French Campsite Electric Hook Up

[interbear]

Hi folks - got a couple of weeks in France booked in for August, have booked a pitch with EHU.

We have a standard 25m EHU cable for UK campsites. I have 2 questions.

1) Do I need an adaptor for French campsites? And if so, recommendations would be appreciated.

2) The EHU on the campsite is a 10 amp supply. I assume that will power the plug sockets in the van but am I restricted to devices I can connect? For example, we have a small fan - a Dimplex 360 - that is rated at 45W. Will that be OK to use? I am completely uninitiated on the subject of 10a or 16a supply and what that means in terms of devices being actually used.

Thanks for any advice from you more experienced van owners out there.

 

[Skyliner33]

Hi folks - got a couple of weeks in France booked in for August, have booked a pitch with EHU.

We have a standard 25m EHU cable for UK campsites. I have 2 questions.

1) Do I need an adaptor for French campsites? And if so, recommendations would be appreciated.

2) The EHU on the campsite is a 10 amp supply. I assume that will power the plug sockets in the van but am I restricted to devices I can connect? For example, we have a small fan - a Dimplex 360 - that is rated at 45W. Will that be OK to use? I am completely uninitiated on the subject of 10a or 16a supply and what that means in terms of devices being actually used.

Thanks for any advice from you more experienced van owners out there.

1) Not sure.

2) A 45W fan at 230V will draw a current of 0.2A

 

[Ayjay]

1) You might need one of these at some sites but it varies Maypole Euro Caravan Camping Electrics Hook-Up Lead Adapter 2 Pin Socket 230V | eBay
we’re currently using one but it’s the first time for this trip.
2) An expert will be along soon but I suspect that fan would be OK.

You should also have asked a third question about how long your cable needs to be - we’re currently just under 35m from the nearest socket and using 25m plus 10m cables together. They are plugged together in a weatherproof box which I would also recommend.

 

[Loz]

On some campsites they don’t have enough sockets to go round and other campers just take them all up, so a splitter can be helpful.

 

[Ayjay]

Only had that happen once. It was at the old municipal site in Calais and one tiny Dutch caravan was using two sockets so I pulled one and plugged mine in - we were only there for one night and leaving early for the ferry and there were repercussions.

 

[JOG]

Most campsites have adopted the blue plug/socket/outlet standard.

 

[CAB]

2) Power (Watts) is volts x amps.

So If volts =230, and amps is max 10A, you are limited to 2300W or 2.3kW.

Best keep it under 2kW to avoid tripping, as the voltage may drop a bit if everyone using it.

Need to consider your fridge as well.

Edit: this is quite a good explanation:

Understanding Watts, Amps, Volts and Ohms

A very basic introduction to some simple maths that allow you to work out power, current and resistance. In some of the guides I have included calculations for working out current, resistance etc. …

caravanchronicles.com

 

[interbear]

Thanks all, good advice. The EHU is specific to each pitch so no sharing required. I’ll go buy one of those adaptors just in case.

 

[The LB]

Also worth having a reverse polarity adapter and tester. Both from eBay.

 

[interbear]

Also worth having a reverse polarity adapter and tester. Both from eBay.

Yes indeed - already have those for travelling to/from rural Normandy in our EV.

 

[dhardyuk]

Having been looking at polarity checking/detection recently I found this:

How to make an intelligent hook-up cable reel - Practical Motorhome

Take the hassle out of hook-up with an intelligent hook-up cable reel for your motorhome – Sam Coles explains its benefits and gives a step-by-step guide

www.practicalmotorhome.com

This uses standard 220v neon indicators to show the hook-up polarity.
Exactly the same principal will work on any hook-up that also provides an earth (they all should).

If you make something similar to the reel pictured you can use any adapters needed between this reel and the hook-up bollard to get plugged in, use this reel as the last thing between the bollard and your van, plug the van into the socket that has the lit neon. If the green neon is lit the bollard polarity is correct. If the red neon is lit the bollard polarity is reversed, the socket with the red neon is also reversed polarity so the double reversal cancels out and the van gets the correct polarity.

If you have to use a Schuko plug at the bollard you can correct the polarity manually by turning the plug over, in which case the green neon would now be lit and you can use the green neon's socket for the van cable.

4 days I've spent researching this looking for a circuit that corrects the polarity automatically. There aren't any really available because the polarity checker is so simple that anyone who knows anything about electrical engineering already knows how they work. Those 3 light checkers have 3 neons connected, between L+N, L+E and N+E. Any of those checkers that have LEDs instead of neons have diodes and resistors to bring the voltage and current down to levels tolerated by the LEDs.

I am still looking for a reliable way to detect the reverse polarity and either automatically flip the live and neutral (via a contactor) or manually by pressing a switch. Ideally this would always correct the polarity to UK spec without needing to move plugs about.


I'm a little bit ADHD so this is driving me up the wall at the moment - this un-scratchable itch is surely going to get scratched soon!