# Electric cables, etc. Can anyone give advice please?



## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

We are planning our next trip away and have realised (!!!!) that we have left all our electrical cables and connectors in France. How stupid can we get? (No need to answer that.)
Anyway we had everything we needed for connecting our campervan to electrical hookup but now have nothing. We shall be going back to Europe so will need to buy a new cable and connectors, our problem is that we cannot remember exactly what we had so don't know exactly what we need! We did have a very handy connector that dealt with reverse polarity and definitely will need to buy one of those again.
Can anyone help and advise us what we need to buy?
thanks in advance,
Lala


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Assuming a 16A inlet on your motorhome, you need a 16A BS4343 plug on a cable (length to suit your needs) 1.5mm blue artic grade with a 16A BS4343 flying socket.

You'll also need a Schuko bi-pin blue plug on a similar cable but just a short cable with 16A BS4343 flying socket.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/outdoor-connector-hookup-Belgium-Germany/dp/B001T73LUY

Those two should work anywhere in Europe.

Peter


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350684389795?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Many thanks for this information, we shall buy the necessary. It was a silly thing to do as we now have to get a new heater, hotplate and kettle. We don't use hookup very often but it's handy to have the electric appliances when we do,
lala


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

listerdiesel said:


> 1.5mm


 :?

Just about everywhere else specifies 2.5mm - I've always thought 1.5mm ought to be enough, but what is your reasoning?


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Stanner said:


> listerdiesel said:
> 
> 
> > 1.5mm
> ...


10A or 6A is the normal EHU available current, no point in having 2.5mm.

http://www.elandcables.com/documents/Arctic_Grade_Cables.pdf

Peter


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)




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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

listerdiesel said:


> Stanner said:
> 
> 
> > listerdiesel said:
> ...


Peter

What if you want to use it off the house mains at home?

Geoff


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## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

listerdiesel said:


> Stanner said:
> 
> 
> > listerdiesel said:
> ...


Just as a note I have always used 1.5mm, extension leads were always cheaper to buy than ehu leads,
also why do most people carry a lead with a 3 pin plug and a lead with a two pin (Europe)plug, yet they go on holiday with a plug adapter??
I just carry that and one lead with the 3 pin plug,
Misty


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

mistycat said:


> Just as a note I have always used 1.5mm, extension leads were always cheaper to buy than ehu leads,
> also why do most people carry a lead with a 3 pin plug and a lead with a two pin (Europe)plug, yet they go on holiday with a plug adapter??
> I just carry that and one lead with the 3 pin plug,
> Misty


I do the same as you, but maybe, just maybe, the two-pin is wired for reverse polarity and for the three-pin they have an adaptor like us.

Actually I have never in 5 years used EHU, except at home where we have a proper EHU socket in the MH port - only carry the cable for emergencies or if I park at a friend's place with an outdoor socket(not happened yet - not enough friends :roll: ) Should probably ditch it.

Geoff


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

2.5mm gives a huge safety margin, but unless you are the sort that uses a lot of power, it's just excess weight to carry.

If we turned everything on in the trailer we'd still be way below 10A.

Peter


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

2.5mm doesn't get hot when the surplus is left coiled up. :wink: 

tony


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Shouldn't have any effect, coiled or not.

Being AC there's no effect on anything unless there's an iron or steel core, and even then it shouldn't get hot.

The only heating effect comes from voltage drop in the cable.

Think about the millions of cable reels in service with mains leads coiled up on them.

Peter


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

It's not just about current carrying capacity but length and the earth loop impedance. The regs clearly state minimum 2.5mm amnd 25 metres maximum.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Techno100 said:


> It's not just about current carrying capacity but length and the earth loop impedance. The regs clearly state minimum 2.5mm amnd 25 metres maximum.


Which reg's?

Peter


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

nicholsong said:


> What if you want to use it off the house mains at home?
> Geoff


We have a 2.5mm 20ft lead from the house to the trailer, but all our MCB's in the trailer are 6A, so we couldn't pull 16A if we wanted to.

