Member Since: 20 Jul 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 1349
Is it a circuit-breaker, or an RCD tripping?
Like others have said, if it's a circuit breaker, they're designed to protect against over-current/over-loading the cable. 1st check the size of it, I.e. current rating marked on it, then you can total up your approx load. Total the watts (1kw=1000 watts), then divide that by the volts, it gives you the current used. Eg 2kw/2000w divided by 230volts = 8.7amps
If it's an RCD, they trip due to a fault to earth, basically if there's an imbalance between live & neutral. These are usually caused by faulty appliances
18th Nov 2014 2:27 am
UNG
Member Since: 20 Jun 2008
Location: Lancs
Posts: 753
Re: Hook-Up tripping problems advice please
highbayrack wrote:
We have put our new My14 caravan on a seasonal pitch this year, just by way of a change. But having been caravanning for years I'm always mindful not to overload the system and turn heaters off especially before using a electric kettle, also not being an electrician I'm confused at the problems we are getting this weekend.
The site we are on - all Hook-Up's are 16amp, or so they claim. at the weekend being much colder we had one 2Kw fan heater only on in the awning which kept tripping the power, but not in the van circuit breakers, but at the hook-up point itself. I tried a couple of spare heaters just in case the first one was sensitive or faulty but others were the same result.
While the sockets are 16A rated the MCB could be of a lower rating. On overload an MCB will trip at anything upto 50% more than it's rating so it for an MCB to trip you would need to have a bit more load than the rating on the breaker
highbayrack wrote:
I sat there and watched this trip with no additional load being applied in the van, I.E no one had turned on a kettle or the microwave and as the van is new with all LED lighting and the only thing on in the van was the fridge/freezer, the colour running off 12 volt and the Alde CH running off the gas . The response from the acting site manager was - ah well it will be your heater then - which I doubt
Caravan sites are notorious for volt drop the further from the supply you get and the more caravans plugged in and loading the system, volt drop will cause the load current to increase there by causing the MCB to trip
highbayrack wrote:
On the other hand, some friends of ours just also moved onto a different part of the site this weekend and walking into their caravan/awning was like going into your local branch of Curry's/PC world they had so much running off the one 16am outlet with no problems I couldn't believe it, and they said the only time theirs tripped out was when they turned on the kettle and forgot everything else was on.
The electrical system installed on the site and the location of the van relative to the mains supply point may be the reason for this
highbayrack wrote:
In fact we've been on our pitch since about June without any problems ourselves and the only thing I can point the finger at which has changed is that a brand new Winnebago 5th wheeler as big as the QE2 and looks like it would need its own sub-station has moved onto the pitch next to ours and is using the same hook-up stand as us, but obviously a different outlet. So could this in any way be part of the problem as I did a couple of weeks back run 2 x fan heaters on 1Kw setting overnight without tripping before this monster moved in ? and why is it not first tripping out our van circuit box which I thought was supposed to always happen in the first place, or could the electrical system in our new van be at fault ?
The Winniebago may be causing some of the problem for the reasons stated previously
highbayrack wrote:
I do plan next weekend to experiment and plug our van into a different hook-up outlet, but because we are quite away from the nearest one ill have to join 2 power cables together to reach before I can test this theory.
Any thoughts appreciated
Others have mentioned using a clamp ammeter which is a good call but I would also monitor the voltage at the same time to check if a volt drop is the cause
Using 2 hook up cables connected together can cause problems as the resistance of the supply cable to the caravan will then be double and will cause some volt drop. If there is no problem when you test it this way I would be weary of leaving this way as a long term solution as the longer lead length will also have an effect on the caravan earthing
There could be a very simple solution that the MCB on the hook up pillar is faulty and needs replacing as they don't last forever and are regularly "tested" on caravan sites by the users"Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag'em down to your level. It's cheaper".
