We’ve just spent a weekend at Poolsbrook Caravan Club Site, of which I’ll speak more of during the week, and they gave out a very informative leaflet on hooking up to the mains.

The leaflet is specifically aimed at Caravan Club Sites but it applies to all campsites with the caveat that the Caravan Club usually supplies  a 16 amp hook up whereas other sites will vary and could be as low as 5amps.  This will affect the number of appliances you can use at any one time.  I have published a post on this subject previously but as it is very important and incorrect use can cause a nuisance at the least or serious injury or death at worst I though I’d have another go - see “How to Avoid Power Problems in Your Motorhome” for a recap of the original post.

I’m going to make the assumption that your Motorhome is a standard build, not something you cobbled together on your drive,  and that it has the standard electrical installation at the time of manufacture.  Like anything nowadays, as Motorhomes have improved so has the electrical installation, including safety and availability of internal sockets and appliances such as water heaters, electrical cooker plate, air con, central heating etc.  You should make yourself aware of all of these appliances that are installed into your Motorhome and the power rating of these so that you can determine their amperage – this is the key measurement that you need to ensure site compliance.

I’m also aware that some of  you reading this will be new Motorhomers or may be considering purchasing one soon, so some of the things I say will be quite basic.  (I’d be grateful if my more experienced readers would forgive me for being so thoroughly anal but it’s always best to cover these things assuming no previous knowledge).

You arrive on site, park on your pitch, pick up your connecting cable and proceed to connect – whoa, stop, let’s not take anything for granted.

There are a number of key elements about the cable;

• It’s recommended colour is orange so that it can easily be seen.

• It should satisfy BS6007 or BS6500 or harmonised code H07RN-F or H05VV-F – at least one of these should be on the label.

• You should get a cable that is 25m long in order for it to reach from the socket outlet to your Motorhome because in certain circumstances the socket can be quite a distance.

• You should always uncoil your cable especially if it is on a drum because if not it can overheat.

• Your cable should be 3 core – live (brown), neutral (blue) and earth (green/yellow).

• YOU MUST ALWAYS PLUG THE CABLE INTO YOUR MOTORHOME FIRST AND THEN THE SITE SOCKET.

• IF YOU GO OUT FOR THE DAY NEVER DISCONNECT YOUR CABLE FROM YOUR MOTORHOME AND LEAVE IT ON THE GROUND AND STILL PLUGGED INTO THE SITE SOCKET – THIS IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS.

• Once you plug it into the socket you will need to twist it clockwise until it locks and you’re up and running.

• To disconnect your electrical supply when you leave site you push in the button adjacent to the site socket you are connected to, your cable releases anticlockwise and you then can remove it.  It is then safe to disconnect your cable from your Motorhome.

• When camping abroad you will sometimes need to have an adaptor cable because the site socket may be 2 pins, although these are being phased out buy the adaptor just in case.  This simply plugs in between your connecting cable and the site socket.

• Also when camping abroad you will need to check for reverse polarity although I haven’t come across this for many years.  This is where the site supply may have the neutral and live reversed.  Everything in your Motorhome will work ok but there is a risk that for example if you were changing a mains light bulb then even if you had it switched off the bulb connectors in the lamp standard or whatever could be live. Modern Motorhomes have a reverse polarity checker built into the electrical control panel that will rectify it or you can purchase one that you simply plug into a mains socket in your Motorhome and it lights up to show a reversal.  Again you can also purchase an adaptor cable to rectify this and this plugs in between your connecting cable and the site socket.

Nealy all Caravan Club Sites supply 16 amps but it’s worth checking when you arrive just in case.  The important thing to realise is that this means that that total of all appliances in use at any one time must not exceed 16 amps. Remember, that at busy times the full 16amps may not be available to all site outlets at the same time.  This can apply in winter more than the summer when everyone is using lighting and heating at the same time.

Below is a list of appliances and their electrical values;

• Kettle;   2000 watts;   8.7 amps
• Kettle;   750 watts;   3.3 amps
• Toaster;   1300 watts;   5.6 amps
• Iron;   1300 watts;   5.6 amps
• Microwave Cooker;   1200 watts;   5.2 amps
• Colour TV;   50 watts;   0.2 amps
• Fan Heater;   1000 watts;  4.3 amps
• Motorhome Battery Charger;   100 watts;   0.4 amps
• Refrigerator;   125 watts;   0.5 amps
• Table lamp;   60 watts;   0.2 amps
• Blown Air Heater;   1000-2000 watts;   4.3-8.7 amps
• Air Conditioning;   1000 watts;   4.3 amps

NB.  Mains supply in Europe is gradually being standardised at 230 volts AC so these calculations will apply everywhere.  Once you know the wattage of your appliance then divide it by 230 to determine the amperage, that way you can always be sure.

Please be safe rather than sorry.