 1 3/4” glass quick blow fuses. The 15 amp fuse controls the 12 volt fridge. All the fuses are available word wide from electrical and radio dealers. Under no circumstances should a fuse of different type or value be fitted.

WARNING: In the event of a fuse blowing there exists a fault in the circuit protected by that fuse, and the cause should be ascertained before replacing the fuse. It is important to remember that a fuse is fitted for the protection of the circuit and is a safeguard against fire and injury. Never remove the front panel with mains, battery or car connected. There are no user serviceable parts inside.

8. Using the CF2000 as a converter

When a mains supply is connected to the caravan, the unit can be effectively used as a mains to 12 volt converter, to power the 12 volt equipment in the caravan. It does this by replenishing the power drawn from the battery and will automatically adjust this power to the amount being drawn from the battery. Note that the unit will work without a battery installed in the caravan, but we do not recommend this type of use, a battery provides the necessary smoothing required by the increasing number of electrical items being fitted to modern caravans – such as strip lights, radio, TV, water heaters etc.

Important notes

1. Due to the powerful output available, the unit will get quite hot during mains charging. An automatic thermal cut out is fitted, which will switch the unit off, if for any reason it reaches too high a temperature. It is important, therefore, not to obstruct the front or rear of the case with clothing or similar items, this will cause the thermal output to operate more frequently and will reduce the efficiency. Note that the thermal cut out is completely automatic, it will re-set when conditions return to normal.
2. The 12 Volt part of the fridge is connected to the car via the CF2000. Note that if it is switched on when the engine is not running there is a risk of flattening the battery.
3. The mains “On-Off” switch lights up to show that the mains is connected to the caravan. It serves only to switch on and off the battery charger and the fridge. Never connect any other mains equipment to the CF2000.
4. Batteries. Choice of battery will be dictated by the space available the cost and the amount of use, but it must be of the lead acid type, 6 cells and 12 volts. For most installations, a battery of between 40 and 50 ampere/hour will suffice. Car batteries are designed to supply the very high current required to start an engine, this sort of use is never called for in a caravan and it is therefore not necessary to buy expensive multi-plate types for caravan use. One of the latest maintenance free batteries designed for the purpose will give the best service. On average a fully charged battery will last approximately one week with careful use, 3 to 4 weeks with help from the car, as explained in the section “Selection of the 12 volt source”. Under no circumstances use a battery which has been scrapped for use due to faulty cells etc, always purchase a new battery which will give years of service.
5. In order to obtain satisfactory charging from your car, it is essential that the car is properly wired with suitable cable. Refer to the section in the installation instructions headed “Wiring the car”.
6. Maintenance is not required other than to keep the front panel clean with a dry cloth. It is, however, important to make a check from time to time on the conditioning of wiring, in particular, the seven pin plugs and sockets and the mains input connection.

Battery Life

The biggest consumer of current in a caravan is usually the lights – these are highly efficient in modern vans but they are used for longer periods than most other appliances. Take care that lights are not left on when not in use.

Water pumps use quite heavy currents but as they are only used intermediately, the total consumption is quite small.

Monochrome TV’s use quite small currents, but do remember to turn off after watching a programme. Colour TV’s should only be used when mains is available, as the consumption will flatten a 40 a/h battery in about 4 hours.

Take care when fitting extras to your van, they must use very small current themselves, but a number of items left on for 2 weeks continuously could use all your available battery support.

Lamps which use incandescent bulbs (car type), such as spotlights etc, are very much less efficient than strip lights and should only be used for short periods.

Note that these will accept an 18w or 21w car bulb instead of the original 10w supplied. Two 21 watt bulbs will drain your battery in about 8 to 10 hours.

If you use the type of shaver inverter with switched contacts, never leave your shaver lead plugged in.

Mains Electricity

The Zig charging and distribution unit is designed to run on 200 to 400 volt A.C. mains electricity. NEVER CONNECT TO A D.C. SUPPLY.

In remote parts of Europe and the whole of the U.S.A., the supply is 110 volt A.C. The unit will not charge from the mains with this supply, although no harm will be done if it is connected to 110 volt. The 12 volt equipment will, of course, work normally, including charging from the car. Note that where the supply is low i.e. 200 volts, efficiency in mains charging will be reduced.

The C.F.2000 has been specially designed to operate safely on mains electricity in a caravan. It is protected by a double pole mains switch, double wound mains transformer and fuses. It will remain safe even if the polarity of the mains is reversed. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO OTHER MAINS EQUIPMENT IN THE CARAVAN. If you wish to fit extra mains appliances in the caravan, you should consult a qualified electrician and the use of an earth leakage circuit breaker is strongly recommended. Remember mains voltage can be fatal.