Waterproof extension lead

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Rowls1958

Rowls1958

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Is there is any reason I cant use this as a EHU extension lead ? I would replace the 3 pin plug with the female EHU socket and make up a short say 1m cable with the male EHU socket and a 3 pin plug. The 3 pin connection on the cable reel is waterproof and it is rated 13Amp, max 3120W. Any reason why not ?



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And you have your plugs and sockets mixed up.

Buy a piece of 2.5mm arctic and do the job properly. And comply with regulations!

Tony
 
Green won't go down well on grass sites,usually orange or yellow so they can be seen,unless you want it chopped up!
 
So, thanks for the gentle scolding but not exactly giving straightforward technical reasons why not !!
 
And why is a 'reel' a social faux pas ?
 
Jabstatt said:
And you have your plugs and sockets mixed up.

Buy a piece of 2.5mm arctic and do the job properly. And comply with regulations!

Tony
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Could you please just explain what regulations it wouldn't comply with ?
 
Reel & plugs rated to 13A, "female EHU socket" (Blue Le Grande) rated to 16A. Fitting 16A plug to a 13A plug/cable, even
if EHU posts are max 10A, is WRONG.
As Brains you should never leave a cable on a reel when in use, so why bother putting on a reel, that's what "Europeans" do.
And when it catches fire don't bother contacting your insurance company, fire report will be with them soon enough.

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Jez1966 said:
Reel & plugs rated to 13A, "female EHU socket" (Blue Le Grande) rated to 16A. Fitting 16A plug to a 13A plug/cable, even
if EHU posts are max 10A, is WRONG.
As Brains you should never leave a cable on a reel when in use, so why bother putting on a reel, that's what "Europeans" do.
And when it catches fire don't bother contacting your insurance company, fire report will be with them soon enough.
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Our van came with the EHU cable on a reel as standard.
 
Of course the reel would be fully unwound, thats always a given, so not an issue. Why exactly is the first bit WRONG
 
Rowls1958 said:
And why is a 'reel' a social faux pas ?
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Cables on reels heat up.
It is a well known cause of fires in Motorhomes.

Thankfully fairly rare in the UK, as despite the joke, most UK motorhomers are well aware of the issue, and will always snake their cables or ensure they are fully unrolled.
However in much of Europe people do not seem to so aware, and it's common to see part cables on reels under motorhomes, so unsurprisingly they have a lot more fires.
(Although my experience is the site main fuse blows before the fire really starts.)
 
Rowls1958 said:
Is there is any reason I cant use this as a EHU extension lead ? I would replace the 3 pin plug with the female EHU socket and make up a short say 1m cable with the male EHU socket and a 3 pin plug. The 3 pin connection on the cable reel is waterproof and it is rated 13Amp, max 3120W. Any reason why not ?



View attachment 1129723
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You haven't said what you want to use this for and what kind of load you intend to put through it, as Brains has alluded using an extension lead on a reel can be a fire risk as heat can build up within the coil. Just as outdoor extension lead with a light draw you can use a male 16 amp plug in place of the 13 amp plug and then make up a short lead with a female 16 amp socket connected to the 13 amp plug, just remember the live end of any leads should be female to prevent electrical shock risk. If you intend to put a heavier current through it then you need to fully unwind the reel.
 
You regularly see people using cables on a reel in France and elsewhere in Europe. But they don't use a reel with sockets, it's just a cable with a plug on one end and a single socket on the other. Rarely do they fully unwind the cable and if they are just running the fridge and charging batteries this is safe.

My concern would be that despite the description is it really "waterproof"? I doubt it and being plastic unseen cracks might appear in it due to minor damage letting water in.

One of the clubs, CMC I think, do insist on 2.5mm cables. I normally use 1.5mm blue cables (long and short) but if going to a UK club site I take the 2.5mm orange cable to avoid arguments.
 
Thanks, some constructive responses. Yes, definitely not the one I showed but a professional builders waterproof one with red/orage cable, fully unwound. I dont have any major electrical gear so not massive load. I must say I'm dissapointed with some of the arogant, sarcastic replies but got there in the end !
 
DBK said:
You regularly see people using cables on a reel in France and elsewhere in Europe. But they don't use a reel with sockets, it's just a cable with a plug on one end and a single socket on the other. Rarely do they fully unwind the cable and if they are just running the fridge and charging batteries this is safe.

