Geoff Tuckley Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Having read in the magazines about reversed polarity on campsites and apart from the obvious (the neutral being live when working on electrics) can anyone tell me what damage can be done to the vehicle if one is hooked up to reversed polarity. It seems that items like the battery charger and such already have inbuilt rectifiers to aleviate such a problem. Thanks all and I know that one of you out there will have the answer. Geoff PS Minus 6 in N. Wales with freezing fog. Can't wait for the spring in France and Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Well I know from personal experience that the Truma combi boilers don't like it up 'em! They knock out the trip switch if introduced to reversed polarity, don't know quite why but it happens. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RupertGS Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Why worry about reversed polarity when it's so easy to fix? I have an eighteen inch length of mains lead with the live and neutral reversed. If a site has reverse polarity I slip this between the 'van and the 'van end of the hook-up lead and it reverses it back. This way I have no problem if I'm using continental adaptors at the other (mains plug-in) end).Most modern 'vans tell you if your polarity is reversed. My electrical unit has an LED but I don't even need to lift the seat to look at that. If it's reversed polarity my microwave isolator LED will not switch off, so I can see at a glance.If your 'van can't tell you, buy a reversed polarity indicator for a few quid. Plug it in to a socket and it tells you immediately.Many people will argue that reversed polarity doesn't matter, but why take a chance? I've been led to believe that certain freak conditions can make an appliance live.Edited to say: If I use my short bit of cable I always wrap the joint where it joins the mains cable, using a plastic bag so that it doesn't get soaked in wet weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Hi Geoff, cannot see why reverse polarity should have any effect at all, have never bothered personally although some do go to great lengths to check. From your post do you live in North Wales, if so where? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 I'm no electrician but I was told that appliances are live ( with reversed polarity ) because the current is switched off after passing through the appliance instead of before it reaches the appliance. That seemed logical to me but I'm sure some expert will soon put us right. :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little-jack Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Im no electrician, but I have always understood that on the continent, all sockets are double pole switched, ie both live and neutral are switched off/on at each socket, so when socket is switched off the appliance is isolated, common practice in the uk has been to use single pole sockets where only the live is isolated, so on reversed polarity, where neutral is the live wire, the appliance, although switched off, will still be live. Double pole sockets are now redilly available in the uk , but I dont know if any one fits them as standard. I changed all mine at home for dp switches lst year. I stress Im not qualified as an electrician, and would be interested to hear if the above is correct. little jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianR Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 little-jack - 2008-12-07 9:09 PM Im no electrician, but I have always understood that on the continent, all sockets are double pole switched, ie both live and neutral are switched off/on at each socket, so when socket is switched off the appliance is isolated, common practice in the uk has been to use single pole sockets where only the live is isolated, so on reversed polarity, where neutral is the live wire, the appliance, although switched off, will still be live. little jack The problem is not just the switches on sockets but all electrical switches, on lights and appliances. With reverse polarity, you can switch off a light to change the bulb or tube and the holder will still be live. This is potentially dangerous. True, like an earlier poster, you might not have had a problem yet, but it only needs one instance to be fatal. The people who have experienced this problem probably don't post on this forum any more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Get a tester to check ! Have been on one site where there was no EARTH showing, and that could be very deadly. Reversed polarity can easly be sorted by making up a short lead with the pos/neg wires reversed on the bollard plug end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 It's not a good idea to wrap electrical connectors in plastic bags either as the plastic bag will cause condensation around the connections ,so you are creating the conditions you are trying to stop, IE wet joiners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Erring on the side of caution, to protect the van when it was new, I had a polarity changeover switch fitted By Dave Newell. It detects reversed polarity and sounds an alarm. Flicking the switch then corrects the polarity. I've been very pleased with the switch and surprised how often I have encountered the problem. I would say 1 in 3 continental sites and 1 in 10 or so UK ones. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tuckley Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 Hi, Rupert 123, We live just outside of Mold in Mynydd Isa. Its ok - we have Wetherspoons. I see you live Beddgelert, do a lot of riding in that area on my motorbike. Best wishes Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tuckley Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 RupertGS - 2008-12-07 4:42 PMWhy worry about reversed polarity when it's so easy to fix? I have an eighteen inch length of mains lead with the live and neutral reversed. If a site has reverse polarity I slip this between the 'van and the 'van end of the hook-up lead and it reverses it back. This way I have no problem if I'm using continental adaptors at the other (mains plug-in) end).Most modern 'vans tell you if your polarity is reversed. My electrical unit has an LED but I don't even need to lift the seat to look at that. If it's reversed polarity my microwave isolator LED will not switch off, so I can see at a glance.If your 'van can't tell you, buy a reversed polarity indicator for a few quid. Plug it in to a socket and it tells you immediately.Many people will argue that reversed polarity doesn't matter, but why take a chance? I've been led to believe that certain freak conditions can make an appliance live.Edited to say: If I use my short bit of cable I always wrap the joint where it joins the mains cable, using a plastic bag so that it doesn't get soaked in wet weather.Hi, everyone,feel a bit better about it now and have been out and bought a tester. First year on a motorhome this year and being used to boats which use generators have not come up against this before. I shall rig up a lead to go I think to the van end of the cable as on our first trip around Europe this year we had to use various connectors on various sites.Thanks again everyoneGeoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.