Essential Euro gear

[hobson]

Righty, my partner and i have finally got organised(ish) and will be heading down to spain in the new year, although we're a lot more prepared than we were a few months ago, i just thought i'd make sure we have all the adaptors and bits we'll need.
i have a two adapters for LP gas (pictured) but i'm sure i've seen another type,
Also, the electric hookup, what do i need for that? i know the two prong type plug is generally used in Europe, and have been told i need a 'pigtail' but to be honest i'm a bit lost.
i know we can't take everything for every eventuality, even with the RV we have! and am sure that at some point things will go pear shaped, but i think thats part of the fun!
i just want to make sure i have the right kit for the essential stuff; water, power, gas, waste.
i'm sure with the years worth of knowledge on this forum you'll know!

 

[hobson]

sorry, the bayonet one is right, the other looks like this:

 

[scotjimland]

have been told i need a 'pigtail' but to be honest i'm a bit lost.

I used to have a pony tail but found little use for it in Spain

You seem to have most things covered, not so sure what the pigtail is for, I presume you have an LPG tank.. ? Then you may want to buy a Extend A Stay .. this allows you to connect any propane bottle directly into the system without another regulator..

ABP Accessories - Your First Choice For Motorhome & RV Accessories - EXTEND-A-STAY KIT - Standard!

Other than that.. have a great time..

Jim

 

[motorhomer]

As you say most sites use the 2 prong older continental type sockets in Spain - but not all, some do have the EU standard that is now universal here. So you need an adapter to cover both.

I would recommend a polarity tester. You cannot rely on the polarity of the mains supply in Spain. If it is wrong often you can just put the 2 pin plug in the other way up, but again not always.

Remember the other driving legal requirements, reflective jackets for both in case of a break down, 2 warning triangles. If you ride bikes, outside of the towns you need crash hats. Full spare bulb kits. If you have a dog it needs to be restrained whilst driving. They have random checks from time to time in Spain so its worth complying.

 

[hobson]

Actually i have no idea what a pigtail is! apart from the obvious porcine appendage! i just remember someone telling me i should get one, so if you'd like to enlighten me as to what one is...!
And yes, our RV (Tiffin Allegron 32ft) has an inbuilt tank, lucklily it has an extenda-stay already.
I got told all this when i picked up the vehicle on my 'walkthrough' but it went WAAAY over my head at the time, i'm just now starting to understand things!

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[hobson]

Check on the jackets, bulbs and warning triangle (i thought i only needed one?) and check on the helmets, we don't have a dog, so thats not an issue.
as far as polarity testers, i remeber being told about that, but again, Over the head, so i'll put one of those on the list, so what electric cables do i need?

 

[Tony Lee]

In Spain, if you have a bike rack on the back, you will need a diagonally-striped reflector on the back. Similar requirement applies (I think) to Italy

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Just curious - if your MH is fitted with an ELCB (or Safety Switch), why is the polarity of the supply of any concern. I know that appliance switches will operate in the neutral leg rather than the active one, but unless you are inclined to poke around with a knife inside a toaster with it plugged in and switched on, even this is of little practical significance.

 

[scotjimland]

Actually i have no idea what a pigtail is! apart from the obvious porcine appendage! i just remember someone telling me i should get one, so if you'd like to enlighten me as to what one is...!

Hi
A pigtail is a short high pressure hose used for connecting a gas bottle to a regulator, as used by most modern motorhomes, they can be purchased to fit different types of bottles, but as you have a tank you have no need.

