Adding additional power sockets
Good evening from a warm and cosy pitch on Southport CC site - 3rd week away this year and really am loving this caravan life.
Spending more and more time in the van I now realise that some additional sockets would be useful.
I'm looking to add a double to the frontal area near the windowsill. These will be twin CBE C-Line sockets and possibly a twin USB changing socket.
Additionally, a single socket near the door (saloon area, not the bathroom)
Does anyone know what regulations the work must be carried out to ?
Any replies greatly appreciated - thanks in advance
Comments
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If you get a qualified caravan engineer / mechanic to do the work you should be okay.
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Moonchip, this is a touring caravan and regs applicable to buildings and static vans do not apply. The only rule is that work should be carried out by a competent person which could be yourself if you fit the bill.
If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work.
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Thanks Whittakerr - I was hoping to complete the works myself simply because I enjoy doing things 'technical' ...... though admittedly, dropping the caravan off at my local dealer and collecting a day later would allow me to use my days off touring rather
than messing about :-)0 -
As I said, Moonchip, a competent person could be yourself. Only you can decide if you fit the bill.
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Moonchip, this is a touring caravan and regs applicable to buildings and static vans do not apply. The only rule is that work should be carried out by a competent person which could be yourself if you fit the bill.
If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work.
Thanks for that Tinwheeler, it was the specific regs I was interested in and thought that someone else on here may know the answer instead of trawling the net.
I should hope I am competent ..... I'm HND Mechanical Engineering, Part P Electrical, FPCT in hydraulics, WRAS for water & with other accreditations for compressed air, LPG, lifting equipment, and several others
But hey, thanks for asking
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Moonchip, this is a touring caravan and regs applicable to buildings and static vans do not apply. The only rule is that work should be carried out by a competent person which could be yourself if you fit the bill.
If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work.
Thanks for that Tinwheeler, it was the specific regs I was interested in and thought that someone else on here may know the answer instead of trawling the net.
I should hope I am competent ..... I'm HND Mechanical Engineering, Part P Electrical, FPCT in hydraulics, WRAS for water & with other accreditations for compressed air, LPG, lifting equipment, and several others
But hey, thanks for asking
I wasn't asking anything, Moonchip, but was offering help and advice.
I told you there are no regs applicable to touring caravans. I know nothing about you so left it to you to decide your competency.
But, hey, enjoy your qualifications.
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By all means go ahead with installing extra plug points. Do not use the grey domestic wiring, but use a flexible 3 core wire of the same gauge (1.5mm) When on site the important thing is the total amperage that the electical appliances do not exceed that
of the site supply. I am not a qualified electrician but I have added plug points and the above is the advice I got from a caravan service manager.0 -
Every source that I've seen says 1.5mm flex is good for up to 16 amps.
This is correct but it does rely on how the cable is fitted.Single cables fitted in conduit,or trunking or sunk into walls are rated slighly less than cables that are surface clipped (as in a caravan) for instance.For 1.5mm to be rated less than 16a it would have too be in a bunched and enclosed situation with a very low percentage of airgap..Useing 2.5mm takes the rateing up too 32a and beyond and in a caravan this is never likely too be required and you wont get that on any site anyway.Years ago the lighting in a house would be done it 1.5mm but nowadays its done in 1.0mm and in some cases 0.75mm so rateings have been revised somewhat.Provided the correct size circuit breakers were installed i would have no hesitation in useing 1.5mm for extra sockets.
v9
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I have fitted additional wiring and such on a number of occasions and simply used the same materials and fitments as the manufacturer. (and some common sense).
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I had the 1.5 v 2.5 mm argument with the electrician at our dealer. He insisted on disconnecting my additional sockets (amongst other things that he thought "unconventional"), or he refused to continue with the service! I had to agree in order to maintain
the warranty, then afterwards reinstate everything he disconnected.The following year I made it clear to our dealer that if this guy insisted on this course of action, we would not be bringing the van back to them for servicing.
Everything went fine after that........
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I sometimes wonder why the discussion arises. The relative costs of the two cables means that the difference is pence for the quantities required. Why not use 2.5 mm sq.?
unless of course one already has the cable.
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Extra weight and cost is also a consideration.
First you have to find out how the existing sockets are wired.
Mine are all wired back separately to the PDU, as it a modular system. I would be happy to just spur off an existing system, but i never use more than 1KW of any of my sockets.
If the sockets are daisy chained as with my last caravan, i might consider going back to PDU seperately if its convenient.
Main thing with caravan sockets is to use commonese.
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Moonchip, this is a touring caravan and regs applicable to buildings and static vans do not apply. The only rule is that work should be carried out by a competent person which could be yourself if you fit the bill.
If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work.
Thanks for that Tinwheeler, it was the specific regs I was interested in and thought that someone else on here may know the answer instead of trawling the net.
I should hope I am competent ..... I'm HND Mechanical Engineering, Part P Electrical, FPCT in hydraulics, WRAS for water & with other accreditations for compressed air, LPG, lifting equipment, and several others
But hey, thanks for asking
Good for you Moonchip !
