Caravan thefts

[60041]

Originally Posted by Munro83

Who are you guys insured with?

Caravan Club. They have just about the best cover available and their security requirements are realistic.
Also, if the worst does happen, they pay out without any fuss.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by c_lee

I store my van at home on a double width drive and I'm able to put it in nose first with the hitch close to the house wall.

It has an Al-Ko hitch-lock and a wheel lock fitted and much of the time is blocked in by my car.

One thing that is handy being that the hitch is close to the house wall is that I can extend a spare zone from my house alarm system to a 7 pin 7N female connector mounted on a small metal box on the wall and plug the caravan's 7N cable into it.

My house alarm then monitors a normally closed loop through the caravan's brake light circuit and if the 7N plug is removed from the wall socket then the house alarm will sound.

Anyone who can't get the hitch that close to the house wall could use this method by use of a 7N extension cable as the whole circuit would be monitored.

When we are away in the caravan I put the house alarm on and OMIT the zone for the caravan 7N wall socket.

The caravan can't move far without the alarm circuit being broken and the house alarm sounding which obviously sounds indoors too.

Colin

EDIT: 7S changed to 7N

Now that's a very clever idea..... !

[Simon Jones]

That is indeed a good idea. As a variation on that theme, you could also adapt a hook up lead to do similar thing and that would mean the 'van and house/ garage could be a lot further apart without raising any suspicion to a potential thief.

[Father Ted]

For those guys wanting to link it to your house alarm: One thing to remember is that if you have a monitored house alarm (ie, calls the police), or if your insurance says your alarm has to be NSI compliant, then you won't be able to connect your caravan to it. It is a very good idea though.

I don't have this option, as my van is in storage, but, as well as hitch and wheel locks, I also have a cheap tilt sensor alarm which activates if the corner steadies are raised. I'm also planning on fitting a loud 12v siren to the brake light circuit.
It's not much, but an inconvenience if every time they brake, a siren goes off. THat's sure to get attention, which most thieves don't usually like.

[c_lee]

Originally Posted by Father Ted

.......

I don't have this option, as my van is in storage, but, as well .......

During the early 1980's the touring caravan we had then was monitored in a similar way as I mentioned above, but I didn't have it connected to my house alarm system as the caravan was parked right at the bottom of a long back garden.

In those days caravans didn't come fitted with alarm systems so I built one to fit inside the caravan.
( My hobby and job was electronics ).

It monitored two normally closed loops.

One loop with entry and exit delay for a reed contact on the caravan door.

The other loop with no delay was connected to a 7 pin 7N female connector which I mounted on the gas bottle locker cover and used as a parking place for my 7N caravan cable - this monitored a normally closed loop through the brake light circuit as is done in my post above.

Someone unplugging the 7N from its parking position to connect it to their tow-bar would then set off the alarm sounder which was mounted under the van floor.

I used to do quite a lot with alarm systems then, fitting them for family and sometimes building my own alarm panels in the early days as they were quite expensive at the time.

The 244GL I had in the 1980's was alarmed too and I didn't need to switch it on manually.

It was switched on automatically with an exit ( also off on entry ) delay when I removed the key from the ignition switch ( IIRC the contact on the ign switch was normally unused in the UK and marked 'S' - I used it to operate a relay which switched a home brew alarm on ).

Colin

[Father Ted]

This is what I have fitted to my caravan.
http://www.hawkcaralarm.com/X50Motor...iltSensor.aspx

The current draw is tiny. I use a 14w solar panel in the caravan which is nowhere near enough to charge a battery, but it puts back more than the alarm takes out, which keeps it ticking along when in storage.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by Father Ted

For those guys wanting to link it to your house alarm: One thing to remember is that if you have a monitored house alarm (ie, calls the police), or if your insurance says your alarm has to be NSI compliant, then you won't be able to connect your caravan to it. It is a very good idea though.

I don't have this option, as my van is in storage, but, as well as hitch and wheel locks, I also have a cheap tilt sensor alarm which activates if the corner steadies are raised. I'm also planning on fitting a loud 12v siren to the brake light circuit.
It's not much, but an inconvenience if every time they brake, a siren goes off. THat's sure to get attention, which most thieves don't usually like.

Whilst you are correct if the alarm has to be a certain standard or monitored you are unlikely to be able to extend it in this way - you could just buy a Scantronic 9448 Control Panal, Battery and Bell sounder from The Security Warehouse (http://www.securitywarehouse.co.uk) for approx £70 and create a second alarm system...

[Father Ted]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

Whilst you are correct if the alarm has to be a certain standard or monitored you are unlikely to be able to extend it in this way - you could just buy a Scantronic 9448 Control Panal, Battery and Bell sounder from The Security Warehouse (http://www.securitywarehouse.co.uk) for approx £70 and create a second alarm system...

You can still buy them?? Wow!!

Although, I much prefer the Scantronic 9x5x panels.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by Father Ted

You can still buy them?? Wow!!

Although, I much prefer the Scantronic 9x5x panels.

You can indeed, and they are almost the same as they were 20 years ago!

I used to fit loads of them, many are still going... I pulled out an old 9600 just before Christmas that I fitted for someone circa 1992/3. The panel was still working - it was one of the keypads that died.

https://www.securitywarehouse.co.uk/...r90-p-172.html

[Munro83]

Got insurance set up through camping and caravanning Club. £75 for the year isn't bad 👍