J9withdogs Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Can I ask a really numpty question please? I bought an electric toaster today to go in my m/h because I usually have hook-up and it seems daft to use gas if I have paid for the leccy. I know that there is a limit to what appliances you can use before the electric 'trips', but how do I calculate it? What combination of electric kettle/toaster/fan heater/hairdryer (yes I'm a girlie) can I safely use? If it does get overloaded what happens and what do I do about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 When you boys have stopped squabbling..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butch Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 What no men rushing to assist ??? Gasp In the UK, normal mains voltage is 230V, though it can vary slightly. The highest amperage of an electrical appliance is 13A, so based on the formula, this becomes 230 x 13, which equals 2990 watts. The maximum amps available from the hook-up on a UK site is 16A; often it’s less – 10A or 6A. Also, although a nominal 16A may be available, it is unlikely that this amount will reach your motorhome if other users are also drawing current. Hooking up, you need to calculate the total amperage you can draw without tripping out the mains. Add up the wattage of all the appliances and then divide it by 230. Thus a 2kW heater, 125W fridge, 750W kettle, 50W TV, plus two 40W lightbulbs, totals 3005 watts, which, when divided by 230 gives you 13 amps. So if the site’s supply is less than 16A, switch some items off to avoid tripping out the mains. If like us all you trip out the electric, it is normally a simple matter of pushing the reset button within the hook up point box - Most sites susceptible to tripping leave the box open. Others you may need to ask the warden to open up. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I'm sure others will reply, and may give a more immediately understandable answer, but here goes (there isn't a single, simple answer). The load you can safely run depends on the current rating of the outlet you are connected to. The higher the rating in amps, the more you can run at any one time (see more below). The supply rating does vary from site to site. If you exceed the capacity of the outlet, then one of a number of things can/will happen, depending on how it is protected. Generally, it will either blow a fuse in the supply (rarely nowadays, but if it does you need to get someone from the site to remedy, and of course it always happens when the office is closed), or (more likely nowadays) it will trip a circuit breaker, which can be reset. However, these circuit breakers are not always accessible to you, the punter, and may be locked away inside the supply cabinet, resulting in a similar process to the above. If the circuit breaker is accessible, normally behind a perspex cover on/near the supply, or inside an unlocked cabinet if that's where you being supplied from, you can unplug some of the load in the van (start with the last thing switched on before the failure), and reset the breaker yourself. This type of connection protection is the most user-friendly, since, in essence, it is easy to recover from overload without intervention from anyone but yourself, and thus, 'trial and error' can be used if you can't calculate. Now, if you want to calculate what you can safely use, you need to know the consumption in amps of each device in use, and ensure the total of amps consumed by all items in use is less than the rated supply in amps. (frankly, most circuit breakers have a little margin, but it doesn't pay to push it) Some electrical devices will state the consumption in amps (these are easy to add up) and some in watts (this is more common and you will need to divide the quoted watts by 230 to get the amps consumed - remember a kilowatt is 1000 watts). So, as an example say you are using a 1 kilowatt toaster (=1000/230 amps) and a 2 kilowatt kettle (=2000/230 amps) together, this will be something over 12 amps in total, and remember to leave a little in reserve for the battery charger which is semi-permanently on and you are going to be in the 13-14 amp range. (Also, don't forget those things that tend to get switched on and forgotten, such as water heaters). The theoretical maximum supply rating of your 'blue' hook-up is 16 amps, and many of the club sites do have supplies rated at this, BUT, other sites have lower supplies, and it always pays to check (I've come up against a good few 10 amp supplies in the UK, and many lower than this on the continent). If you can see the circuit breaker, it is possible to deduce the rating from the numbers on the face (a figure like M16 will mean its a 16 amp circuit). HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 With a 250Volt supply, one amp = 250 Watts. So just have a look at your appliances and work out how many Amps they consume. Say a toaster is 2000 watts, well that is 8 Amps. So if the site supply is 16 amps it will support appliances to a total load of 250 x 16 which is 4000 Watts. But many sites don't supply 16 Amps, so in the U/K you are more than likely to have a 13 Amp supply. So always err on the safe side or you may trip the site supply out. HTH. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 1 kW is just over 4 amps. If the hook-up is say 6 Amps then you will get under 1.5 kW. With a 16A hook-up you will get a lot more kWs. If you exceed the limit of the hook-up then it will trip. Some hook-up you can reset yourself, other require the site to reset. Your best bet is to go for low watage units and dont use the kettle/toaster/fan heater/hairdryer all at the sme time. Hope this helps. (Im past the age of the playground squables) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 Thank you, Butch and RobinHood - what a couple of heroes (lol) That makes perfect sense! I hadn't considered the water heater and fridge. Thanks too to Peter and Hamish (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Blimey, we must have all been banging away at the Keyboard at the same time. