240 volts

[hilliebilly]

iam about to put electrics in to my van but someone said i i cant put the earth wire to the chassic as it could short and earth through me when touching the van i have to put a stake in to the ground to earth it is this right

[fidget]

i would say that the van cannot be used as an earth as it is a metal box floating above the ground on rubber tyres. there for the van it's self is not earthed, unless you put a spike in the ground connected to the van.

but it also depends on what you are running, and if you are making the powwer. i.e a genni or inverta, if you are going for an electric hookup then just put an earth to the van as there will be an earth running in the electric hook up line.

myself i use gennis and invertors, and as yet have never bothered to fit an earth as most the things i run dont have an earth on it, just plug in on a 2 core wire.
but i do like to live dangerously

[Neilg7777]

All your 240 electrics should be going to a consumer unit which has a rcd and trip switch's all are earthed up to it so if any thing happens the rcd will trip out. The consumer unit will be connected to the hook up socket which also is earthed and then the camp site will also have a rcd which feeds the van
Neil

[whitemice]

Yeah, as Neil says.
Gas pipes should also be earthed to chassis.

[andy 63]

think you need to have a good earth to the van metal work both from the consumer unit and the main hook up entry point. if you have no connection to the van body the rcd cant work if you have a leakage to earth ie van body. think i read that the main earth point should be as close to the intake point as possible and should most probably have a strap fitted warning you not to remove it.. ta andy

[hilliebilly]

any one got a diagramme of wiring it all in

[ake]

any one got a diagramme of wiring it all in

If you need a diagram you don't know enough to do it yourself, find a tame spark and slip him a few beers. 230v can and will kill if you get it wrong

[screechowl]

Yeah, as Neil says.
Gas pipes should also be earthed to chassis.

Mine never were....

[whitemice]

Yeah, as Neil says.
Gas pipes should also be earthed to chassis.

Mine never were....

Could be a nice fireball if lightning strikes.

[ake]

Yeah, as Neil says.
Gas pipes should also be earthed to chassis.

Mine never were....

Could be a nice fireball if lightning strikes.

Actually has nothing to do with lightning, but to ensure automatic disconnection of the supply should the pipe become live for any reason, such as a faulty appliance
The vehicle chassis should be connected to the earth terminal in the consumer unit
The metal gas pipe should be connected to the earth terminal in the consumer unit
The inlet socket earth terminal should also be connected to the same earth terminal
The consumer unit will usually incorporate a 30ma RCD main switch, and 2 mcbs, one rated at 6 amps for lights and perhaps battery charger, and a 10 or 16 amp for the sockets. No need for anything heavier than that as most sites only offer a 10 or 16 amp supply

[screechowl]

There was no automatic shut off to mine; it was just a gas bottle linked to a camping stove & calor fire... I had to Twist/turn it off on top of the bottle whenever I wasnt' using it to stop gas going into the pipes, because the stove had a leak after someone sat on it I never needed an oven/hob as I eat raw food with the exceptions of porridge & veggie curry So I only really needed the stove for my hot water bottle & having a wash.

I only ever had the fire on if the skylight was open (fire was directly beneath it) & I had a monitor for fumes that never showed signs of toxicity.. The fire was great for drying towels in front of after weeks of rain & muddy dogs & swimming Dont think I could use one of those blower things for heating..& they're always quitting

I managed for years without a leisure battery or fridge, but the only electrical appliance I really needed was my juice extractor & this I put outside linked to a converter croc clipped to the main battery & the engine running as generator...

For toilet needs I started off with a bucket with ashes or sand in it or anything biodegradable after reading the book: How to sh*t in the Woods, 3rd Edition by Kathleen Meyer ...
It’s the feisty third edition of How to sh*t in the Woods, jam-packed with new information for outdoor enthusiasts of every stripe. Hailed in its first edition as ...
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/202954 which I would recommend to anyone wanting to camp wild.. Then I upgraded to a porta potti, but dont use any environmentally damaging chemicals in it, just empty it regularly & dispose of in an eco friendly way (read book) ie. not down a drain

The pack & me have survived/enjoyed many gorgeouslywild thunder storms in my lovely green which has always taken care of us..... But we do worship nature

[CamsTrans]

According to the 17th edition wiring regs; all exposed conductive parts inside the caravan have to be earthed.
It's also handy to note that a minimum of 1.5mm2 cross sectional area is required for all cabling and should all be run in conduit and in such a way that it can't be damaged or disturbed by 'forces associated with vehicle movement'.
Give me a pm if you want photocopies of the pages; I don't want to breach any copyright laws posting them on the forum

[ake]

According to the 17th edition wiring regs; all exposed conductive parts inside the caravan have to be earthed.
It's also handy to note that a minimum of 1.5mm2 cross sectional area is required for all cabling and should all be run in conduit and in such a way that it can't be damaged or disturbed by 'forces associated with vehicle movement'.
Give me a pm if you want photocopies of the pages; I don't want to breach any copyright laws posting them on the forum

Also it should be multistrand flex, not solid core building cable

[CamsTrans]

According to the 17th edition wiring regs; all exposed conductive parts inside the caravan have to be earthed.
It's also handy to note that a minimum of 1.5mm2 cross sectional area is required for all cabling and should all be run in conduit and in such a way that it can't be damaged or disturbed by 'forces associated with vehicle movement'.
Give me a pm if you want photocopies of the pages; I don't want to breach any copyright laws posting them on the forum

Also it should be multistrand flex, not solid core building cable

Agreed
Single core with flexible class 5 conductors, single core with stranded class 2 conductors (minimum of 7 strands) or sheathed flexible cables.
Wiring regs books are ever so exciting. I even have proof on the matter that is well worth a read from this amazon reviewer:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R28G353A ... tore=books

[ake]

They make a good cure for insomnia, I did read the 16 th from cover to cover, but have never been bored enough to read the 17 th