The volt meter fitted in my old Avondale caravan had a simple pointer registering on a red/yellow/green scale. Now, twenty years on, I felt it was time for an improvement, so on a cold, wet afternoon last week, I decided to update it. Several weeks ago I purchased a digital volt meter from ebay

With the electricity disconnected from the van, I removed the control panel and then unplugged the mains supply together with the two connectors for power services. The control unit could then be taken into the garage. The leads to the volt meter were cut so that the connector was saved, and the old voltmeter was pried out of its fixing hole. Masking tape was then applied to the fascia so that an enlarged hole to suit the new meter could be marked out and then cut.

With a bit more filing, the new volt meter snapped into place. The two leads were soldered to the old plug and the joints were covered with heat shrink. Connection was remade and the unit screwed back into its position within the locker. Total time – about two hours. Total cost – less than £3.