Caravan hook up

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?

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

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.

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.

AJJewsbury:

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.

https://www.caravanparts.co.uk/cce-4008-caravan-mains-inlet-p-606.html

AJJewsbury:

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.

Here in London we have EV charging points attached to lampposts. This firm char.gy take on average 90 minutes to install them, and mention that earth mats and/or rods might be needed.