Hi
I hope somebody can help with this query. We are going camping in France for a month next week. The site has electricity available.
I was going to buy one of these
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/redirect.asp?redir=http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/mobile-mains-kit-p155317
and one of these
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/redirect.asp?redir=http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/mains-continental-conv-ld-p155368
I am completely clueless when it comes to electricity - i understand that you can't overload it but what appliances could I use, for how long, and how many at the same time.
I have an electric coolbox. I would also like to use a kettle, mini oven, and electric ring. I would also like to charge my mobile, lantern, laptop, and PSP.
You need to know the amps of the site supply (many abroad only supply 6amps). Check the wattage of your appliances (on the rating lable, usually underneath - if it's given in kW, that's kilowatts - each kilowatt is 1000 watts). Divide the number of watts by the voltage of the mains supply - this gives the number of amps the appliance will draw. Make sure you never go over the site's supply. And it's best to allow a 'safety margin', especially when using something like a kettle, as they can spike when you first switch them on and draw a bigger current then usual.
As a general rule of thumb, don't use two appliances that heat up at the same time. If the site supply is low, I would also suggest you disconnect the coolbox while using anything else - better to be over-cautious that trip the supply.
Hi I used an ehu like that one in a tent for years, including in france. Supply there tends to be 6a which means you have to be pretty careful about not using multiple plugs at once.
A travel kettle is best i think (but slow!) - an ordinary domestic one can trip the ehu, check the wattage on your mini oven and leccy ring. Watts divided by voltage = amps ( I am pretty sure I have that right, but i am sure someone will correct me if not). Mobiles, laptops, psps etc use negligable amounts.
My dad gave me the rule that I should never use more than one thing that heats up at once, so if the heater (2kw fan) is on, you have to turn it off to brew up! I don't know whether he is being excessively cautious, but I have never tripped my ehu!
Pretty much as above, but with some more figures..
Then you need to know your kit..
For example,
My Outwell coolbox is 80w / 0.33A
Phone charger 0.1A
1Kw Travel Kettle is 4.2A
1KW Normal 2 slice toaster 4.2A
2Kw hob/normal kettle is 8.4A
3Kw rapid boil kettle is 12.5A
Laptop power supplies are usually no more then 120W, which is only around 0.5A,
Mobile phone chargers are rarely more then 5W, so negligible..
Amps = Watts/240 (for mains devices), so it's all easy to work out..
You can actually measure your kit, see how much each item takes, then just tot things up in your head.. It can display in Amps, and gives you some confidence.
Using the above, I know in the mornings, I can boil the kettle (1KW Travel type), and do toast, whilst still running the coolbox/phone chargers etc, as I know it should all add up to under 10A, I even check the power meter as well just to make sure before I switch on the more power hungry items.. And for items with variable power usage (Induction hobs etc), it's a godsend IMO
Thank you so much for all the great advice.....
could anybody comment the mini-oven they have in Lidl at the moment - 1380w - would this be safe to use?
Depends on the site's supply - 1380 divided by 220 (French mains is 220V, not 230V like ours (ours hasn't been 240V for years)), so that is just over 6 amps. Therefore, if the site is only a 6A supply you would very likely trip it. But if your site offers a 10A supply, you would be OK. As suggested before though, even if the site supply is high enough, only use one appliance that heats up at a time.
A 230 volt rated appliance will actually use less amps on 220 volts.
The whole of Europe harmonised voltage at 230 volts, plus or minus 10%, several years ago so you could have between 207 and 253 volts and still be within the acceptable limits.
Most of the U.K. suppliers still transmit at 240 volts as a 230 volt rated appliance will consume more energy at 240 volts thereby increasing their revenue by app 8%.
Saxo1
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Help with EHU - Please!!!!