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 I know - just like buses, nothing for 20 minutes then 4 come within 5 minutes! (lol) (It must have been my impersonation of Ann Robinson - scary or what!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Nuf said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Parke Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 J9, being a 'mere man' I know but your query begs the question 'Why do you want to run all four at once?' Cherry, my wife, has an elec. dryer & curling tongs but she does not use them over breakfast which is, I suggest, when you are using your toaster & kettle. (But not at the same time, surely?). Regards, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 12, 2007 Author Share Posted September 12, 2007 What I meant to say was, what combination of appliances can I use rather than can I use them all at the same time! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Git Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 Don't let them bully you Janine. :D :D You girls are famous for multi-tasking. Don't wear the curling tongs in the shower though, or they might do just what it says on the box. :$ Cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 Janine, you can cut down on one appliance - throw out the hairdryer and stick your head in front of the fan heater! :-> Tip - when you've got wet hair and no hairdryer the hand-dryer in a toilet makes a great alternative!!! My hubby has tried it and says it soon dries his hair ... he does get some funny looks though when he straightens up again and his hair is sticking out in all directions! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 12, 2007 Author Share Posted September 12, 2007 I've got it sussed now and have spent the afternoon labelling all of my appliances with their respective ampages. Will only have to take off one of my socks to be able to add them up and total less than 16! Brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 Janine, 16 amps is the rating of the round blue connector, seldom the rating of the overload trip at the hookup point. When you book a site it is normal for the operators to say on their paperwork how many amps maximum the hookup is capable of. If you get more than 6 amps in many places, especially in France you are doing well. 10 amps is not uncommon but 16 amps is quite rare. Occasionally some places have different tarrifs for say 6 amps and 16 amps or therabouts. So read the small print. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 On one Spanish site I plugged the 'van in and immediately tripped the MCB. There was only the fridge and the charger on. I asked at reception for someone to reset the MCB which was locked in side the supply box. I was greated by a Dutch employee who said "You Brits are all the same with electricity on camp sites always wanting more" I said this is a German 'van and only the fridge and charger are on how little do you want to give for the extortionate rate you are charging - Apparently the answer was 3amps so we left! Just to add a lttle to all the good advice above. The calculatio methods are correct but just remember that as the voltage drops the amperage increases - we have been on sites abroad which have been so overloaded that the voltage has gone down as low as 180v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 ""Just to add a lttle to all the good advice above. The calculatio methods are correct but just remember that as the voltage drops the amperage increases - we have been on sites abroad which have been so overloaded that the voltage has gone down as low as 180v"" Not exactly correct unless you can change the resistance of the appliance your are connecting. What will happen is as the voltage drops the power output from the appliance will drop. Your 1000w kettle will only heat at say 800w and take longer to boil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 13, 2007 Author Share Posted September 13, 2007 Blimey - I think I'm going to stick with gas - you know where you are with gas *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Git Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 J9withdogs - 2007-09-13 8:23 AM Blimey - I think I'm going to stick with gas - you know where you are with gas *-) Unitl you get a leak or the butane freezes 'cos it's too cold or the thermocouple gets displaced or bonfire night falls on a Tuesday . . . . *-) Hey ho - off we go again. Regards Dave P.S. (In view of recent trends, let me explain that the reference to bonfire night is a joke. Not a very good one maybe, but a feeble attempt at levity nonetheless.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 13, 2007 Author Share Posted September 13, 2007 Thankyou Mr Git - I will try not to be away in the van on bonfire night, just in case :D You are so right about the gas - one of the reasons for getting the toaster was because my gas bottle ran-out whilst I was cooking breakfast last weekend and I had to have jam sandwiches :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin r c Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 Toasted jam sandwich. yummy :-S :-S :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted September 13, 2007 Author Share Posted September 13, 2007 Not half as nice as the bacon sandwiches that I was supposed to be having (lol) What is it with camping? Bacon sandwiches never taste as good at home (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 You could buy another electrical appliance Janine - a George Foreman grill, that way you can have nice crispy bacon without the fat so you'll be healthier (but it doesn't tast the same without the 'dip' does it!). (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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