Caravan hook up abroad, ~ not just another caravan blog

So we and the rest of Europe carried on switching both wires.

The supply on Club Sites and most other campsites is designed on the basis of diversity so the main site supply is geared up to an average electrical usage, not all hook-ups taking 16A at one time. If in doubt consult your handbook or contact your dealer.

Even though you may have a 16A hook-up, the power sockets in your caravan or motorhome may be protected by a circuit breaker of just 10A. If you are unsure about this, please go to your local qualified electrician, they will be able to make it for you for a small charge.

Now, if we plug into a continental bollard, that has the live and neutral the wrong way round and we look again at our toaster we see there is a problem. Please do not ask site staff to attend to hook-ups before 9am or after 8pm unless it is an emergency. If in doubt about a hook-up, speak to the site owner before connecting up.

Special low wattage kettles and other equipment are available from camping and caravan dealers. Quite simple really and quite safe. So what goes on when you plug your caravan into a bollard?.

Particularly beware Gay online dating adelaide using ordinary domestic kettles that can draw 10A or more on their own.

Usually there is another one or more circuits rated at perhaps 6A or 10A, which covers the lighting circuit and possibly some other built-in electrical equipment.

Electric Hook Ups - Caravan Chat - Caravan Talk

Just occasionally, if a cold spell occurs at times of high occupancy and all users switch on electrical heaters and kettles at the same time, you may suffer reduced power or even a power cut, so it is important to use electricity responsibly.

Testers can be bought from these and other places: Most Club sites are able to provide a 16A electrical supply, but some are limited to supplying 10A.

Now I may have just re-written history slightly there… but I think you can grasp what went on. Owners of motorhomes must not leave their hook-up cable connected to the site bollard as a marker for an occupied pitch when temporarily off site.

This one only needs to be about a foot 30cm long. When you switch off your toaster, it turns off the Brown wire and stops the current flowing. They are simple to use and will usually have three lights on the front.

At a 16A site this rises to 3. Hence, when camping, to keep within the limits of the campsite supply and prevent a loss of supply if a circuit breaker trips, you need to be careful about the appliances you use and how many you use at one time.

Simply, it is the live and neutral wires are the wrong way round on the EHU bollard. Even if we switch it off at the circuit breaker… it will still might have volts going to it.

So what is it and how does it affect you?

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On other sites Not all campsites are run to the same high standards as those of the Club, but all should have their electrical supply checked each year and hold a certificate showing the supply has had its annual inspection. Disconnect the cable from the hook-up outlet socket on the bollard and then remove the cable from your unit.

It can still be potentially dangerous. If the loss of supply is because you have overloaded the circuit or misused your equipment there may be a charge for restoring your electricity supply.

To understand how the situation comes about we need to go back in history a bit. If we turn it off at the wall socket, again we switch off the neutral side of the circuit, so the toaster still might have volts going to it.

Any EHU lead that is supplied with a new caravan must be made of 2. The electricians in Europe liked the idea of an earth cable so they had a yellow one… or green depending in which country you were in. It returns up the Blue wire and back to the EHU bollard. In comparison, a modern domestic kitchen typically has a power supply of 20A, plus a separate electric cooker supply and a lighting supply.

Electrical consumption table This table shows how many watts W and amps A normal appliances may require.