Last edited by UNG on 18th Nov 2014 12:52 pm. Edited 1 time in total
18th Nov 2014 12:49 pm
highbayrack
Member Since: 09 Jul 2008
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 2776
Thanks guys I appreciate all the advice which has given me quite a few things to check and questions to ask when we go this weekend I'm still of the opinion that the site electrics (or this particular hook up post at least) is what's causing the problem, and I will try and track down a local electrician to run a few covert tests so I can hopefully present facts to the site management On a mission to find the perfect Pork Pie. Just Found it (I think)..(Yes I have)
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18th Nov 2014 12:52 pm
UNG
Member Since: 20 Jun 2008
Location: Lancs
Posts: 753
Pity your 100 or so miles south of me I like faults like this it makes the job interesting at times"Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag'em down to your level. It's cheaper".
18th Nov 2014 12:58 pm
highbayrack
Member Since: 09 Jul 2008
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 2776
UNG On a mission to find the perfect Pork Pie. Just Found it (I think)..(Yes I have)
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18th Nov 2014 1:58 pm
Kingmav66
Member Since: 20 Jul 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 1349
Where is the site?
20th Nov 2014 10:25 am
highbayrack
Member Since: 09 Jul 2008
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 2776
It's at place called Stanford on Avon in the grounds of Stanford Hall, which is just literally a couple of miles from where the M1/M6/A14 all join at the Cathorpe Interchange On a mission to find the perfect Pork Pie. Just Found it (I think)..(Yes I have)
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20th Nov 2014 10:34 am
Ted Newman
Member Since: 09 Oct 2010
Location: SE London
Posts: 840
Have you physically switched off the electric at the ALDE control? We had a similar problem and found that just turning on the gas was not enough as the ALDE is an intelligent system and will switch to electric to save gas when running -- so you must go through the control until you come to the ectrics section and reduce from 3 to 2 to 1 to 0 - this switches of the 240 volts heating elements and not the pump.LR Discovery 4 XS pulling an Airstream 532 Caravan also own (since new) a 1996 MGF
20th Nov 2014 10:53 am
highbayrack
Member Since: 09 Jul 2008
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 2776
Ted, Good point I'm fairly sure we turned it to '0' when we switched over to gas last weekend but I'll certainly double check when we go tomorrow
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20th Nov 2014 2:53 pm
highbayrack
Member Since: 09 Jul 2008
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 2776
This should fix it till I can get to the bottom of the real problem - I'll just run one supply to the caravan as normal and this separate one to the heater in the awning from the spare 16amp outlet on the post. Is that a cunning plan or what
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21st Nov 2014 6:10 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8119
Not if the site manager sees you doing it and charges you double, why not just plug your electrics in the spare one and try that?
Site electrics have to be checked every year by law and a certificate issued that must be visible to customers and must state the maximum amount in amps that can be drawn along with the voltage.
As for the Winnibago it will have its own silent generator, wether its being used is a different matter.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
21st Nov 2014 6:50 pm
highbayrack
Member Since: 09 Jul 2008
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 2776
Good point, but I've already told the site managers what I might do and they are OK with me doing this as they are also starting to believe that the Winnebago might be the problem we are going to site in the morning and my first job will be to try our plug in the other spare socket first. I asked the old couple last week if they had an on-board generator and they were not sure if it did or not . I know that the importer had to change most of the electrics and some of the appliances (cooker) to a UK spec. A mate lent me the extension cable today and I will only use it as a last resort On a mission to find the perfect Pork Pie. Just Found it (I think)..(Yes I have)
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21st Nov 2014 7:10 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
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Split the end of the extension cable into live, earth and neutral and wrap an amp clamp around a conductor?Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
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I'll need to check my insurance policies first On a mission to find the perfect Pork Pie. Just Found it (I think)..(Yes I have)
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21st Nov 2014 7:46 pm
Russell
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I'm still of the opinion that the site electrics (or this particular hook up post at least) is what's causing the problem, and I will try and track down a local electrician to run a few covert tests so I can hopefully present facts to the site management 
. I know that the importer had to change most of the electrics and some of the appliances (cooker) to a UK spec. A mate lent me the extension cable today and I will only use it as a last resort 
