Electric hook up in France

[Locky]

We are off to France in August but i need to know if i need an adaptor for the electric hook up or do thay now take the standard ones that we use in the uk. I also remember hearing something about reverse polarity.

What does this mean and what do i have to look for?

 

[hilldweller]

We are off to France in August but i need to know if i need an adaptor for the electric hook up or do thay now take the standard ones that we use in the uk. I also remember hearing something about reverse polarity.

What does this mean and what do i have to look for?

Being French they do it their way. Take a standard French/European domestic adaptor.

Reverse polarity. Well, could be needed anywhere.

 

[Spacerunner]

A French domestic adaptor wont work unless your EHU lead has a UK 13 amp plug on it.

What you need is a French/UK EHU adaptor which is best bought from an accessory shop.

As for reverse polariy, you can make this yourself using UK EHU male/female connectors on a short length of EHU cable but with the positive and negative wires reversed on one end only.

 

[olley]

Hi you need this adaptor Link Removed

And I would also get its mate the UK one, as some sites in the UK still have it.

In the UK we fuse and switch only the positive feed, apart from a few instances like your immersion heater, shower, cooker ect. which should a double pole switch.

Abroad its different, they fuse both sides, and use D/P switches, so for them it doesn't matter which way around the plug is, the result for us is that when you turn off your 230v socket in the motorhome, the positive could still be live.

You can buy a simple polarity checker which plugs into a socket for a few pounds, alternatively you can do as many do and ignore it. If you want to be 100% safe then you need to buy or make a short lead which has the positive and negative reversed, you then plug this into the EHU and then plug your main lead into it.

Olley

 

[Ralph-Dot]

Hi you need this adaptor Link Removed

Get one, went to five sites this year but only needed it once, better safe than sorry.

Ralph

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

 

[Heyupluv]

French Electrics

16 amp standard european caravan/motorhome blue plug is used (on ebay) number 250444748139,
Or the round two pin with earth hole standard french/european plug (on ebay) number 170347725511
are the main two plugs used

what somebody said on previous reply......about 50/50 I have found reversed
A lot of members/motorhomers carry a small reversed set leads, a normal 16amp blue plug and 16amp blue socket with short piece of cable with connections reversed, so they can just connect into the line when required
also I carry a test plug just to check before I connect to see if there is a earth and to check to see if the socket is reversed (ebay number)130315719099 ....this you would plug into a 13amp socket

As we live in France and we use the Aires a lot this what we found
hope this helps you
From a french pleasant peasant born Yorkshireman now living in France........MEL

reversed polarity means the brown wire and the blue wire are crossed connected to the wrong terminals or the opposite terminals...inside the plug ...or inside the socket....or in the EHU (electric hook up) terminal box or EHU connecting socket on the Bourne

 

[Parcverger]

We promise that if you visit Parc Verger you will NOT need a reverse polarity adaptor - I followed the electrician around, and would not let him off site until I was satisfied that every EHU was correctly wired! Our electric supply is 16A throughout, so you can put the kettle on whilst using other appliances!

Nuff said. Wherever you go in France, enjoy your journey, its a beautiful country.

Bob and Di

 

[Diabalo]

Reverse polarity does happen, but more worrying would be no earth, the little gadget that you can get that plugs in the 13 socket will tell you reverse polarity, no earth, earth to neutral etc. in my book it's worth £10 for peace of mind:thumb:

 

[oldun]

Reverse polarity does happen, but more worrying would be no earth, the little gadget that you can get that plugs in the 13 socket will tell you reverse polarity, no earth, earth to neutral etc. in my book it's worth £10 for peace of mind:thumb:

If the earth cable is almost fully broken and just one tiny strand of cable is still in place the tester will tell you that there is a good earth as it only uses minute currents.

However this type of tester is better than nothing and I always use it when on a new site - but it does not do a proper earth test.