electricity use

[robert_5085864]

If when say in France I am on a site with 3 amp electricity available at the bollard and I take 2 lots of 3 amps from the same bollard and I join them together correctly, can I then use 6 amps? If anybody thinks not, please explain.

 

[MikeP]

There are a few chaps on this site who will give you the full technical answer, so I won't go there.

Here is a practical comment - if I turned up at a site and found that my neighbour had effectively pinched my hookup point, I would not be impressed. Maybe this is something that you could consider in low season, but definitely not in high.

 

[rayc]

In theory it should be possible but in practice it would be suck it and see. Assuming you do not do any modification to the van to split the load it would not be possible to be sure that the load was shared equally beween the two supplies so one fuse could keep tripping transfeering the full load to the remaining one which will then trip.

There is of course the safety consideration. You would have to make sure that both supplies were on the same phase of the site supply which may be 3 phase.

I realise you question is theoretical but you could certainly not endear yourself to the site owner when he has problems with the supply.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

You would need to pay for two lots of electicity then!

Most sites (if not all) that I have stayed at in France have been 6 amps or over.

You could run a second paid for lead into the awning(or the van)using a camping hook up with trips etc.

 

[rob_jax]

Robert,

It should be possible, but please remember that European sockets are random wired for live / neutral polarity, so you would need to make absolutely sure that the live feeds were connected together. So you'd need to take some test equipment with you and do some simple tests before you connect up.

If you were taking the dual power feed from a single post, then both sockets should be from the same phase. Different posts may be fed by different phases - and you don't won't to go there.

And unless the second feed was free, you'd be better off paying for a 6 or 10 Amp supply.

Robert

 

[Adrian_5085967]

Do not do it. What you are talking about is called a "Widow Maker" in the electrial industry. If some one was to unplug one of the plugs while the oher was still plugged in the pins would be live. A lot of people have been killed with these leads.

The only way to do it would be to put a second completely seperate feed into the caravan through a window etc. Etiher of these feeds would still not be enough the run a kettle off.

You will be able to use most electrial equipment that does not contain a heater from a single 3A supply.