lennyhb Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 rolandrat - 2009-08-11 7:36 PM reverse polarity can cause the 240 hotplate on/off to glow red when in the off position if you have that type of cooker installed as current travels down the earth connection. If that happens you really do need to get your installation checked if you have leakage to earth the RCD should trip. The only other reason for the neon to light on reverse polarity is if the neon is connected to earth which would be bad practice. Some people say that using the reverse polarity doesn't harm the electronic control equipment fitted to regulate the power but I beg to differ because it can. That is just not possible there is no way it can cause any damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Lennyhb, Sergents have recently replaced my control panel then when that didn,t resolve the problem they replaced the 225 box of tricks which contain the external power sensers which are built in and can,t be replaced individually. That company is the Bees Knees and they have gone the extra mile, as far as I'm concerned. The cooker switch problem was discussed with Baldwins service department as it is only 4 months old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 When I first went abroad with a motorcaravan I did as malc-d described earlier - bought two Continental adapter-leads from a motorhome dealership and swapped over the positive and negative cables in one of them. What, in my innocence, I failed to do was check the 'polarity' of each adapter before altering the cable positions. Having got round to doing this I found that I had two adapter-leads with the same polarity, as the positive/negative cables in the lead I had modified had already been 'back to front'. I don't know if this was a one-off, or not uncommon, but it might be worth looking out for if you plan to adopt this method of polarity reversal. On the rare occasions that I use a 230V hook-up, I normally check the power outlet at the service-pillar with a neon-tester before connecting to it. This is a) because I've got a neon-tester and I may as well use it, b) because I don't want to be deploying a long mains cable to a 'dead' 230V outlet, and c) because I don't want to connect to an outlet that's really wonky electrically. If the polarity of a mains outlet merely turns out to be reversed, then I don't care. As far as I can see, reversed polarity will have no potentially damaging impact on our Hobby motorhome, nor on the mains-powered electrical appliances we use within it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Derek Uzzell - 2009-08-12 7:45 AM If the polarity of a mains outlet merely turns out to be reversed, then I don't care. As far as I can see, reversed polarity will have no potentially damaging impact on our Hobby motorhome, nor on the mains-powered electrical appliances we use within it. B-) Exactly. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 johnsandywhite - 2009-08-12 10:30 AM Derek Uzzell - 2009-08-12 7:45 AM If the polarity of a mains outlet merely turns out to be reversed, then I don't care. As far as I can see, reversed polarity will have no potentially damaging impact on our Hobby motorhome, nor on the mains-powered electrical appliances we use within it. B-) Exactly. ;-) Yes, but. I think the implicit self-congratulation is just a teensy bit misplaced. Read Derek's post again. He is speaking for himself, and his van, and not for others. His van was imported from Germany, and is wired (so far as I know), just like ours, to German, and not IEE, standards. It is also quite new. Older vans, and those wired to other standards, including older versions of the IEE regs, (or those with defective installations or equipment, or inept but undetected DIY interventions), may not be so polarity neutral. Your avatar is, I believe, an American RV. These are wired for 110V American supplies. The adaptation of these to suit European standards is a whole new can of worms.I go back to my earlier point: one cannot be categorical that the consequences of reversed polarity will be insignificant in every case. To do so is rash, because none of us can know the condition of, or the standards appliccable to, the installations in every van. Reversed polarity is easy to check for, and easy to rectify, and rectification removes any latent risk. It is also likely to detect any (far more dangerous) earth deficiencies.Each of us should make their own assessment, for their own van and, if unsure, or if they don't understand, just check and rectify as a matter of course. That is the safest course, and it is the only advice that can be responsibly given to a wholly unknown audience, with wholly unknown vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 :-D You are right Brian. People should always err on the cautious side if they are not happy with Electrics etc. I started off many years ago with a Transit Autohomes Frontier and graduated to a 32ft Chevy Coachmen Classic, then a 30ft Chevy Gulfstream Crown Regis, a 29ft Winnie and finally a 38ft Newmar Mountain Aire. We also have had for a commuter a Dethleffs Globetrotter and a Swift Kontiki. Our current (Electrics again) commuter is a 2004 Swift Suntor 630G. You would NOT believe the state of some of the electric additions made to them. But then again. I have always mostly relied on Solar power, though when hooked up, I never check polarity because I know MY electrics are OK. User beware is a apt message. Happy hooking up to ALL. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 johnsandywhite - 2009-08-12 2:17 PM :-D You are right Brian. People should always err on the cautious side if they are not happy with Electrics etc. I started off many years ago with a Transit Autohomes Frontier and graduated to a 32ft Chevy Coachmen Classic, then a 30ft Chevy Gulfstream Crown Regis, a 29ft Winnie and finally a 38ft Newmar Mountain Aire. We also have had for a commuter a Dethleffs Globetrotter and a Swift Kontiki. Our current (Electrics again) commuter is a 2004 Swift Suntor 630G. You would NOT believe the state of some of the electric additions made to them. But then again. I have always mostly relied on Solar power, though when hooked up, I never check polarity because I know MY electrics are OK. User beware is a apt message. Happy hooking up to ALL. ;-) So hopefully ( to refer back to your earlier posting ) you will ALWAYS try to make the point on ALL forums that people should err on the side of caution. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 malc d - 2009-08-12 3:41 PM So hopefully ( to refer back to your earlier posting ) you will ALWAYS try to make the point on ALL forums that people should err on the side of caution. ;-) (lol) No. I still maintain it makes no difference. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little-jack Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Thats why, when in France you will see many cables with a red or green 'sausage' like cover over the connection between 2 cables. bought one of these covers in a diy store in Bayeux for €1.90, and it provides a rainproof seal over the 2 sockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin h Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Well, thanks for all the replies, I never realised my question would provoke such debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 little-jack - 2009-08-12 5:52 PM Thats why, when in France you will see many cables with a red or green 'sausage' like cover over the connection between 2 cables. bought one of these covers in a diy store in Bayeux for €1.90, and it provides a rainproof seal over the 2 sockets. I remember the subject of waterproofing mains-cable connections coming up before on this forum. I think the covers you refer to are designed to protect an ordinary 'domestic' French plug-and-socket connection from water ingress, but may be unusable with the much bulkier CEE-type connectors normally employed on UK motorhome mains cables. One of my French leisure vehicle accessory catalogues has an advert for a red plastic 'sausage' cover "pour proteger les raccords de prises standards des projections d'eau" (ie. a connection using French 'household' connectors). However, the price is about €6, so it may be different from what you bought. Could you confirm, please, whether or not your cover can protect a CEE-to-CEE connection? It is possible to obtain in the UK something similar to the product in my French catalogue (see link below), but it's not designed to accept CEE connectors. http://www.whdirect.co.uk/product.php?productid=397 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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