The supply voltage in the UK should now be 230 volts which can make a difference when working out amps...see below which seems to suggest 240 volts is still the norm

Supply voltage

Since 1960, the supply voltage in UK domestic premises has been 240 V AC (RMS) at 50 Hz. In 1988, a Europe-wide agreement was reached to unify the various national voltages, which ranged at the time from 220 V to 240 V, to a common European standard called 230V (CENELEC Harmonization Document HD 472 S1:1988).

The standard nominal supply voltage in domestic single-phase 50 Hz installations in the UK is still 240V AC (RMS), but since 1 January 1995 (Electricity Supply Regulations, SI 1994, No. 3021) this has an an asymmetric voltage tolerance of 230 V+10%-6% (216.2–253 V), which covers the same voltage range as conteinental 220v supplies to the new unified 230v standard. This was supposed to be widened to 230 V ±10% (207-253 V), but the time of this change has been put back repeatedly and currently sits in 2008 (BS 7697). The old standard was 240 V ±6% (225.6–254.4 V), which is mostly contained within the new range, and so in practice suppliers have had no reason to actually change voltages.

The continued deviation in the UK from the harmonised European voltage has been criticised in particular by light bulb manufacturers, who require tighter voltage tolerances to optimise the operating temperature and lifetime of their products, and who currently have to continue producing separate 230 V and 240 V versions.^{[citation needed]}

Quote: Originally posted by chris.barnett on 13/5/2011

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If you are concerned about tripping the supply, Don't use it, the wife and I get by on all gas appliances. The only thing she missed was the hair dryer,iv'e since converted a roofers gas blowtorch using an old stainless steel colander as a diffuser.She dosn't have to dry her hair anymore , we just re-felt it.

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Quote: Originally posted by jonandtom on 13/5/2011

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Oops, at any one time we have a 2kw heater, light, laptop, phone chagers plugged in.

Weve never had a trip though??

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At 230v which the following conversion table seems to use, a 2000w (2kw) heater draws 8.70 amps. You may just about get by adding very low power things like a light, laptop, phone charger etc; as I believe there may be some tolerance as to if and when the fuses trip.

I, like others, have heard stories of campsites being blacked out by someone misusing or overloading the electrical supply but as the OP suggests we very rarely hear from anyone who has actually done it.

The figures I always follow though are the ones in the below table based on a 230 volt supply. 

WATTS TO AMPS CONVERSION

60 Watts    =  0.26 Amp

100 Watts    =    0.43 Amp

200 Watts    =    0.87 Amp

300 Watts    =    1.30 Amp

400 Watts    =    1.74 Amp

500 Watts    =    2.17 Amp

600 Watts    =    2.61 Amp

700 Watts    =    3.04 Amp

800 Watts    =    3.48 Amp

900 Watts    =    3.91 Amp

1000 Watts    =    4.35 Amp

1100 Watts    =    4.78 Amp

1200 Watts    =    5.22 Amp

1300 Watts    =    5.65 Amp

1400 Watts    =    6.09 Amp

1500 Watts    =    6.52 Amp

1600 Watts    =    6.96 Amp

1700 Watts    =    7.39 Amp

1800 Watts    =    7.83 Amp

1900 Watts    =    8.26 Amp

2000 Watts    =    8.70 Amp

2100 Watts    =    9.13 Amp

2200 Watts    =    9.57 Amp

2300 Watts    =    10.00 Amp

2400 Watts    =    10.43 Amp

2500 Watts    =    10.87 Amp

2600 Watts    =   11.30 Amp

2700 Watts    =   11.74 Amp

2800 Watts    =    12.17Amp

2900 Watts    =   12.61 Amp

3000 Watts    =    13.04 Amp

3100 Watts    =    13.48 Amp

3200 Watts    =    13.91 Amp

3300 Watts    =    14.35 Amp

3400 Watts    =    14.78 Amp

3500 Watts    =    15.22Amp

 

Yeah, and there's the dreaded shared box syndrome where instead allowing you to draw up to 10 amps each at any one time it seems to work out at about eight and a bit. Or everyone on site decides to pull 9.9999 amps of power each simultaneously and the main board at the campsite office trips, and the warden's gone out for the night. Once done, never forgotten.

Being only an inept non-technical type though I just stick to the "only one heating type appliance at a time" rule of thumb and mostly I don't have any problems. I do know that my EHU unit will trip itself if I pull more than 10amps though, I do know to test it each time I take out and it's got a wee red light that goes out if there's a potential problem somewhere, like a loose connection somewhere or reverse polarity. And I check how many amps are availible when I book into the campsite too come to think of it...plenty around that still only let you pull 6 amps or in one place I went to, only 4 amps.

Quote: Originally posted by newcampers7471 on 14/5/2011

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Ideally I think EHU's should be rated lower than the post providing the electricity, that way the unit should trip, not the post which effects others too. Maybe a changeover switch on the side of units to accommodate 10A and 16A supplies.

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The vast majority of tent type free standing EHU units are only rated to 10 amps anyway. It's usually only caravans and campervans that have the set up to draw 16 amps before tripping. Neither are much use when you're on a 6 amp site though so you just have to use common sense.