Do you turn off your mains isolator switch or not?
Comments
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slighly off topic, so following on what do people do with the 12V master switch when towing or storage? or the pump master switch during the day (when you're out and about of course)?
When towing, the habitation relay will cut all 12v power in the van to things like pump, toilet and lights, so when we stop en route or arrive at a site we just have to turn on the off/on button on the 12v panel above the door. Then we also have to turn on the pump button.
This does not affect 12v to the fridge when towing.
Sometimes we turn off the pump when out for the day, if we remember, but mainly we forget!
At home the van is always connected to mains, so we leave the 12v power turned on, this allows us to set heating or anything else required.
We have a Swift group van with Alde heating.
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with our previous two Boleros, the RCD was easy to locate on the Sargent PSU, along with the breakers and the power switches for the Heater and Water Heater elements of the Truma Combi......although i did as TG and (generally) plugged the cable into the
van first, thought never turned off the isolator...in this van, i havent yet found an RCD, only a comsumer unit/distribution box with a couple of breakers and another with the charger and on/off switch. i have discussed this with DD (similar van) and he hasnt located his RCD either.....
now, this is either deliberate and is a result of the 'continentals' different electrics set up (double pole??)....or they have buried it somewhere that users wont find it.....
also, AFAIK, i dont have separate 'power buttons' for the Truma Combi 6E as we did in the two Boleros.....unless its linked to the breakers i have found on the consumer unit...
any other owners of Conti vans who have the electrics set up in a non-UK manner...
eg....MichaelT with your new Knaus.....
either way, no issues so far in 18 months.....
Write your comments here...BB, I have not really looked at the electrics as they are under the bench seat in the lounge area but from memory there is a couple of circuit breakers cannot recall a RCD but not 100% sure. The battery chargers are under the
drivers and pasenger seats with the batteries so never looked at them. There is no switch for the Truma heater apart from the main truma control panel above the door as far as I know and by turning off the main Knaus panel next to it it turns everything off.
So maybe its a UK v Continental design thing. I do have a blanked off socket in the bathroom though which I guess would be in use in other countries and I guess I could commission if I wanted.As for plugging in I just use whatever end I have in my hand and put that in first be it van or bollard and have never turned the isolator switch off and touch wood not had any issues.
Michael, thanks for the comprehensive response...
looks like a very similar setup to ours...
yes, the control panel above the door will turn everything off, and the Truma has its own control panel where it can be turned off completely.
thanks again.
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I am afraid other than making sure that the master switch is off I simply plug the cable into the caravan and then the bollard. I then check to be sure the mains lights are on and the battery condition switch gives me a full charge reading. Even as someone
who investigated accidents at one time I really see no reason to bother with the RCD.0 -
I am afraid other than making sure that the master switch is off I simply plug the cable into the caravan and then the bollard. I then check to be sure the mains lights are on and the battery condition switch gives me a full charge reading. Even as someone
who investigated accidents at one time I really see no reason to bother with the RCD.why not? serious question?
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Sometimes put the pump off when we go out if I remember, usually put it off at night as we've been woken up by it surging at times. Once home from trips we (I) turn off the pump and the mains, fridge is left ajar. Curtains all closed blinds all open.
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I have never turned off the mains isolator switch in any van that I have owned over the last 25 years.I also leave the heater/ water and battery charger switches on too. I do turn everything off at the control panel though before travel, including the seperate
heating/ water controls. When leaving the van I usually turn off the water pump as it is a pressure sensitive system.0 -
It's fine to ignore best practice advice having made a rational decision but to brag about it seems rather bizarre.
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I realise that I left my comment open ended. Somebody is going to ask ”... but why is it best practice to switch off in the van before connecting to the bollard”.
So, the reason is that most people leave things switched on in their van – lights, perhaps the water heater etc. So, when you connect to the mains, current immediately starts to flow. The
switch is sprung loaded so it makes a rapid and clean connection to break or make the circuit when current is flowing in it. This minimises arcing and contains any arc within the body of the switch (it is quite possible to observe the arc in a power switching
device as I have done many times). If the isolator is on and various loads already connected in your van, when you plug in the EHU you are using the plug and socket as a Switch. One or other of the connectors will make contact first and there may be anything
up to 16 amps (or more under fault conditions) immediately flowing in that circuit. A plug and socket is NOT designed to do that and it is potentially dangerous. If a short circuit has developed in your system since you last used it then the risks are even
higher.All the advice given by the Club, handbooks and other expert bodies is there for a good reason and is based on what could and has gone wrong in the past causing accidents, burns and fatalities.
Everybody can do as they wish but unless you know exactly what you are doing and why you are doing it, then it is always best to follow the advice.
If you shouldn't plug in incase something is switched on or has a fault why don't continential sockets have switches on? surely its just the same?
Is the isolator in the caravan an "on load isolator"?
If not it is just for isolation not switching,
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Most continental systems are two-pole isolation- ie fused/circuit breakers that are on both line (live) and neutral; in the UK we only switch on the line- hence why our plugs only go in one way doing but (most) continental plugs go in both ways. There is also a tendancy not to use ring mains but separate spurs within domestic settings in much of western europe, as opposed to UK systems- and our ring mains are then fused at a much higher current (often 30A) than a single spur. This means that an isolator on a distribution board usually isolates one socket or fitting in most European electrical fittings, hence the usual lack of switch on the socket- unlike in the UK where many sockets are on the same higher current circuit and need separate isolation in modern practice. It is possible to twin-pole isolate systems in the uk (and in caravans if you wanted) which would then completely avoid any issues with reverse polarity but it means slightly more costly systems. I most 'vans from outside the UK are twin-pole isolated though with 230V AC... As are most boats built outside of the UK
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Re RCD trips. When our van was serviced this spring the engineer found that the RCD trip did not! It kept sticking when using the test button. So it may be a good idea to check it regularly. That is difficult on our van as it is under the seat and is difficult
to get at and see. So we did not do it or switch off the isolator switch at all. On our previous van we did it regularly as it was easy to get at and see.0 -
Agree with what you are saying , Marksailor but Hitchglitch makes the point a plug and socket should not be used as a switch as there may be a fault present and a high fault current , which I agree with , but what are we supposed to do with a continental
unswitched socket then? At least a uk plug top has a fuse in.0 -
We need a fuse in a UKmap met as we may be connecting say at 10 or 12A load into a UK ring main which could be delivering an theoretical 30 or 45A (or higher) current. A continental socket is usually one spur with a single socket which is fused )at say 12 or 16A) on the distribution board. Although you could argue a fuse in the plug would give additional protection it doesn't really when the spur supply is current limited. Also both line and neutral are fused on the continent. UK soctkets don't need switching but it does help isolate an individual socket from a ring main- but it leaves the neutral unguarded anyway- hence why we have issues if ever we polarity is present (in theory). You coukd argue that the UK system is a little more antiquated and slightly less safe...
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U.K. Socket not map met- damn autocorrect and terrible typing!
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The difference in UK wiring practice goes back many years and stems from the idea of the ring main which saves copper. Fuses in UK plugs protect the cable between the plug and the appliance because otherwise you would need a 30 amp cable!
Given a choice between closing a sprung loaded contained isolatI got switch onto a high load or standing in a wet field, plug in one hand socket in the other wondering which pin is going to arc first, I know which I would choose. Having said that, the risks are probably quite small.
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