EHU continental adaptor (1 Viewer)

[Bognor Saint]

On our recent trip to France I had to use one of these on one site. I had brought one with me, brand new and still in packaging. After connecting up my control board showed that I had reverse polarity. I checked connections and the plug would only engage one way.
I borrowed one from the site to test and it worked ok. So, what was the problem? Was mine duff?
The borrowed one looked the same and had not been altered. Perhaps somebody can give me a clue. Thanks.

 

[pappajohn]

Earth connector.
Yours is possibly a single sided earth pin so will only fit one way to ensure you have an earth....If the sites electrician has bothered installing an earth.
It's usual for the plug to have an earth connector on both sides so it will fit EITHER way.

A satisfactory earth is FAR more important than correct polarity......unless you happen to be working on a 'plugged in but switched off' appliance in which case you have to be an idiot.

 

[dabhand]

Perhaps the adaptor you bought, which is wired the wrong way around was unnecessary because the site was wired the right way around....just a thought!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[rb62]

Was yours duff?
No,site just wired the other way round,if you put 'reversed polarity' in the search box and read all the threads about it you can then decide whether it matters or not

 

[pappajohn]

Was yours duff?
No,site just wired the other way round,if you put 'reversed polarity' in the search box and read all the threads about it you can then decide whether it matters or not

I think they suspected it being faulty as it wouldn't fit EITHER way round to correct the polarity....not that that makes any difference

 

[2657]

French sockets have an earth pin and will not accept a schuko type plug upside down.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Allanm]

French wiring is unlike UK wiring and you will find live and neutral reversed in many sites as well as houses.
This doesn't create a problem or danger because cable in France is installed double insulated and devices in French consumer units are double pole, so if the device trips, it isolates both live and neutral wires.

 

[autorouter]

Two possibilities:
1. Your adaptor is wired correctly, borrowed adaptor is reversed and site hookup is also reversed.
2. Your adaptor is reversed, borrowed adaptor is correct and site hookup is correct.

I reckon 50/50 either way. As @Allanm implies, they take much less interest in reverse polarity over the Channel.

If option 1, maybe they gave you a reversed adaptor because you mentioned the reverse polarity. Or maybe they already knew your pitch hookup was reversed.

 

[SomeoneElse]

This is what Wikipedia tells us about the polarity of the French type "E" plugs and sockets.

Although the plug is polarised, CEE 7 does not define the placement of the line and neutral and there is no universally-observed standard. However, the Czech standard recommends that the line wire to be on the left side when facing the socket. The French convention changed circa 2002 from nothing particular, to, if the earth pin was at the top then the line hole in the socket would be on the right looking at the socket[citation needed]. However, the socket may not necessarily be installed with the earth pin at the top. Packaging in France of sockets is normally marked with correct connection of the cables. Polarised pre-fitted plugs on appliances are therefore connected with the brown line wire to the right pin and the blue neutral wire to the left, the earth being connected to the contact at the "top" of the plug.

So you get what you get
More bedtime reading here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_po...ket_and_CEE_7.2F6_plug_.28French.3B_Type_E.29

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Pausim]

I agree with Allanm, it seems the French (and many other Countries) don't have the same concept of live and neutral as we do for AC. Sockets can be wired either way round, I don't think they even mark the connections on the back. In their system there is no right and wrong way round to connect live and neutral to an AC socket.