Peter


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

listerdiesel said:


> Techno100 said:
> 
> 
> > It's not just about current carrying capacity but length and the earth loop impedance. The regs clearly state minimum 2.5mm amnd 25 metres maximum.
> ...


BS7671 Peter as I posted the extract earlier


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Hi La La.
If your coming via Cherbourg I can supply all your cable and adaptor needs for very little.

Ray.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Techno100 said:


> BS7671 Peter as I posted the extract earlier


But nobody uses 16A in real life, and as I said earlier and as quoted from the Eland website, 1,5mm will carry 16A maximum, so for most of us at 10A it is fine.

If I was going to use 16A continuously then I'd certainly get 2.5mm, but who does use 16A?

Peter


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

I think the writers will have considered that too before committing to print lol


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Unless you are concerned with voltage drop and use cables of 50mtres and up I think Peter's advice re 1.5 is good. They also have the great advantage of being much, much easier to wrap. I also carry a splitter, invaluable if you what to share free electric. The polarity tester would be last on my list if on it at all.

Dick


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks to everyone. We very seldom use hook-up but when we do we use a single hotplate, a small travel kettle and if needed a small heater. I think that at some point we have probably used all these together, and of course there are the lights and the fridge. My OH says it would be much more convenient to carry a lighter cable so if the 1.5 would do then he would opt for that. But would it do if we were using the above? And we thought we might get a little Remoska.
Raynipper thanks for the offer but we are going to head South from Calais so won't be near Cherbourg. It would have been lovely to meet you so perhaps another time?
Leaving everything was such a crazy thing to do, we took it all out of the van to make extra room for something and forgot to put it all back in!
Lala


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## Steve_UK (May 18, 2012)

raynipper said:


> Hi La La.
> If your coming via Cherbourg I can supply all your cable and adaptor needs for very little.
> 
> Ray.


You didn't by any chance find a set left on a French site by someone else?


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

listerdiesel said:


> Shouldn't have any effect, coiled or not.
> 
> Being AC there's no effect on anything unless there's an iron or steel core, and even then it shouldn't get hot.
> 
> ...


Being used incorrectly yes.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

How big is that cable for 13Amps? 1.25mm.

Nuff said.

Peter


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Yes but it is shorter. People use 1.5 and admit to joining two together :lol:
This will fail an earth loop test and not trip an RCD quick enough.
It also has a fuse unlike 16 amp plugs.

The point being made is that being coiled makes a big difference.
You use your 25 metres of 1.5 coiled up and pull 10 amps through will cause heat.
Hence the Morrisons lead quoting a greatly reduced current when coiled


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

listerdiesel said:


> Techno100 said:
> 
> 
> > BS7671 Peter as I posted the extract earlier
> ...


No idea how much it came to, but when we had the RV we frequently had the aircon, domestic sized microwave and electric kettle on at the same time at CC sites(and also at the much missed Albatross site in Spain after paying for EHU upgrade)

Malcolm


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

When we were at Villey le Sec we had a British couple adjacent to us with what looked like a Bleck & Decker hedge cutter mains cable, orange but was too small to be three-core.

Amazing what people will do to save a few pennies.

Peter


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## pomme1 (May 19, 2005)

All fascinating stuff, and I confess to erring towards Tecno's view of things. But LaLa just go to your local accessory shop and ask for a mains hook up lead and a continental adapter and you're sorted! 

If you need a lead to deal with reversed polarity - yes I know there's no such thing on AC - you'll have to make one up yourself, by reversing the live and neutral conductors in either the plug or socket and clearly marking the cable.

Roger


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Steve_UK said:


> raynipper said:
> 
> 
> > Hi La La.
> ...


No Steve.
I pick em up at boot sales for 2 or 4 Euros.

Ray.


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Some very good prices
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/14-M-Metr...ls_Supplies_Electrical_ET&hash=item2c861d2992

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310596788675?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130931071...49&var=430159046228&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


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