Phase reversed EHU sockets in Europe

[AlanC]

While traveling in Spain this year, I noticed that a fellow Cali owner had used a phase reverse cable in his hook up feed. So out of interest I tested my supply socket and found that the L+N were also reversed. This was not the Euro 2 pin feed but a proper 16amp blue CEE plug system.

I got a little worried and pulled every cable I had on board apart to make sure the issue was not my wiring. It wasn't, all of my cables were correctly wired.

From then on I started testing all of the feeds I used before I connected the van to the EHU. 9 times out of 10 there was an error on the supply board which I was able to correct.

The worst case I came across was a site on the North coast of Spain which had large power boxes with 14 CEE sockets on each of them. Only six of these were correctly wired on the one I used.

Now as the Cali is properly designed in Germany this issue should not cause any issues to the on-board electrical kit, but if like us, you have a UK made item plugged in to the 13 socket, then the power switch may be a single pole type and therefore the live may not be broken when the item is switch off, leave the item potentially live.

I had always assumed that the 16amp feeds would be correctly wired, and only checked the 2 pin systems with a phase check plug to make sure I plugged the van up correctly.

Has anyone else come across the issue, or am I worrying too much?

Alan

 

[jts46]

We get this in France, Spain, Italy, Corsica, Sciliy, Sardinia & Portugal. I always carry a made up reverse polarity lead with me.

 

[bigmac77]

Quite common in Europe, if your worried carry a plug in polarity tester like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/mains-socket-tester

You can also carry a short lead to plug in between site hook up and your lead to correct the polarity. However it should not really be a problem but that might depend on what you have plugged in to the 240v socket.

 

[T6 CFO]

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/index.php?posts/139841/

Previous threads on this issue of which this is one.

I bought a tester and lead to correct.


Mike

 

[briwy]

I used to worry about it and always test the supply but now don't bother. None of the other nationalities on foreign sites seem to use phase reverses and there don't appear to any of them lying around electrocuted. It's only if you are using pretty old kit that's not double insulated that you are likely to get a problem.
Incidentally we have come across a couple of places in the UK that are wired incorrectly as well.

 

[sidepod]

Jeeeeez not again!!!!!!

 

[GrannyJen]

Jeeeeez not again!!!!!!

Shocking!

 

[bigmac77]

Incidentally we have come across a couple of places in the UK that are wired incorrectly as well.

Always a problem when the sparkies are colour blind.

 

[Stoneybroke]

Always a problem when the sparkies are colour blind.

I thought that's why they changed from red and black to blue and brown?
Perhaps it's more that there aren't proper sparkies working up the distribution units....

 

[bigmac77]

I thought that's why they changed from red and black to blue and brown?
Perhaps it's more that there aren't proper sparkies working up the distribution units....

Maybe but to be honest wiring up a camping/tourer hook up is not very difficult, you've only got three wires to connect up, more likely a lack of concentration on behalf of the person doing the work.

 

[AlanC]

I hadn't checked before now and have had both a phase tester and a reverse phase cable in the van for 3 years, but never felt the need to use them before this year.

What surprised me was that so many of the 16amp CEE circuits were wrongly wired. But as pointed out, with double insulated equipment this is not an issue.

An interesting exercise though, but I will stop doing it now and get to the wine a few minutes earlier on all future trips.

Alan

 

[briwy]

Doesn't surprise me at all that they are wired up wrong. I did some wiring in our house in France, colour coding doesn't exist. They appear to have used whatever they had available.

 

[jts46]

Doesn't surprise me at all that they are wired up wrong. I did some wiring in our house in France, colour coding doesn't exist. They appear to have used whatever they had available.

Same in our house when we moved in

 

[AlanC]

That accounts for a lot

 

[methley]

We've been on uk sites before with no earth connection!

 

[bigmac77]

We've been on uk sites before with no earth connection!

Places like this just operate in hope that they never have an accident. No earth would mean it would fail its electrical safety certification, no electrical certificate no site licence, no site licence no business BUT in my experiance councils never check anything unless there is an incident.

 

[Loz]

I have come across a few miswired outlets, I tend to just correct them when I find them.

 

[sidepod]

We've been on uk sites before with no earth connection!

Now that is serious!!!!!

 

[sidepod]

Just for ref. Campsite hook up points in U.K. shoujd be TT earth. In other words you should see an earth rod at the foot of the hook up point. If not, raise an eyebrow!

 

[briwy]

Well at least most have an earth. The last Mazda Bongo we had came direct from Japan and had a hookup cable. Two pin and you got your own earth rod to knock in on site so lord knows what hooks ups are like over there.

 

[sidepod]

Well at least most have an earth. The last Mazda Bongo we had came direct from Japan and had a hookup cable. Two pin and you got your own earth rod to knock in on site so lord knows what hooks ups are like over there.

Scary!! Not actually that far removed from our system.
Each hookup point is fed via a two core then the earth connection is made locally via a copper rod belted into the soil.
(Regs forbid exporting earths from the main incoming supply point - voltage gradients causing differing earth potential and all of that).

Happy hook-ups.

 

[deccauk]

I've never checked. Does it matter?

 

[sidepod]

I've never checked. Does it matter?

Well yes it does. It's a complex subject so not entirely black and white.
A lack of earth rod doesn't necessarily mean no earth connection but it may suggest things are not done by the book.

Without specialist test kit it's not easy to check.

The jap system isn't as daft as it sounds.
At least you're sure of an earth.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I am still waiting for my Cali but have done two hookups in hired UK conversions. Both worked OK. Never even considered there could be a problem with missing this, reverse that etc.

What do I need to be able to check for faults and if found how do I correct/limit danger to me or my Cali? Would I need differing kit for UK and Europe? All I have at present is a 25m hookup cable and a UK 13 Amp adaptor socket, both bought from the forum shop.

A bit confused JW

 

[briwy]

The only thing you definitely need for abroad is a converter for the plug from the normal plug to a continental two pin type as some sites will not have the usual hook up socket. Our van came with one.
Opinions vary on the phase reversal question.
Plenty to read on here about it if you do a search.