My concern would be that despite the description is it really "waterproof"? I doubt it and being plastic unseen cracks might appear in it due to minor damage letting water in.

One of the clubs, CMC I think, do insist on 2.5mm cables. I normally use 1.5mm blue cables (long and short) but if going to a UK club site I take the 2.5mm orange cable to avoid arguments.
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Thanks, sound
 
Rowls1958 said:
Thanks, some constructive responses. Yes, definitely not the one I showed but a professional builders waterproof one with red/orage cable, fully unwound. I dont have any major electrical gear so not massive load. I must say I'm dissapointed with some of the arogant, sarcastic replies but got there in the end !
Click to expand...

Sounds good I've used these for years on various occasions no problems at all.

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I made up a new lead earlier this year, 25mtrs 2.5mm blue Arctic cable was £45 plus postage and about £12 for a plug and socket.
 
Rowls1958 said:
Of course the reel would be fully unwound, thats always a given, so not an issue. Why exactly is the first bit WRONG
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The cable/original plug are rated to carry 13A, you are going to attach a plug rathed to 16A = 3A more than cable is rated for.
If used in a commercial enviroment it would be H&SE breach.
It is the same logic as plugging in a 4 gang 13A extension lead at home and plugging in 4 devices and wondering why the fuse
blows or the plug bursts into flames.
 
Rowls1958 said:
Wow, some of you guys dont like "Europeans" do you !!??
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Most of us love Europeans, some of us are married to them.
There are many here that spend months travelling around mainland Europe.

However what we are not so keen on is the standard of EHU use in many European camp sites, which on a C&MHC site where you would be told within minutes of setting up to disconnect your domestic reels and plugs and replace with a proper EHU cable or leave.

On many UK campsite they will check
I've never seen a check done on a European campsite.
 
ChrisL said:
I made up a new lead earlier this year, 25mtrs 2.5mm blue Arctic cable was £45 plus postage and about £12 for a plug and socket.
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Used 2.5mm so no issue, domestic 13A is 1.0 - 1.5mm depending how cheap they make it.
NOT suitable to fit a 16A plug to.

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Jez1966 said:
They look to be 2.5mm so rated to 30A ish, 13A with domestic plug will be 1.0 - 1.5 depending on how cheap they are.
They are not comparable.
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Please read post #18 to which I replied and who said I was comparing the 2x in the picture with anything else?
 
The real issues are:
1. Colour..... green cannot be seen on grass so is a trip and possible mower hazard.
2. Fire Risk ... if not completely unwound and even then they have been known to catch light.
3. Desiretech import cheap products from the Far East and have a terrible reputation for the rubbish products they sell.... just check the reviews.
4. Waterproofing. It claims to be be IP54 rated meaning it should cope with splashes but with some water ingress. IT IS NOT WATERPROOF! For your's and everyone else's safety you need IP66 or IP67 rating. Without seeing it, but having seen similar in the flesh I doubt very much that would stand up to scrutiny against the claimed IP54 rating anyway. Only IP68 ir 69 are 'submersible' in water. Only IP69 is considered truly 'waterproof'. The 5 in IP56 simply means it struggles to keep out dust as well.
5. The cable looks to be only 1.5mm or even less. It may not safely carry 16A especially with any kinks or anything running over it.
6. You need Artic grade 2.5mm cable as ultimately it will lay where people or vehicles may cross.
7. 13A connectors were never designed for outdoor use, The safest way is to put both plug and socket inside one of the sealed plastic boxes you can buy for the purpose.

The real issue is that it is not just you and your van you put at risk by trying to do things on the cheap. Electricity, and fires are dangerous, more so outdoors.

Good luck.
 
I have two leads, 15m and 10m, with orange 2.6 sq mm cables which I can join with a waterproof cover if needed, but have not needed to do that. Be aware that in some places using the sort of cable you propose would not be allowed, and in Sweden recently we even had our cable inspected to ensure it was the heavy duty 2.6 sq mm type before we were allowed to connect. I keep my cables wound onto rectangular plastic frames and always fully unwind before use to avoid any fire risk.

You can buy 3 pin adapters and they should have female receptacles, not male, as the one shown in the first picture. You can also get ones with an EU plug in place of the UK 3 pin one as in the second picture. These are essential for European use as I would estimate that about 50% of the EHU posts we have connected to only provide that type of socket, not the standard type.


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