Hi, just got back from a few days away in our 'new to us' caravan. It is quite an old one (not quite classsic lol!!)the electric kept trippin out in the van. We had tv on and boiled a kettle. The I had laptop and tele on and it tripped and had to put the switch up and the meter in the van Any tips/ideas. I will be back with some other questions from you talented lot if thats ok (I can only take in one thing at a time) Many thanks
ours trips IF we have the water heater on,tv on,fridge on,light on,and we try to boil a kettle.it did not do it when we had a low wattage kettle so this means its the kettle doing it.i do not mind as i means i do not have to go for the warden when the post trips out.so to boil the kettle turn off the water heater.failing this call get an electrician to check it.
the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Discounted Insurance Quotes for UKCampsite.co.uk visitors! Up to 12.5% off!
Find out what wattage your kettle is, many domestic kettles are 2000 watts and as a 10amp campsite is only around 2400 watts, your laptop and tv won't take much but a caravan heater and/or water heater will, then your lights, fridge?
Sounds like you are drawing too many amps. When ever you visit a site always ask them what ampage is available form a hook up. CC sites have 16Amp but many private sites will only give you around 10amps. The caravan is like an extension socket at home. On such an extension all you can run off that are appliances which use no more than 13 amps. So with a caravan the most you can operate at the same time will be appliances which add up to the total amperage allowed from the hook up.
Tripping mostly occurs on 10 amp supplies. Tele on and then you put the heater on the top wattage rating and everything goes out. Keep a note of the amps used by your appliances and never have more than the maximum allowed by the hook up. A little tip - Try using a kettle on the gas cooker so that you use no amps when boiling a kettle; Note that the microwave will use more amps when starting up so you may need to switch something off to use that. The heater has probably got a number of settings. Tthe lowest, maybe 500watts, is for when you are on a 10 amp site.
If its not the ampage that is causing the problem then maybe you have a problem with your main control board (what we would call a fuse box in the house. ). Have that checked out. As you have an old van did it come with an electrical certificate?
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Did you trip the breaker inside the van or on the post outside? Some sites (not many these days in the UK) are only 6 amps. Definately sounds like you were drawing too much current though and not a fault at all.