Total naivety

Hello,
We have bought ourselves a 96 Super GL with a pop top. there is some branding inside that says Reimo. We love the space inside and the feeling of light.
We are totally naive to how a camper works. So we would like some help understanding it.
We were told that there is a new battery but I can't get anything in the camper to work.  The person we got it from has gone abroad so we can;t contact him.

Can anyone give us a rundown on the basics of how these things are supposed to work???

Are there any switches I need to find?
Should the leisure battery charge from the alternator?
The only life I have got out of it so far is the heater fan, which comes on when I switch it on (but there is no heat)
Cheers
Dan and Anna

Where are you?

There should be a master switch for the leisure electrics. Mine is on the dash, disguised as a fog light switch...

Hi,
We are in Stroud.hmmm. Can't find one like that.
There is a white switch above and slightly behind the cab, in the middle, which seems to be an isolation switch. The fan stops if this switch is off.
It doesn,t effect the charging though.

The charge should be on a split charge system, just follow the leisure battery + lead it should have a relay or box of tricks on it before it joins the main battery.
Heater should be gas or Diesel, won't be 12v only, may be a valve needs turning on?

Sounds to me like the switch you have in the roof is for the overhead aircon unit that blows to the back?
Reimo make pop-tops but there are Hiace conversions branded as Reimo, too.
There should be some sort of control panel or switch-way for the leisure electrics. What do you have installed? Fridge? Lights? Electric pumps for water? Each should be fused somewhere.
Do you have a mains hookup? If so there may be a charger to top up the leisure battery from mains. Otherwise it will charge from the alternator.
Check if you have any leisure electrics with the engine running. If so you may have a problem with the new battery.


As Clive says, trace some of the wiring and you will likely find the junctions you need!

Cheers,
W.

Thanks
We have water pump, 3way fridge, lights, diesel heater and some sort of amp.

I'm told it is a Toyota factory built camper.
The leisure electrics came on very briefly today, then went off again pretty quickly. Could it be that Tha battery is very low or just duff?

Possible... Or it could be you have a dodgy connection or switch...
Do you have a voltmeter you can check the battery charge level with? Doesn't need to be fancy, you can get something from Maplin to do the job for £10-£15. That will let you see if the battery has any charge currently (pun intended... sorry ☺) or if it is getting any from alternator or mains..
If you have a mains hookup and 12V adapter in the van you could try and use that to charge it up- most will be up to the job but there are a few chargers that aren't really up to charging from completely flat. Otherwise, maybe take it out to charge it?
It's probably something simple. If a connection, fuse or relay has failed and the battery isn't charging the seller may have assumed the old one was the problem and replaced it, masking the issue. If it is charged but the current isn't making it out to the gizmos that need it, you can focus your efforts there!

Cheers,
W.