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Caravan hook up

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
Hi I am fitting a caravan hook up on the wall next to  the dno incomer box. No wires exposed. Do I still require an earth rod. The earth bond will be prob 1 ft long inside so not exposed. I know if I fit the box away using swa then yes earth rod would be used.
  • Sparkingchip:

    Interesting combination.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154016689192


    Yes, I am struggling with the idea of a socket at both ends. It looks good, but I am also having difficulty identifying the member on the NICEIC site.


  • Sparkingchip:

    Interesting combination.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154016689192


    Just to avoid possible confusion - I don't think that's a "TT kit" - just a ready-made assembly of what usually goes inside a caravan - the G/Y will be a bonding conductor to the chassis rather than to an earthing conductor for an electrode.

        - Andy.


  • In what way is this suggestion different from hundreds of items of street furniture?

    Possibly it's somewhat more likely that someone will take a firm grip of a caravan door handle/frame while entering/exiting (probably many times and hour if loading/unloading) - I suspect the numbers for touching the local lamppost would be somewhat lower.


    Also the additional electrodes for street lighting are likely to be reasonably effective given the small loads - a caravan hooked up to a 100A domestic PME supply won't have that luxury.


       - Andy.
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Appoligies terable at email lol. A few years ago a friend had issues with having a slight static shock at differant sites they visited. The hook up Wass tt earth rod as it should but the caravan plug 25 m away was the issue in this issue it partially intermittently lost its earth in the plug socket, it turned out to be loss earth connection at the caravan end. I was referring to this. I am not a fan of loose leads as its open to abuse, I have seen campsite owners using strimmer with metal blades cutting grass around the caravan.
  • Gino:

    The reality is in all fairness people do not know that connecting there caravan this way is breaking regulation. A static with an earth rod I can understand as its connected within the unit. Its odd that a caravan hook up in a field with a rod yet the caravan will have a flex wire I think from. Memory is 25m allowable away from the hook up. But going back I have friends that have motor homes caravans all plugged in at home. Some people will say they should know its there responsibility to know, well if it was that bad leads should not be sold openly on the market. From all my posts about this I see that it is a hot potato with many differant takes. I want to get mine up and running at home but putting an rod in is not practical at my property so I have to find another solution. For me it's very odd that the regs can rush through an amendment for ev chargers but the mobile motor homes and caravans very simular set ups have no changes to regs. As I am sure that an ev pen fault technology out now to use with ev chargers is the same solution needed to resolve this issue with home installs for the leasure industry but as pointed out previously to me unless it has been granted by the powers above its stuck with the regs we have now. 


    I agree, although just to make it quite clear, the ESQCR Reg 9(4) is the responsibility of the distributor, and the DTI guidance I linked to earlier says the consumer's responsibility is to comply with BS 7671 - which would not include for the provisions of just plugging in a caravan.


    That doesn't make it any less dangerous, of course ... and I also see your point regarding the similarities of a routing caravan and an EV. But as I said, there's simply no way a British Standard could permit something legislation prohibits.


    I'm not with you, however, on your discussion about being 25 m away from the caravan pitch, and how that relates to PME installations at home? Could you explain a little more clearly. The caravan pitch installation should have a TN-S or TT earthing arrangement, with either automatic disconnection and/or additional protection provided by 30 mA RCD. In a PME neutral fault, there will be no disconnection, hence the prohibition in legislation.


    It's interesting to consider whether, with the advent of electric vehicles, the ESQCR should be revised, though?


  • davezawadi (David Stone):

    I shall play devil's advocate.

    In what way is this suggestion different from hundreds of items of street furniture? I do not see that it is, and they appear to present no danger at all. Is this just a throwback, never corrected, in the ESQCR and BS7671. Typical Earth resistance for lamp posts and phone masts is still 100 ohms or so, in my view very dangerous with a PME supply.


    It's probably not. Again, this is discussed on Page 20 of the DTI guidance I linked to in my previous post, and there is special consideration in G12/4 for street furniture on PME.


  • Chris Pearson:

    I am going to be a little mischievous and ask what penalty a consumer might face when he plugs in his caravan, be it in the driveway or elsewhere.

     



    Well, I'm not a lawyer, but I'd have to say none, because the obligation is on the distributor.


    I think that the distributor may have the powers to require the consumer to not connect a caravan on risk of disconnection ... but of course, if it's a plug-in unit, then I guess that's not going to be easy to resolve, meaning it's easier to let it go.


    As for the other assertions regarding static caravan etc., the original DTI Guidance on ESQCR 2002, in its commentary on 9(4) - see Page 20 - does not make the distinction, and talks about all caravans and boats.
  • I shall play devil's advocate.

    In what way is this suggestion different from hundreds of items of street furniture? I do not see that it is, and they appear to present no danger at all. Is this just a throwback, never corrected, in the ESQCR and BS7671. Typical Earth resistance for lamp posts and phone masts is still 100 ohms or so, in my view very dangerous with a PME supply.
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    The reality is in all fairness people do not know that connecting there caravan this way is breaking regulation. A static with an earth rod I can understand as its connected within the unit. Its odd that a caravan hook up in a field with a rod yet the caravan will have a flex wire I think from. Memory is 25m allowable away from the hook up. But going back I have friends that have motor homes caravans all plugged in at home. Some people will say they should know its there responsibility to know, well if it was that bad leads should not be sold openly on the market. From all my posts about this I see that it is a hot potato with many differant takes. I want to get mine up and running at home but putting an rod in is not practical at my property so I have to find another solution. For me it's very odd that the regs can rush through an amendment for ev chargers but the mobile motor homes and caravans very simular set ups have no changes to regs. As I am sure that an ev pen fault technology out now to use with ev chargers is the same solution needed to resolve this issue with home installs for the leasure industry but as pointed out previously to me unless it has been granted by the powers above its stuck with the regs we have now.
  • Interesting combination.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154016689192