# European Campsite Electric Hookup



## 99115 (May 8, 2006)

Hi all, just putting the finishing touches to the electrics in my van which I'm converting, but I need to know if there is a standard connector used throughout european campsites for the electrical hookup?

We'll be travelling to france, spain, italy, and switzerland... is the voltage all 230v?

Cheers!

Regards
Stu


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## lookback (Dec 4, 2005)

*European Campsite Electric Hook up*

I have just returned from touring Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. In all the campsites (and Stellplatz) I used the standard motorhome orange electric hookup lead. In one campsite I did have to connect a two pin "shuko" type extension to my orange hook up lead because of the old electric installation on the site. As in the UK the amperage ranged from 6 to 16 amp. You can buy the extension lead from any caravan shop in the UK prior to going.


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## richard863 (May 1, 2005)

Hi Stu 
With regards to the 230 question. NO NO we have experience 246 volts in Finmark, down to between 228 to 193volts in Italy depending on the time of day. 
Also beware of reverse polarity, or even no earth. It doesn't even matter if there is fitted a Euro socket or not, as in one Luxembourg site beginning with K for frog. 
So Make a adaptor to reverse the poles, also take a polarity tester costs about a tenner from most spares shops. 

Kind regards


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## devonidiot (Mar 10, 2006)

In the case of reverse polarity on the continent, I keep a second very short lead, approximately twelve inches (or 30 centimetres for the purists), in which the live and neutral connections are reversed. It is then simple to add this to the main lead instead of fiddling around stripping and rewiring the main lead.

I have seen many a a happy camper getting more and more frustrated trying to find the tools with which to swap over the wires. Also I've noticed that the new connectors are far more difficult to take to pieces.


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## 99115 (May 8, 2006)

excellent, cheers! Are these cables available to purchase (the cross over ones i'm talking about here?) or is it going to be a home made job? (not a problem really).

I've got a 20 amp halfords battery charger... will that run ok, assuming there is a 230v supply, or will the 16 amp limit be a problem?


Regards
Stu


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## richard863 (May 1, 2005)

Hi Stu

Yes its a home brew.

With regards to the battery charger its depends on what charge is left in the leisure accs, on initial boost charge 16 A may not be enough.
best wishes


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## devonidiot (Mar 10, 2006)

Further to earlier reply.
My extension for reverse polarity is home assmbly.
Better to do it at home on a wet day (like today in Devon) than on site when arriving tired and wanting to put feet up!!


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## SidT (May 9, 2005)

We have just spent 2 months touring mostly France using a combination of aires and Campsites and found that about 50% of sites still had the continental 2 pin connectors, so thats another short lead you will need to convert from the new EU type to the 2 pin type. We didn't find reverse polarity so much of a problem.

Cheers Sid


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