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Which Electric hook-up should I buy?

acer

acer

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400
Location
North Hertfordshire
Vehicle
T5 SE 180
I don't think the hook-up cable comes with a new Cali.
Which one should I buy? Are motorhome sockets and plugs standardised? My expectation is that I'll use it rarely. Do you think 10m will be enough?
 
I use a 20m cable. I'm planning a couple of trips into Belgium and France this year. Are the connectors universal and voltages the same or do I need to be looking for something different?


1963 15 window splitscreen
2015 California SE 180 DSG Blackberry metallic
 
You should get a euro style adapter with your Cali, one came with ours.
 
I carry two cables, both 10m. In practice I rarely need more than 10m so mostly use one, the other is there to make a 20m as a "just in case", the last case being September.

The reason I carry two is that I find coiling up one 25m cable (they all seem to come in 10m or 25m) each time can be hard going for me, holding that weight of cable in one hand. Also it takes over twice as long and these outside jobs rarely seem needing to be done on calm days with the sun shining.

A lot of continental sites have lower amperages than UK where, for example, on a CC site the normal amperage is 16a compared to often 6 or 4 on the continent. Unlikely to be of concern to a Cali owner, not the same if you are towing or driving a big white box with televisions, microwaves, ovens, etc.

Both are at 220W although on some continental sites you may find a connector difference, but a two pin to standard shielded three pin are easy to come across. I came across mine in the boot of my cali, put there by VW as standard. In practice again very rare to need it.

Again you may find reversed polarity, and there has been suggestions in the past that this could affect some charging systems. A reverse polarity tester costs a couple of quid, sold from all good places such as the forum shop,again rarely needed.

In summary, purely in my experience, 10m adequate in most circumstances, the standard connectors standard in most continental locations, the wattages the same, the amperages probably lower but in practice makes no difference to a cali owner.
 
Standard hook-up cable is 25 metres long and this is the recommended length for UK sites to ensure you will reach an electric bollard/point. I believe electric points are generally sited to accommodate this length.
On the continent you can sometimes find that 25 metres is not long enough.
 
I agree very much with granny Jen. It's a right pain trying to coil up 20 meters - especially when it's cold and the cables stiff. I also found a coil shaped zip up bag on Amazon (I think) that fits the two cables and associated bits a treat.

Couldn't believe how pleased with myself I was with my cable management solution. Clearly I need to get out more.
 
I think the two shorter cables is not a bad solution but do bear in mind that where the two cable are connected it is not a water proof connection. They need to be in one of these in-line waterproof connecting boxes thingies.
I changed my cables for 'artic cable' which is good down to minus 40C and remains flexible and therefore easier to coil in cold weather.
 
Also with 20m cables where they are too long don't coil up the extra length as it will get hot a ting like a resistor & be a fire risk. I lay surplus in along loop beside the van then push it under van.

Sent from my SM-G900F
 
Also if you want power in your awning you may want to get a Y connector and a couple of shorter lengths, one to hook up to the van with and one to go into the awning. Simple enough to make or there are 2 and 3 way Y connectors on the market.

Andy, not sure why you would think the wire would get any more hot than normal if still rolled up. If this were the case then there would be lots of melted extension leads of the kind that come on a drum. I would think the only way it's going to get hot is if you put too much load on it, couple of fan heaters etc. The cables are normally rated at 16A as stated above. This is a pretty hefty cable!
 
A coiled cable will heat up and use more amperage than an uncoiled one.
 
Also if you want power in your awning you may want to get a Y connector and a couple of shorter lengths, one to hook up to the van with and one to go into the awning. Simple enough to make or there are 2 and 3 way Y connectors on the market.

Andy, not sure why you would think the wire would get any more hot than normal if still rolled up. If this were the case then there would be lots of melted extension leads of the kind that come on a drum. I would think the only way it's going to get hot is if you put too much load on it, couple of fan heaters etc. The cables are normally rated at 16A as stated above. This is a pretty hefty cable!

