New Motor Home 230 Volt Sockets

[spartan3956]

I have just bought a new Motorhome and found that the 230volt sockets appear to be fused down to 6 amps.

The RCD unit has a 16 and a 6 fuse.

Is this normal for new vans as i am now unable to use the vacum cleaner when at home on hook up it just keeps tripping out, even with a electric kettle it wont hold.

My old van never had a problem

The 16 is for the heater cooker etc i presume.

 

 

[lennyhb]

10amp is more normal providing the wiring is up to it you should be able to change the MCB for a 10 amp one.

 

1.0mm sq flex is rated at 10 amp

1.5mm sq flex is rated at 16 amps

 

Most Motorhome manufactures use 1.5 mm sq flex to wire the sockets, so if yours is wired in 1.5 no problem changing the MCB I wouldn't recommend changing if it's 1.0.

 

 

[Keith T]

spartan3956 - 2012-09-25 4:46 PM

 

I have just bought a new Motorhome and found that the 230volt sockets appear to be fused down to 6 amps.

The RCD unit has a 16 and a 6 fuse.

Is this normal for new vans as i am now unable to use the vacum cleaner when at home on hook up it just keeps tripping out, even with a electric kettle it wont hold.

My old van never had a problem

The 16 is for the heater cooker etc i presume.

 

 

I am somewhat surprised at this.....more specifically that the 6a is insufficient for each socket. We find that very often, and almost always when in France, you are lucky to get a 6a supply IN TOTAL. Our kettle iand toaster are 800W each (less than 4a each), vacuum about 600W ( under 3A), Hot water/heating either 900W or 1800W (less than 4A on the lower setting), and we make sure that we limit which of these are in use at any one time.

Even when in UK, max on CC sites is 16A and often lower on other sites, so it always makes sense to use low wattage items.

[Derek Uzzell]

While it's true that plenty of French 230V hook-ups have low-amperage outlets, others provide the 16A that UK caravanners are accustomed to. And, while it's good practice to work on the basis that 230V hook-up outlets can be low amperage and choose electrical appliances accordingly, I'd expect the wiring and MCBs of a UK-built motorhome to be capable by design of handling a load above 6A.

 

John Wickersham's book "Build Your Own Motorcaravan" details the installation of a 230V system. In brief, this involves 2.5mm sq cable from the motorhome's input-socket to its consumer-unit, then 1.5mm sq cable feeding the motorhome's 13A socket-outlets. Although many 230V hook-ups may be low amperage, the type of system JW describes has the potential to handle a 16A amperage mains supply. Plainly, if a motorhome system's MCBs are all high amperage, there's a high risk of tripping out the hook-up itself (which won't earn you any favours), but fitting just a 6A-rated MCB (and possibly cabling to match) seems an odd decision for Bentley to have made.

 

As lennyhb advises, if the cabling is adequate to cope with the higher load, changing the 6A MCB to 10A would be the logical approach.

 

 

[spartan3956]

You worked out it was a Bentley unfortunately they are out of business as such and have a recorded message saying back on 13th August after annual shut down big shut down. so i cannot ask the question direct I might just have the sockets wired up to take the amperage.

 

I always ask what the amperage supply is when arriving on site.

I would like to ask a few more questions about the Bentley yes its a good looker but so far.

 

Back to Renault twice injector software update. as stalled at low rev take off.

The vehicle locked me in or out if you used central locking and entered habitational door, worse when i had the cat 1 alarm it locked you in and started a racket. so basically you could not lock doors on site. cost £70 for auto electrician to wire the hab door into light circuit.

Table leg broke (replaced)

5 foot Cabinet trim came loose.(self fix)

Privacy Blind broke (back to base replacement)

Floor squeaks.(back to base fix)

Toilet door hadle came off in my hand (self fix)

Draw catches failed so a draw was unlocked in transit. (self fix)

The fresh water drain piping i caught with hose pipe and it fell off emptying the tank, I checked the waste and that was the same i had to glue all the joints just push fit waiting to fall off.

Not good on a 60k plus motorhome.

I have to carry a full tool kit with me on away days.

Fortunately the dealer is a good one but he insists back to base guarantee which is a 120 mile round trip.

I do hope the new owners bring in quality control

I will buy local in future it would save any problems.

Other than that its a sound vehicle the 2.3 Renault Master is better by far than the 2.8 Fiat more power and handles better drives like a car.

I just thought it was me but talking to owners with new vehicles different makes they have had loads of problems like batteries exploding fridge doors falling off and lots more.

Are we paying top dollar for rubbish.

[peacock312]

sorry to hear you have so many problems with your new motorhome,we bought a new Adria Coral,s670 special edition,on 3ltr Fiat,took delivery 5 Nov09,since then covered 18500mls, about two thirds of this towing a car on Aframe, to date no problems at with all with Fiat,on motorhome side to date,toilet flush,thetford,microswitch packed up,sent me new one,self fix,gas regulator same,instep squeak,filler shrunk,self fix,i havent had habitation service,and i have never been back to dealer with van,i hear of so many owners having so many problems i thought i would just say some of us are very lucky,good luck for the future,ps i am nothing to do with Adria

[AliB]

spartan3956 - 2012-09-26 2:35 PM

 

You worked out it was a Bentley unfortunately they are out of business as such and have a recorded message saying back on 13th August after annual shut down big shut down. so i cannot ask the question direct I might just have the sockets wired up to take the amperage.

.

 

Try the new owners of Bentley.

 

http://www.rothbiz.co.uk/2012/09/news-2972-vanmaster-acquires-bentley.html

 

They hope to support previous warranties.

[Derek Uzzell]

spartan3956 - 2012-09-26 2:35 PM

 

...Fortunately the dealer is a good one but he insists back to base guarantee which is a 120 mile round trip...

 

Just idle curiosity, but what is your dealer's stance regarding the conversion-related warranties for your Bentley motorhome? I think these would be 2 years for the conversion, plus a 5 years water-ingress warranty (that I assume demanded the usual periodic inspections).

 

With Bentley defunct, and the possibility that Vanmaster won't pay for under-warranty work on motorhomes constructed pre-Vanmaster-takeover, are Bentley dealerships warranting the vehicles they've sold themselves, and how will they be dealing with the water-ingress warranty?

 

Unless you've already confirmed that the gauge of cable feeding your 230V sockets is inadequate to cope safely with your vacuum cleaner's and kettle's amperage demands, then (as was advised earlier) there may be no need to re-cable the sockets - all you may need to do is replace the 6A MCB.

 

Being kind to Bentley, it's more likely someone in the factory has fitted a 6A MCB when a higher-rated MCB would be perfectly OK, than for Bentley to choose to install cabling to the 230V sockets that would be unsuitable for running the types of 230V appliance (eg. kettle, vacuum cleaner) that most motorcaravanners would anticipate being able to use without the MCB tripping.

[spartan3956]

I havent spoken to them at length but they are doing what they should do and giving me after sales service.

I can and will do what i can for myself but some things need the special knowledge of the dealer workshop they are willing to repair.

It does appear that this might have been on of the last produced hence some things not as they should be but i am sure i am coming to the end of my problems but it has knocked the shine off owning a new van,

I vowed i never would because of teething troubles.

Good points are that it has all Led lights throughout and a massive battery which with stands all the power drain of the lights TV pumps.