Newbie question!

[Dashthecamper]

Sorry if this seems a daft question, we are new vanners, have a ford transit conversion on the drive eager to get away in it soon. I am buying the essentials and wondering why the electric hook up cables for site hook up are so long? What length do you guys get please?

 

[pappajohn]

25mtrs is a standard length to allow use with MOST hookup posts... Not all are next to your pitch especially abroad.
You could buy a new 16 amp plug and socket then cut the cable into 10mtr and 15mtr lengths.
Whatever you do DON'T plug in without first uncoiling ALL the cable and laying out in a zig zag fashion.
Coiled cables can overheat and catch fire.

 

[Podney]

They are long because if you go on a site,you may be a long way from the hook up point. I’m not being obtuse..that is the reason.
25meters.

 

[DandG5515]

Use 10m, I cut down myself, keep behind drivers seat, have a new 25m used twice in 10 years hidden in one of the lockers.

 

[pappajohn]

Use 10m, I cut down myself, keep behind drivers seat, have a new 25m used twice in 10 years hidden in one of the lockers.

10 years old...... Not exactly new then.

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[Figaro]

In my experience a 10 metre will do in most cases but a 25 is uesful for the odd occasion when thw post is further away.
Welcome to the forum by the way

 

[westhamman]

There are no daft questions, if you have a 25m cable and the hook up is 10m away, you have plenty of spare cable, if you have 10m cable and the hook up is 20m away your stuffed.

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[Riverbankannie]

25mtrs is a standard length to allow use with MOST hookup posts... Not all are next to your pitch especially abroad.
You could buy a new 16 amp plug and socket then cut the cable into 10mtr and 15mtr lengths.
Whatever you do DON'T plug in without first uncoiling ALL the cable and laying out in a zig zag fashion.
Coiled cables can overheat and catch fire.

..... and plug into van first, then into live socket on post. When unhooking, take off post then off van. Good practice not to have a live end in your hand!

 

[Minxy]

Hi 'Dash' ... welcome to the fun house!

I can't remember the last time we used one on holiday ... but then again we don't do sites! We do, however, carry one along with adaptors just in case we have to use EHU, eg if the gas can't be used which we had many years ago (gas leak, fire ... don't ask!).

As an aside, I note that you've got a Transit ... make sure you have some extra security on it as they are very nickable.

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[autorouter]

I'd say if you only have one hookup cable, a 25m one is the best compromise. I have a 10m and 25m cable, and 80% of sites I can get away with the 10m one. These two are 2.5mm squared, which is best for minimising voltage drop if you use high power devices like a fan heater or microwave.

I also have a thinner 25m cable, 1.5mm squared, which I have used occasionally to make a ridiculously long cable on the more rural or out-of-season sites where not all the hookup posts are working.

If you're going out of the UK, most sites use round blue plugs just like in the UK, but quite a lot use local domestic plugs in a weatherproof box. It's a good idea to take an adapter, like this.

 

[Dashthecamper]

Thank you everyone, that's very helpful what are you all doing up so late ha ha

 

[Riverbankannie]

We never sleep

 

[Boris7]

If you haven’t already go cable connectors and adaptors etc them it may be worth looking here

Broken Link Removed

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from West Kent
No question is daft if you don’t know the answer. Very soon you will be able to answer a question from one of us with your specialist knowledge.

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[ambulancekidd]

 

[HugoBNB]

Welcome
Post #14 is sound advice. Get a polarity testing plug too if you are going to France. Some of the older sites can cause you a bit of grief with reverse polarity. If you find you need to tinker with any A/C in your van, please make sure to disconnect the EHU before doing so.

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Go for longer lead rather than shorter especially if going to France sometimes electric posts are a long way off

 

[rangi]

Some of the EHU Bollards also require you to twist the plug once connected to your lead, to actually turn the "lectric" on.

 

[two]

The 'standard' on formal sites is that each pitch should be within 25m of an EHU socket. It may still depend on how you site yourself on the pitch, though. 15m or even 10m is often enough.
If you can find and afford Arctic grade, go for that: it's much more flexible (sometime blue). If space is a premium, I'd go for a short length; you'll soon find out how infrequently it's too short. Get 2.5mm2 (16A) cable to avoid voltage drop.
Take care, if you shorten, to to make sure your connection is sound. You could get more heat from a poor connection than from a poorly coiled cable. I think you'd have to abuse the cable (excess current through a tightly bound cable on a drum) to get overheating.

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[ManTheVan]

Welcome! All good advice above. It also worth, when you’re retrieving your cable at the end of your stay, getting a wodge of blitz or kitchen towel in your retrieval hand so the cable runs through this on its way in. Turn the paper over from time to time to make sure you’ve got the crud off the cable. Keeps it clean when stored and avoids your storage area getting filthy. Some people carry theirs in flat curved-type boxes for this reason. Happy travels!

 

[Dashthecamper]

Thank you again everyone, loving the humour and help first sleep in the van tonight ...on my drive !

 

[Landscapes]

we have a VW Transporter conversion, so space is at a premium. we bought a 15 metre cable and a winder, and found this has been perfectly adequate to date.

 

[two]

Thank you again everyone, loving the humour and help first sleep in the van tonight ...on my drive !

Best of luck on your first 'trip'.
don't forget the toothbrush
don't get lost - remember where you are when you wake up
most important: Have FUN!

 

[tribalbrit]

I once stopped on a site in Galicia and had to use my 25 metre and two more 25 metre ones borrowed off the site.
Lovely pitch though right next to the beach.

It's like wearing a coat, you can take it off if to warm but cant put one on if you've not got one.

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[Minxy]

Welcome! All good advice above. It also worth, when you’re retrieving your cable at the end of your stay, getting a wodge of blitz or kitchen towel in your retrieval hand so the cable runs through this on its way in. Turn the paper over from time to time to make sure you’ve got the crud off the cable. Keeps it clean when stored and avoids your storage area getting filthy. Some people carry theirs in flat curved-type boxes for this reason. Happy travels!

On the rare occasions we've used an EHU lead I normally wind it round my arm when putting it away and using a cloth to wipe it as I do so ensures my jacket, hands etc doesn't get covered in mud etc either.