Could somebody let me know whether the electric hook-up sets available from stores in the UK are a universal plug which works on French and other EU sites? I'm guessing they are but some confirmation would put my mind at rest before buying.
The BS EN 60309-2 formerly CEE17 couplings fitted on british hook up pillars are now being used abroad however many campsites still have the older style fittings. For this reason it is advisable to carry a CEE 7/7 plug on a short lead with a CEE17 socket. This will alow you to plug into Shuko or french style sockets.
Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 03/1/2012
Just ask in your local caravan shop for a 'French ehu adaptor'. The new Go Outdoors in Colchester or Weely Caravans have them if you are near there.
Or Camping and General on Canvey, if you are in the southern part of the county
In answer to your specific question, if sites have not yet converted to the european (uk) style of connection then yes all of the older ones are the same in every european country.
You only need one adaptor to see you through if your uk cable doesn't fit.
Polarity is another issue. This is not always wired the same. Inexpensive testers are available. Many people will argue that it doesn't really matter. Others disagree. I am not an expert and don't really know. I carry and adaptor for this but you cannot buy them.
Quote: Originally posted by jennifernn on 03/1/2012
Some sites in Switzerland have odd sockets that need a special adapter.
We have not got a lot of experience of Swiss sites as we have only stayed at 3 and one of them had a strange adaptor and reception had to loan us an adaptor.
The tester to see if the polarity is correct costs about £10, and tests both the polarity and the earthing. Its a little 3 pin plug that you plug into your RCD socket, and has different LCD lights to tell you the status of the wiring.If the polarity turns out to be incorrect, you need a short length of EHU cable with a male blue connector on one end and a female on the other, but with the live and neutral wires crossed over. You then need to mark this piece of kit "reversed polarity" in case it gets into the wrong hands. Hope I have explained this properly. So then in sequence you have the continental adapter, the piece of kit described above, then your normal EHU cable.
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Topic: Electric hook-ups in Europe
