If the lights, the water pump or the fridge in the back of your campervan suddenly stop working, the first thing to check is the solar controller. But not every Spaceships campervan has one, so first check which campervan you have.
Which campervans does this apply to?
This article applies to the Beta 2S Self-Contained and the Dream Sleeper Mini. These are the campervans with a solar panel on the roof and this type of solar controller box inside the campervan.
It does not apply to the other campervans in our fleet:
The Beta does not have a solar panel. Its 12V features run off the smart battery system - read more about what the smart battery system is and how it works.
The Sigma and the Cosmo do have solar panels, but they use a different control box. Cosmo drivers can read how the lithium leisure battery, solar panel and 240V mains plug work.
Step 1: press the Enter button on the solar controller
Find the solar controller (the small display unit with the buttons on the front, inside the back of the campervan) and press the "Enter" button a couple of times.
If the red lights come on, power has been restored. The controller was simply switched off - this can happen when something in the back bumps against it while you load or unpack the campervan.
If the lights stay off, go to step 2.
Step 2: a small hole where a switch should be? That is normal (Dream Sleeper Mini only)
On the Dream Sleeper Mini, there is a small hole next to the solar controller where an on/off switch used to be. This is normal: the switch was removed when the solar controller was installed, so there is nothing to switch on there. If your campervan is a Beta 2S Self-Contained, it does not have this hole.
Step 3: still no power? Call Roadside Assistance
If the red lights will not come on and the 12V features (lights, water pump, fridge) stay off, the house battery may not be charging. Please do not try to charge or jump-start the house battery yourself - it is not connected to the starter battery, and the campervan has no external power connection for this.
Instead, contact our 24/7 Roadside Assistance partner NZRA:
Call 0800 772 237 and choose option 3 for Roadside Assistance.
Tell them the house battery is not charging and that you have already tried the solar controller.
NZRA will book you into a nearby garage to have it checked. Spaceships arranges this with NZRA, so you do not need to find a garage yourself.
If a repair on the spot is not possible, the Spaceships Crew will look after you. You can reach the Spaceships Crew via the contact page.