Electric hook-up

Hook-up is a campsite essential for most caravanners. Here, John Sootheran examines the tech and the technique behind the ubiquitous electric post

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FOR THOSE OF us who aren't off-grid experts, the caravan hook-up is a power lifeline, an umbilical cord to civilisation.

Plug in and you have a pitch power source that can run your lights and TV, your fridge and microwave... but perhaps not all at the same time.

You see, there's a fair bit of know-how needed to use site electrics effectively and avoid the all too common cut-off.

What is hook-up?

Electric hook-up (EHU) points are outdoor power sockets, usually rated to supply 16A (approximately 3.5kW) of electricity in the UK, although some sites offer 10A or even 6A, especially in Europe.

It's a simple system, designed to deliver 230V AC electricity via underground cables throughout the site to the supply post on each pitch. Sometimes these posts have two outlets or more, for neighbouring pitches. The sockets are housed in waterproof posts, which might be lockable.

The posts are designed to deliver power to guests staying on that pitch, by connecting the site's distribution board to your van. For safety, EHU posts are protected by circuit breakers and earth-leakage devices.

The EHU allows you to power appliances and systems in your » caravan using higher-voltage campsite electricity, instead of quickly depleting your 12V leisure battery.

This includes operating radios, heaters, chargers, lights and fridges. It also enables leisure battery charging and running 12V appliances via the onboard transformer.

Connecting to EHU

You need a specific cable, known as a mains hook-up lead, to link your caravan to the EHU post. These cables are usually orange for increased visibility and have three-round-pin connectors on each end, one male and one female. The male connector goes into the site socket, and the female one goes into the socket on the side of the van.

Standard leads are 25m long and the wires inside are 2.5mm² in cross-section.