# reverse polarity



## tude (Feb 9, 2008)

hi 
ive bought one of those reverse polarity plugs which has 3 lights on it.
if everything is ok you get 3 lights up.when i connect me honda genny
it shows up a reverse polarity problem.ive been told that its ok your thoughts and why

tude


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## crusader (Jul 5, 2012)

think its because there is no real earth ? could be wrong / usually am  , jim


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

All your electrical appliances will work perfectly well if you have reverse polarity.The only problem will occur if you dismantle anything electrical it will still have a live supply even with the 240 volt socket switched off.Most people remove the plug before getting the screwdriver out anyway.

Of far greater importance and one which has more safety implications is no earth connection,this means that there will be no path for any fault current so the ELCB will not trip and isolate the current and not protect against electrocution or fire risk.


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

Millions of people travel around Europe in various vans of many different makes etc per year

and not one person has been reported as dying from reverse polarity

so what do you think!


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## GROUNDHOG (Mar 7, 2006)

Just bought a reverse polarity lead on fleebay for under ten pounds, not worth making one for that, I know everything works fine without it but I just prefer things to be right. I know when the polarity is reversed because the light on the microwave switch flickers!


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

With the French two pin and earth plug, if the lights show only two lamps lit. Remove the plug and turn it upside down, re-fit it and you should have three lit if not, there is a problem.

Alan


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Rosalan's solution MIGHT work but it depends on the plug......

The typical French plug has two pins on the plug and one hole, some have a slot on the opposite side of the plug from the hole. There is a picture of the typical plug and the socket below.

The two pins fit into the socket and carry the live and the neutral, the socket and he metal strip opposite carry the earth.

Some plugs *might* go in "the wrong way up" but most won't, I have just tried a simple experiment in our kitchen..... the one that I wired up does not have the metal strip on the opposite side and will not go in, the pre-wired one on the toaster has the metal strip and also will not go in - so from my experience (limited though that is by how much I can go and try) is that they won't fit in the wrong way up..... but I am sure someone living in the UK will have a plug which proves that all of my French plugs are wrong.......

The "reverse polarity" is not a problem as Wak44 said, UNLESS you are determined to take an electrical appliance apart without unplugging it - not a safe thing to do anywhere.......

In the UK there is a switch at every socket (except those where there isn't), which isolates the LIVE, in France such switches are not found. So we plug into a socket which is live - if you happen to be touching the wrong thing you will get a shock, but that is only if you have taken the thing apart to start with.....

A short length of reversing polarity wire is easy to make up and/or cheap to buy, so if you are concerned this is the best option, but as has been said I also have never heard of any incidents where injury or death has been the outcome of using reverse polarity.....

In fact the socket to allow us to plug our (UK made) MH in has reversed polarity according to our tester and everything works normally..

Dave


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Penguin Dave, always gives the right answers, however if I may qualify my glib solution of turning the plug upside down to sort out the polarity.
For the past two months we have been touring France and mainly Spain, ever frustrated that few if any places use the smart Teutonic blue plugs and needing the extra adapter to fit the Gallic (?) units that prevail in Spain and France.
So far, I have been able to fit my plug (which has an earth tag on both sides) either way up, which I guess on average has been at every other stop.
I am aware of some sockets having the extra pin but have not encountered one on this trip that I have noticed.
As equipment is designed to have fused protection on the 'live' wire, I am inclined to think it important to have the correct polarity, even if things will work with reversed polarity.
I have found the little polarity plug valuable, where on one occasion the socket revealed no earth, in addition to its role of checking polarity.

Alan


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## pete4x4 (Dec 20, 2006)

We always go round and round on this.
You can't compare UK and the rest of the world, the rest of the world does it differently so reverse polarity doesn't matter to them.
And I agree you need a catalogue of things to be happening to get a shock but that can happen.
If you are missing your earth and the live and neutral are round the wrong way then you can get a shock from faulty kit but it is a remote chance.

The guy who was electrocuted stepping out of his caravan in Australia must have had a faulty earth as well otherwise he wouldn't have died when he touched the door frame as he stepped onto the ground.
There was a damaged cable not sure if that was in the caaravan or at the power distribution point but I suggest that it had to be reverse polarity for it all to become live. Wet floors were involved as well. 
The Australians and UK electrics are similar in that only the live is switched.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

We have a reversed polarity indicator AND a cross-over wire as a hang-over from tugging days, we check with the plug but not for the polarity but to ensure that the earth is functional and correct.........

The lack of earth would cause me concern more than live/neutral being swapped...... I will not be dismantling items while they are plugged in.

The French wiring system works efficiently and does not cause worries, it is only UK residents that do worry that the "foreign" systems are not the same as theirs at home......

But then many things differ from the UK to France including the driving style, the food, the weather, the wine and many other things - which is the reason why so many people visit these "foreign" places.....

But don't expect all things to be the same - the French would not accept the ring main system and do everything via spurs, each spur is protected by a trip - much more sensitive than a fuse.....

Many campsites now use the blue 16a system BUT very many still only supply up to 6a - so they are on a different standard. But do not worry, it is safe and as long as you are sensible you will be safe - exactly the same as in the UK.

Dave


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

Dave it is only the modern French systems that have RCD trips associated with each leg, older systems will have fuses the older ones will be re-wireable types, if you have the type of light switch with a 2 pin socket alongside you'll find they also have a re-wireable fuse incorporated.
Sounds as though your maison was renovated before you bought.

As to what you find on sites or aires depends on how modern or otherwise they are, even when fitted with what the English would call normal blue type socket which are rated at maximum of 16 amp, they will often be backed up by a trip of 6 or 10 amp sometimes even 3 amp.
However both live and neutral will be fused or rcd protected, if fused they will give little to human protection, unlike the rcd system which will protect, so long as there is a good earth. Fuses will only protect against overload of the system.


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