If you have a coiled extension lead and say plugged a heater in, the lead will heat up and is not recommended for any medium to high loads. Can be a fire risk.
 
I thought there were health warnings in all the manuals about fully uncoiling extension leads. It used to be standard practice.

I certainly remember when I bought my first caravan, a long long time ago, it was one of the subjects emphasised on handover,

as was how to tether the horses and light the gas mantles :oops:
 
Good point 18hunts - I employ such a thingy (love the name ☺)
 
The standard Blue, external plugs are not immersion proof, but a cable to cable connection is just as waterproof as the plug to Cali or plug to electric point, and as long as it is not lying in a puddle should not be a problem.
Also a coiled cable with the standard power requirements or power available on a continental site is unlikely to cause any problems.
 
+1 welshgas.

My point was that the amount of extra heat couldn't possibly cause a problem, especially as the cables are laid outside.

Is anyone electrician enough to calculate what the extra heat would be for say 5 metres left on one of those cable tidy H shaped thinngies?
 
Probably ok in most cases,It's just bad practice that's all. Many factors can contribute to overheating including high ambient temp, loose connections, large amount of cable left wound on a reel, csa and quality of cable, 2/3 kw heater blasting away all night etc.
 
It is very bad practice to leave a cable coiled, as can induce electrical current and will act as a transformer, generating heat. I had an example in Provence, France a few years back when someone left a cable coiled, it overheated and melted the plastic covering, not a pretty site, fortunately no injuries to people. Just a very unhappy frenchman.

John :headbang
 
A cable is no different to a single bar electric fire in that the filament/element is designed to deliberately overheat (glow red) to achieve its function of heating. It's designed that way.
A hook up cable is no different other than at 220v it's designed to take a certain load which for a standard 2.5mm2 hook up cable is I think in the region of 30amps. You could say overkill bearing in mind that a typical UK camp site will trip at 16amps. They are building in a safety margin for those that want to power everything at once and haven't fully unwound there cable. Go back to the electric fire and the wire is glowing red hot. If you're pulling 16amps and you have a lot of cable wrapped around a drum/cable tidy there is no where for the heat to dissipate and you could get an overheating situation resulting in the cable catching fire.
Likely hood of that happening is probably low because if you're pulling that much load/current then it's probably dam cold outside which works in your favour for dissipating heat. But it's not good practice and you also have to take into account, as has previously been stated, the condition of the cable and the connections in the plugs. Loose connections increase current.
I should also mention length in that the longer a cable, the worse the current draw so from that point of view a shorter cable run should work in your favour.
I run with a 1.5mm2 cable which is of the 'artic type' and is rated to 16amps. I know I'm never pulling anything like that amperage. This has two benefits, first being the smaller section it's a lot lighter/takes less room and being 'artic cable' it's a lot easier to coil in all weathers.
 
Going back to the original question. Acer you will probably need hookup at some point but to save weight/ space you only need to pack it on a trip when you know you are going to use it.
 
Practice & Theory. Yes it would depend on what you use the mains for. I just use the in-built charger and mains socket for my camera battery.
Personally I can't see the point in carrying an extra 3kw electric heater around when the SE already has a heater, but each to his own.:thumb
 
Practice & Theory. Yes it would depend on what you use the mains for. I just use the in-built charger and mains socket for my camera battery.
Personally I can't see the point in carrying an extra 3kw electric heater around when the SE already has a heater, but each to his own.:thumb

I have to agree with the above. Most of the time my leads stay coiled up in the boot. Everything I need can run off 12V including my lap top. The only time I really need mains is when I'm desperate to warm something up in my portable oven which needs 800w. I rarely need the charger as my vehicle is o the move daily when I am away.
 
Thanks all. Unexpected detail and passion in your postings, but all very worthwhile. I don't know my volts from my amps from my elbow but I can see that changing!:thumb
 

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