We added our Eriba Triton GT 420 to our VW T5 campervan some 15 months ago. Last year we spent 8 weeks travelling around France, Italy and Switzerland living out of the 10 square metres that the Eriba provided us and this year we are now half way through a 4 month tour of Spain, Portugal and the Languedoc in France. We have also spent a number of weekends away in the UK in between our ‘big trips’. I feel that I am getting to know the nuances of our vans and in particular the Triton. The T5 has spent several sessions at the converters being fined tuned to our needs and it is now time to think about adjustments and refinements to our Triton to insure that we have the best possible set up for us. Over the coming months I intend to post what my experiences are with the Triton, identify modifications that will improve our standard of living and record when the changes have been made.

First off, I think it is important to identify why we went down the road that we have. Initially we purchased Valerie, our T5, as 3 month old dealership’s ex-demonstration vehicle. In her original state she was a T5 combie. We converted her to a camper van as my retirement was coming up and it has always been our desire to travel and explore the world. What better way to do it than in a VW Camper! Our first long trip to Europe in 2011 quickly identified that for short periods of time a T5 camper was great, but for longer periods and especially when the weather was inclement, it was just too small a living space. So we added to our living space by investing in a brand new 2014 Triton GT 430. Why an Eriba? Well that is simple they are a classic design, match the T5 well and both vehicles our renowned for good engineering and hold their value. Why the Triton GT 430? The Triton was the right size for the two of us. It has a large rear double bed that is oriented length ways as opposed to across the back of the caravan and of course the GT meant it was all silver that matched perfectly to Valerie, who is also all silver. The combination of the two vehicles means, if we have to, we can sleep up to 6 people (Valerie will sleep 4!) and of course Valerie can act as a kennel when I am in the dog-house!

Our trip to Europe last year quickly identified that we needed to add an awning. The make shift arrangement that I initially set up that involved the using the sheet from a previous broken Fiama wined out awning that fitted perfectly in the rail around the top of the Triton, did not work. It was cumbersome and did not really provide any advantages in respect of shade either from sun or rain. My idea of trying to link it to the new wined out awning on Valerie was a non-starter in practice. So after much research (by Blueyonder) we opted for a Unico Verona awning (http://www.unico-caravanawning.co.uk/uni...ona-awning.html). This awning gives us three options – a sunshade with or without walls, or a full enclosed awning with a front.

When considering travelling for longer periods of time an awning is essential to enlarge your living space, especially when the weather does become in clement! I think this was our biggest lesson that we learnt during out first extended trip. To date we have not needed anything more than the sunshade without the side walls option, but who knows when the weather may turn.

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The other immediate improvement I made on returning to the UK was the inclusion of a standard UK 3 pin 240 Volt power point in the externally accessed under bed locker. We have a small 240 Volt induction hob (curtesy of Mr Aldi) that we use a lot for cooking and getting power to it from inside the Triton was a pain. The additional plug resolves that and gives other power options, including running an additional extension lead to Valerie to keep her leisure battery charged. Whilst considering the position and set up of the Triton’s 240 volt 3 pin plugs, I must admit that in my opinion they are not in the best of places or orientation. For instance have you ever tried to plug in an electronic mosquito killer? It requires that the earth pin be set at the top in the vertical as you would expect… this is not possible with the Tritons plugs. So I am going to have to have a look at that. I know from a previous look at the electric distribution board I do have a spare 240 volt out let so I can put in another circuit.

Ever since we have had the Triton I have taken notice and admired the way people personalise their vans. Stamping one’s personality on his or hers van just shows how much they are loved and I look forward to adding my personality to ours, though the real aesthetics I will of course leave to Blueyonder.

Simon

Very interesting Simon, thank you.
I am a bit puzzled by the bed arrangement. I thought the 430 had a transverse double, not lengthways.

It's always given me fun and interest to pimp my Eriba. One of the first jobs is to turn the kitchen 240 socket round in its housing to stop any leads fouling the drawer. I have also added a socket in the under bed locker but this means leaving the locker open when in use. So my next step was to use this socket to power an external weatherproof socket under the rear of the van. I didn't have to make any holes as I found that I could feed the lead through the strange cone shaped vents in the newer vans. I also used this same access to bring a TV aerial lead into the van. I was quite surprised that there were no 12v sockets in our new Troll so I fitted one myself next to the 240v one at the rear.
I have fitted LED pelmet lighting and also 2 LED spotlights for reading. I think these are now fitted into the newer vans but were not in ours.
We can compare pimping at the mini meet.
TonyP

Hi Tony,

Definitely a length ways bed or BY couldn't sleep in it, though if my addled mind serves me correct, I think there are a couple of options.

Look forward to comparing notes in September.

Simon

Water, Water everywhere; but not a bit to drink

To start with I know there is much discussion among caravaners as to the use of the ‘on board’ facilities. How many times do I hear, ‘why do those caravaners use the site facilities when they have it all on board’? Or, ‘Why do caravaners struggle with the on board facilities when there adequate facilities being provided by the site and which you are paying for? I don’t intended to get into surmising about the rights or wrongs of either sides' points of view. It is enough to say that there are two schools and each will choose their own preference. Personally mine is to use the facilities provided by the camping sites and in support of that decision I think anyone with an Eriba will appreciate that the bathrooms (certainly the shower function) is added but not really designed for ‘proper’ use. That said the following views are based on my personal preferences.

