Not had the joy of this and hopefully never will !!!
What length electric hook-up cable?
- Thread starter Sportster Dave
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Not had the joy of this and hopefully never will !!!
In this country most bollards have a trip per socket so if you do overload (and let’s be honest we have all done it at some stage) it only cuts you off.
On the continent however it can be a different set up and a bollard serving say 4 or 6 plugs may only have the one trip so when Mr Hymer rolls up and tries to run everything at once it blows everyone out.
It’s worth mentioning that if your ‘electric’ fails the first thing to check is the bollard.
I'll keep this in mind although still being green behind the ears, it will be a while before I venture abroad. The bollard it will be as a first check.
I can recommend you get one of these pen things, basically you just touch a cable, plug, wire with it and if it is live it beeps and flashes.I'll keep this in mind although still being green behind the ears, it will be a while before I venture abroad. The bollard it will be as a first check.
We had a power loss and it turned out our cable had a break in it where someone had driven over it, it was impossible to see so we couldn’t understand why no power. This little life saver soon showed us where the issue was.
It’s also good for testing the bollard as sometimes the trips don’t work!
Hi ...In addition ..if you do connect the two lengths together ..protect the connections ( most are IP44 so not totally waterproof)
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In the UK you will probably get away with the 10m & 15m as above but if you are going into Europe especially France take a 25m as well and don't forget an adaptor for European socket outlets like this.
In the UK it is frowned on to use 16Amp multi way adaptors but you will find it quite normal to share outlets with an adaptor in France. That is with a thing like this.
Also in Europe polarity of live & neutral cannot be guaranteed so be aware, reversing cables can be bought or made up DIY.
In the UK it is frowned on to use 16Amp multi way adaptors but you will find it quite normal to share outlets with an adaptor in France. That is with a thing like this.
Also in Europe polarity of live & neutral cannot be guaranteed so be aware, reversing cables can be bought or made up DIY.
If you are buying plugs and sockets, consider these from CPC. They are a better fit and don't jam on the plug end going into the van.
Out of interest what cable are people using in home made versions.. the max rated 16A or less? I ask as quite a few campsites I looked at only offered a 6A connection. This was in Italy though.
Why use cable rated less than the connector would handle?
My 25m cable is 2.5sq mm which according to the Doncaster cables calculator is rated at 16A when laid in open air but I'm quite happy to extend that with another 25m when necessary as I never draw anywhere near 16A.
The most important rule is to NEVER leave a coil of connected cable it's a FIRE RISK.
You see lots of folks with what appear to be much heavier cables but maybe they are only heavier in insulation not cross sectional area of the wire.
I don't believe that there is a standard colour code for the sheath although some campsites try to insist on the use certain ones. It is normal to see yellow used on building sites for 110v equipment. My personal choice for a camp site is either yellow or blue as they stand out well on the ground reducing the trip hazard. Outside the UK you will see all colours and thicknesses used in the most precarious and dangerous situations.
The most important rule is to NEVER leave a coil of connected cable it's a FIRE RISK.
You see lots of folks with what appear to be much heavier cables but maybe they are only heavier in insulation not cross sectional area of the wire.
I don't believe that there is a standard colour code for the sheath although some campsites try to insist on the use certain ones. It is normal to see yellow used on building sites for 110v equipment. My personal choice for a camp site is either yellow or blue as they stand out well on the ground reducing the trip hazard. Outside the UK you will see all colours and thicknesses used in the most precarious and dangerous situations.
I see many campsites in Italy stating a 6A supply, if you are only going there why use a 16A cable, if going the DIY route.
We just use a 25m 2.5sqmm, it's H07N rubber cable, much tougher & robust than PVC. Personally (and this is just my opinion) I can't see the point of carrying 10&15m cables. You're just adding bulk/weight/failure points into the system.
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