We have been tenters for a few years - now have upgraded to wonderful caravan. Had first weekend away a couple of weeks ago but when we went to hook up - found that our hook up was too short. We swapped with a neighbour (who didn't need the length) and he commented on our electric cable being blue. Looking around we saw that everyone else had orange cables (all with Blue plugs and sockets) All the new ones in the shops also seem to be orange.
My question - is there any reasoning behind the colour coding? I have tons of yellow cable and some blue but no orange. Can we use yellow or is their some camping legislation that says we should be using orange?? If I don't NEED to buy new orange cable then I will make do with yellow but thought I'd better check.
I have seen blue occasionally. Don't think theres any rules they just need max visibility to make sure no one trips over them and lawn mower man will see them.
Green obviously wouldn't be good. Wouldn't be keen on black either. or brown
If you buy a ready made hookup cable in the UK it is normally orange. Thick 16amp cable. If the yellow cable you have is in good condition & is thick flexible 3 core it will be ok. The usual length for a hookup cable is 25mtres.
There is no regulation as to colour. Blue cable is normally referred to as Arctic cable as it stays flexible at low temperatures.
Generally accepted practice is yellow 110v orange 230v blue 230v low temperature but not a legal requirement. Low temp meaning outdoor use in below freezing temps Mick
I got one off ebay (for tenting) it worked but wasn't long enough, have chucked it in the bin now, wasn't convinced it was safe anyway, sticking with an orange one Brought from shop for our caravan, you can also buy an adapter for it so if we do go in the tent any time we can use same one!
The cable you use should be "artic grade" .This cable is used because it has a temperature working range of -40oC to +70o
Yellow is normally for 110V applications and Blue for 220V applications, typically orange is used for camping and caravanning because of its visibility.
The cable should be suitable for a maximum current of 16A
Looking at websites that talk about the Yellow Cable, it would appear that as it carries two live cables rated at 55v each, you may find that the wiring is different when you come to connect it to the standard blue plug and socket.
Considering the cost of the electrical safety features that are built into your caravan, to then use a cable that is not designed for that job is beyond my ken.