They must all think we are a load of numptes . Ive seen the gas fitter from curry's get a leak on a gas pipe after he soldered it up . I was mortified,I was trained through the motor trade and ended up with letters after my name . done all my own plumbing,
electrics. drains house renovation ,the list goes on . yet i wanted to know how to flick covers off CBE plug sockets without damaging anything . Yet there's nothing on the web . I fitted new rollers to my motor movers --- a dodle , have set twin axle brakes
up with auto reverse and replaced cables and welded the trailer up at the same time (Box trailer for formula 3 car ) Everyone suggest .... get a Caravan engineer in ....... I Dont think so !!!!!!!!0 -
Moonchip, this is a touring caravan and regs applicable to buildings and static vans do not apply. The only rule is that work should be carried out by a competent person which could be yourself if you fit the bill.
If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work.
Thanks for that Tinwheeler, it was the specific regs I was interested in and thought that someone else on here may know the answer instead of trawling the net.
I should hope I am competent ..... I'm HND Mechanical Engineering, Part P Electrical, FPCT in hydraulics, WRAS for water & with other accreditations for compressed air, LPG, lifting equipment, and several others
But hey, thanks for asking
Good for you Moonchip !
They must all think we are a load of numptes . Ive seen the gas fitter from curry's get a leak on a gas pipe after he soldered it up . I was mortified,I was trained through the motor trade and ended up with letters after my name . done all my own plumbing, electrics. drains house renovation ,the list goes on . yet i wanted to know how to flick covers off CBE plug sockets without damaging anything . Yet there's nothing on the web . I fitted new rollers to my motor movers --- a dodle , have set twin axle brakes up with auto reverse and replaced cables and welded the trailer up at the same time (Box trailer for formula 3 car ) Everyone suggest .... get a Caravan engineer in ....... I Dont think so !!!!!!!!
Hey, Martin, have you read the OP? Moonchip is asking for help. Is there anything in that first post to suggest he is competent or qualified in any way? Nope, there isn't. Did I suggest a caravan engineer? Heaven forbid! I played safe and assumed, quite naturally, that he had limited knowledge and suggested he use an electrician or other competent person. Only after that did he choose to lay his qualifications on the table and, quite frankly, I'm surprised someone with those qualifications would need to ask the question. I think you need to re-read the thread before jumping to conclusions.
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My thoughts exactly.
I'm a retired electrician but i still have plenty of electrical questions, Electricricians can come from all areas of the industry, and some may only ever work in industry.
I do know how to remove " flick covers off CBE plug sockets without damaging anything", but why should i need to tell someone who knows everything.
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My thoughts exactly.
I'm a retired electrician but i still have plenty of electrical questions, Electricricians can come from all areas of the industry, and some may only ever work in industry.
I do know how to remove " flick covers off CBE plug sockets without damaging anything", but why should i need to tell someone who knows everything.
Ahhh ! that's the nicest thing anyone has called me .
I did know you were being sarcastic and I do know how to flick covers off . So you don't have to tell me. It was a prinipal of asking simple question and being asked if you are competent or not .If you asked me ,how can i remove rollers ,i would tell you.Not
ask if you are competent or not . If you see what i'm getting at .0 -
My thoughts exactly.
I'm a retired electrician but i still have plenty of electrical questions, Electricricians can come from all areas of the industry, and some may only ever work in industry.
I do know how to remove " flick covers off CBE plug sockets without damaging anything", but why should i need to tell someone who knows everything.
Ahhh ! that's the nicest thing anyone has called me .
I did know you were being sarcastic and I do know how to flick covers off . So you don't have to tell me. It was a prinipal of asking simple question and being asked if you are competent or not .If you asked me ,how can i remove rollers ,i would tell you.Not
ask if you are competent or not . If you see what i'm getting at .No, I don't see what you're getting at, Martin. Did you not read my last post or did you again misunderstand what I wrote? Who asked if the OP is competent? Not me.
One aim of this forum is to try to offer advice to each other in a constructive manner and not to belittle those who try to help others.
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Tin wheeler
If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work.
Am i misunderstanding or are you advising Moonchip to get another competent person to do the work . My apologies if I have this wrong , This was followed by moonchip listing his qualification . I wont comment any more
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Tin wheeler
If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work.
Am i misunderstanding or are you advising Moonchip to get another competent person to do the work . My apologies if I have this wrong , This was followed by moonchip listing his qualification . I wont comment any more
"Moonchip, this is a touring caravan and regs applicable to buildings and static vans do not apply. The only rule is that work should be carried out by a
competent person which
could be yourself if you fit the bill.If you need to ask questions it suggests to me that you could benefit from asking an electrician, or other competent person, to do the work."
Martin, you've been a little selective in your quote rather than considering my whole post and subsequent ones but that's OK, we all get it wrong sometimes. Your apology is accepted.
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