 

[hobson]

Aha! i am now enlightened! just need to find out about what electricity cables to take, i have on my list; a standard three pin - two pin euro lead, a standard three pin - uk 240v lead and a three way splitter, i already have a 25m standard extension lead.
any other suggestions? :Blush:

 

[pappajohn]

so what electric cables do i need?

you should carry a reverse polarity lead......basicly a short, normal hookup lead but the live and neutral wires are connected the wrong way round at one end...brown wire to neutral and blue wire to live. to be used if the site polarity is reversed....check this with your mains test plug. just plug this lead into the post and plug your normal lead into it. clearly mark this lead as REVERSED.


for 2 pin plugs i use a short lead with a standard UK 3 pin plug instead of the normal blue hookup plug and a normal hookup socket on the other end and a euro travel adaptor.....just plug the 3 pin UK plug into the euro adaptor and plug the adaptor into the hookup post.
i also use this at home to keep on hookup.


you can buy both these leads from caravan shops but the two pin leads will have a two pin plug already on so no need for the travel adaptor.


both these need only be about meter long.


its sometimes worth having a second hookup lead incase you're a long way from a post.
doesnt happen often but if you aint got an extra lead you got no lekky

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[stagman]

In Spain, if you have a bike rack on the back, you will need a diagonally-striped reflector on the back. Similar requirement applies (I think) to Italy

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Just curious - if your MH is fitted with an ELCB (or Safety Switch), why is the polarity of the supply of any concern. I know that appliance switches will operate in the neutral leg rather than the active one, but unless you are inclined to poke around with a knife inside a toaster with it plugged in and switched on, even this is of little practical significance.

If you blow a fuse in a plug top,your neutral could still be live,could make the metal body live.Could stop your boiler working properly,could go on :thumb:

 

[stagman]

Aha! i am now enlightened! just need to find out about what electricity cables to take, i have on my list; a standard three pin - two pin euro lead, a standard three pin - uk 240v lead and a three way splitter, i already have a 25m standard extension lead.
any other suggestions? :Blush:

On a Uk site and keeping to the regs 25 mtr hook up of 2.5mm is the max length you can use:thumb:

 

[scotjimland]

If you blow a fuse in a plug top,your neutral could still be live,could make the metal body live.Could stop your boiler working properly,could go on :thumb:

I have a feeling of deja a vu ...

can you please explain...

how a fuse could blow due to an earth fault before tripping the RCD .. ?
in your scenario the body becomes live, so we are not talking about a short, but a fault to earth..

and how a boiler stops working .. ?

This keeps popping up with no satisfactory explanation oh:

 

[stagman]

I have a feeling of deja a vu ...

can you please explain...

how a fuse could blow due to an earth fault before tripping the RCD .. ?
in your scenario the body becomes live, so we are not talking about a short, but a fault to earth..

and how a boiler stops working .. ?

This keeps popping up with no satisfactory explanation oh:

A fuse would blow in a short circuit or overload condition.If the lines are reversed then the neutral would remain live even if the fuse had blown.I didn't say earth fault ,just the dangers of reverse polarity.Another situation would be your neutral bar in the consumer unit being live permantly unless you isolate your main switch .Therefore turn off your mcb to work on a socket outlet and bang still live hope the rcd works.Many boiler systems will not work on reverse polarity as there are safety systems preventing this,many of the transformers are mid point earth so would cause damage.I don,t know which boilers are affected but they are out there especially domestic.Is there a Corgi fitter here to back me up on this.:thumb:

 

[stagman]

I have a feeling of deja a vu ...

can you please explain...

how a fuse could blow due to an earth fault before tripping the RCD .. ?
in your scenario the body becomes live, so we are not talking about a short, but a fault to earth..

and how a boiler stops working .. ?

This keeps popping up with no satisfactory explanation oh:

Another point is is if you go back to the old days before an rcd ,a fault to earth would cause your fuse to blow and even today if your rcd fails your fuse should blow:thumb:

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[Reallyretired]

It's useful if these adapter leads are as short as possible as then the connectors don't lie on the ground, a bad idea if its wet. Mine are about 6 inches.:thumb:

 

[Belgian]

As you say most sites use the 2 prong older continental type sockets in Spain - but not all, some do have the EU standard that is now universal here. So you need an adapter to cover both.

Most campings are now using the bleu EU sockets, but not all do ! The best thing you could do:
have a normal 20m extension cord with continental (DIN) sockets or a proper socket to connect to your van, provide a short cable with a continental female at one side and the bleu EU on the other.