The Eriba Triton’s (GT 420) water system (not including the cassette toilet) is based on two independent 10 litre storage tanks. One is under the sink and serves the wash basin. The other located in the front cupboard just inside the door and serves the kitchen sink. Both taps have pipes to the water tanks and the water is pumped to the taps by two separate small immersible 12 volt pumps. The waste of both is linked to a single outlet on the underside of the van just in front of the toilet cassette and requires an external grey water storage solution- a bucket of some description.

When we first got our Triton we were told that though it was equipped with a shower unit (the sink tap is on an extending house that can be lifted above the head) and that even though it was provided it was not really expected to be used other than in an emergency as the rest of the cubicle was not water proof and not designed to really be exposed to a shower environment! So the question has to be why included it? The cubicle was provided with a shower curtain designed to pull round the back and door of the toilet and a plastic shower try on the floor, not that it offered any protection to the laminated cupboards that form the sink housing, mirror etc. It was our first decision that we would never use the shower so the curtain was taken off and placed in the attic, secured in case we ever wanted to restore it to its original location.

Experience has shown us, that to fill the water tank up under the bathroom sink is as a pain and not worth doing. So other than night time use the toilet is seldom used so the whole of the bathroom becomes a storage facility for those kinds of items. This trip I dispensed with the 10 litre water container and opted to utilise the space for storage. And before anyone asks about hand washing after night time use, there are plenty of other ways of keeping hands clean that don’t require you to utilize a 10 litre water reservoir.

The same size water container is used under the sink to serve the sink tap. We did not opt at the time of purchase for a water heater to be installed. To be honest we could not see the need for one, and we are still of that opinion. The kitchen water container is equally a pain to fill. This year on our 4 month voyage I brought with me a 10 litre plastic watering can with a view that it would make filling the kitchen water container and the toilet reservoir easier. It makes life a lot easier with the toilet, but to be honest I have not once filled the kitchen sink water container up!

Why is this? Well if I am using water for consumption I will always draw it fresh from the provided supplies on the site. I certainly would not think about using water that had been left sitting in a container and subject to heating by the overall ambient temperature for consumption. When, as we have been, in such places as Seville, Sergovia and other parts of Spain the ambient temperature of the Triton can rise substantially, especially when the outside temperature is in high 30 degrees centigrade (or in the case of Seville over 45 degrees C). As for washing up, I always find it easier to use the campsite facilities – I don’t want to be splashing greasy water around in the inside of our pride and joy.

So I have come ask myself what is the point of having the 'static' on board cold water supply if I am never going to use it? The storage tanks are a waste of space which could be better utilized. I totally agree to have a fresh supply of drinkable water on tap in the Triton would be a very useful asset. It is that in mind that I have decided to explore removing the pumps to both taps and the two 10 litre water storage facilities completely. To replace them I am looking to plumb both to a water inlet point possibly in the front gas cupboard. I have noticed that in a number of sites that we have used water is available on the pitch (as well as a grey waste extract). It is therefore possible to connect via standard screw connectors at each end of a length of hose to a fresh water supply that will supply fresh water on board as and when required. To make this system work I would have to have an in line pressure reducer or equaliser so to insure that high pressure sites did not blow all the connectors and flood the caravan. I would also have to install a tap at the lowest point of the system to insure that I could completely drain the system so avoiding any sitting water that cause a build-up of bugs and or the problems caused by ice when left not in use over winter.

If we pitch up at a site that does not have such facilities I am no worse off, other than not having an option to fill up the water tanks. I think this is more than compensated for by the gain in additional storage. If water is on the pitch, then I think I am far better off and have fresh drink able water plumbed directly to the kitchen sink, as well as the bathroom for usual bathroom use.

Simon

Shower curtain out.
Hanging storage in........
image.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Thank you Tony, I like that idea.
I am sure BY can utilize that for all sorts of things.

Simon

Those ‘on board facilities’ can be very useful when needed! I can use the shower (with care) and have been glad of it when on a site in Brittany where the luke warm water provided on site would have been fine in July but not good in April, and on a small site where the only shower (with the only loo) seemed to be constantly occupied. OH says he thinks it would be a good idea to use it as a ‘salt and sand washer’ after swimming by extending it through the window (yes I’ll make sure he still has his swimming gear on!) or to wash muddy dogs outside – though I don’t think the hose will stretch down far enough to reach teckels on the ground. Yes, we went for the hot water option which meant either one onboard tank or an external fill. We had a previous van with a 30L onboard tank. Fine for motor homes but if you are staying still on site for any length of time you have to take an aquaroll or similar anyway to fill it and the tank takes up storage room. So we have external fill and use a Fiamma tank. How often it gets filled depends on how much is used. And I’ll certainly wash up on board if it’s dark, cold, wet or a long way to the site facilities. Horses for courses!

Quote: Frantone wrote in post #2

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Very interesting Simon, thank you.
I am a bit puzzled by the bed arrangement. I thought the 430 had a transverse double, not lengthways.

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Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #9

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If you don't have a hatch you can always use one of these surface mount inlets

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Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #12

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And I'm off to see if there's any humble pie left in the fridge.

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Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #12

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it's a mistake to assume that something fitted by a previous owner is the correct thing for the job

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