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]
A 240v 1000w heater will draw app 4.53 amps at 240 volts but only app 4.15 amps at 220volts,thats why the supply companies are reluctant to drop the U.K. voltage to 230v as they would get less revenue.
Saxo1
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.
Quote: Originally posted by chris.barnett on 13/5/2011
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.
Reminds me of an episode of only fools and horses!
Quote: Originally posted by jonandtom on 13/5/2011
Oops, at any one time we have a 2kw heater, light, laptop, phone chagers plugged in.
Weve never had a trip though??
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.
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.
So I guess it has happened to some.....
We have our cool box plugged in all the time and we can get away with boiling the kettle and running the heater.
Rule of thumb, don't use 2 appliances with 13a fuses in the plug. Thanks for your posts :)
most appliances don't need 13amp fuses in the plug ,most of my PAT testing was removing them and installing the correct ones.
13amp fuses are fine if the cable is up to it but i have seen cables melted into carpets with the fuse intact.
the owner (a chinese student with a rice cooker) told me it worked fine ,indeed it did (the wires hadnt shorted despite melting the plastic covering)but it wasn't safe
lets put this into perspective about the inns and outs of "recommended" VS ordinary extension leads.
compare it to a seat belt ,you can leave it off for years without harm but its bloody nice to have on in a crash
Never personally tripped anything as apart from the fridge I always make sure to switch off one thing before using another, ie fan heater and kettle, but one site we were on one winter three years ago was constantly being tripped by the owners of the motorhome on the next pitch. No problems when they were out during the day but as soon as they arrived back the electrics would go, and the site owner was contstanly coming out - luckily he lived on site, but one occasion he was out when it happened and we ended up shivering in the awning in front of a small portable gas heater. Not funny when it was -4 outside!
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
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.
Quote: Originally posted by newcampers7471 on 14/5/2011
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.
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.
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Topic: Tripping an EHU/campsite supply
