# Very basic hook up question



## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

Hi,
As part of my new hobby of trawling through internet motorhoming sales stocklists, I have learnt that I will need some sort of adaptor to hook up the van at home.

Is this the right sort of thing?
http://www.camping-online.co.uk/mai...and-accessories/uk-mains-hook-up-adaptor.html

Is it a case of plug in the adaptor then plug the van into that and everything will be OK and I won't blow any fuses?

I did say it was basic. I am trying to get my head round the whole electrics thing. I daresay more questions will follow. Mental to note to self - first campsite next week needs wifi so I can access MHF!

Lesley


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## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

For use on site your mains hook-up lead will suffice provided it has the blue connector at each end, one end male and the other female. 
The adaptor that you have shown will enable you to connect to your home electric sockets.
Gerry


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Yes that's the sort of thing

Hooking up at home does have minor risks

The socket you plus into should be RCD protected most are these days

Some varieties of supply met in remote or rural areas should not be used for hook ups (why caravan sites have lots of electrical regulation and expense)

Be careful to ensure plug connection is protected from water

Be careful about trip hazards with the cable


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Hook up*

Lesley those adaptors are very useful.

If you go to a party for example at a friends house, you can stay over with hook up on their drive! LOL

Russell


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

Yes that is the correct adaptor for attachng to your lead and hooking up to your maisn at home. According to instruction I received when first buying my motorhome, I was told, always hook up to MH first, then plug into EHO on site or at home.

Jenny


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## bigfoot (May 16, 2005)

We visit family in another part of the country regularly,I made up a lead adapter and left it with them, so if we are very late they can rig it up and they canturn in.Then we can arrive hook up with out disturbing them.


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## MrsW (Feb 8, 2009)

We have one of those connectors Lesley for when we stay on our friends gardens when we are away. In a campsite we use the ones more usually seen with the big bulky circular plugs on like the one listed just below on the website you've searched. We have had a proper external socket installed at home so we can plug in out in the garden with absolute safety.

If you are travelling in France next year you may also need a reverse polarity plug as continental power supplies are not all as reliable as ours in the UK.


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## Westkirby01 (Jan 25, 2009)

*Plugs*

Yes that plug is correct for home adaption.

Take a polarity tester with you to France. Cost is about £5. This checks whether the wires are in the correct place. Carry a small cable with the + to - reversed so you don't have to fiddle if you find the campsite electrics the wrong way round.

Also carry a continental house adaptor, 2 pin.

Sounds a lot but can easily be stored in a small plastic bag in the locker. Well worth the effort for peace of mind.

Regards


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

I simply have a Blue connection outside and van is on permanent EHU when at home.
Keeps the batteries charged and dehumidifier on in winter

Dave p


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## vardy (Sep 1, 2006)

I didn't realize until coming on here that all wires should be left unwound or in loose loops when in use.


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

I didn't realize until coming on here that all wires should be left unwound or in loose loops when in use.

This is of course also true when using any electrical appliance - vacuum, lawn mower, hair dryer, pressure washer. Always fully extend all leads, as when they are rolled up they become a fire risk!!!

Jenny


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## vardy (Sep 1, 2006)

nfire: Yup - hot stuff that's me!!


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## MrsW (Feb 8, 2009)

If left tightly coiled they work like the coils in an old-fashioned electric bar heater!


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## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

*Re: Plugs*



Westkirby01 said:


> Yes that plug is correct for home adaption.
> 
> Take a polarity tester with you to France. Cost is about £5. This checks whether the wires are in the correct place. Carry a small cable with the + to - reversed so you don't have to fiddle if you find the campsite electrics the wrong way round.
> 
> ...


Can you damage things/fuse boxes etc if hooked up to the French reverse polarity supply

Wups


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## Mick757 (Nov 16, 2009)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> I simply have a Blue connection outside and van is on permanent EHU when at home.
> Keeps the batteries charged and dehumidifier on in winter
> 
> Dave p


Does this use much leccy, being connected all the time?


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

Dave p[/quote]Does this use much leccy, being connected all the time?[/quote]

Myself I would much rather use the leccy than have to pay out for a replacement battery, or in fact have to keep taking my MH out for a long run to charge it, during the period when it is not in use. Sorry, cannot answer your valid question, perhaps someone else can.


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## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

Cheers for the replies re the hook-up - BUT...

Our van is in storage. The leisure battery is in storage with it. Will that be going flat then? How long does that take? 

Should I have it snuggled up at home here on a different king of hook-up?

Lesley


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## Mick757 (Nov 16, 2009)

In order to benefit from 'home hook-up', does the hab switch need to be on aux? Or doesnt it matter if the hab power is switched on or not? Bearing in mind hooked up on a site you are 'using' the leccy, while at home you are just wanting to maintain the batteries.
Speaking of, does the van battery benefit as well?

sorry for hijacking the thread, but i think more than myself will benefit from any answers.


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## jocie (Dec 24, 2006)

I find the best solution to connecting the mh at home or at a friends home is to use a shorter hook-up cable (e.g. 10 metre) with one end changed to a 13 amp plug which in our house plugs into MK waterproof sockets in both our back or our front garden (and each powered from an rccd source), and when at a friends house can go through a window or whatever.


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

Mick 757 and Lesley

I can only presume that when units are in storage, that the batteries are disconnected, then they will not go flat.

In my instruction manual, and also from a thread I had on this site, the internal digital connection board in my vehicle has to be on to ensure that the power goes through to the batteries, both leisure and main. I am sure someone else, who has their vehicle in storage, will come along Lesley and answer your question and Mick 757 likewise, someone with greater knowledge than me will answer your question relative to habitation "leccy" being on.

Jenny


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## MrsW (Feb 8, 2009)

Lesleykh said:


> Cheers for the replies re the hook-up - BUT...
> 
> Our van is in storage. The leisure battery is in storage with it. Will that be going flat then? How long does that take?
> 
> ...


A decent sized solar panel attached in storage to the leisure battery would keep it charged, but probably more effective and possibly easier to achieve would be to take out the leisure battery and take it home with you where you could trickle charge it approximately weekly to keep it topped up and ready for use. It is a pain though if like ours you have to take a seat out to get the battery out. That makes for more need to have a solar panel for charging. However, the solar panel will only work if your van is stored out of doors. Inside there is insufficient light to power the solar panel.


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