power surges

[Joan_374226636]

We had a caravan tv which went dead after a maximum use of 84 hours in our caravan.The people who sold it to us are refusing to pay for the repair because they are stating that the damage was caused by a power surge. Can you answer some questions for me please? If there was a power surge while we were connected to a power hook up, would the trip switch on the junction box or the trip switch on the hook up have tripped? As we were last in line for the power supply, there being three other caravans before us, who were not affected, would we have been the only ones? As nothing else in the caravan was affected, could it have just affected the tv? If the trip switch on the supply did not trip, would it not have affected the fuses in the caravan before damaging the tv? Can you tell me where I can find the current regulations regarding electrical circuits in caravans?

Joan

 

[Guest]

I am not an electrician snd even if I was, it is unlikely I could give an accurate answer without seeing the tv.

However, all electrical goods in the UK come with an appropriately fused plug, which for a tv should be somewhere around 5 amps. The RCD in your van and the trip on the powerbox are set at much higher values than this, obviously to cope with the demand of kettles, water heaters etc, so these would not trip unless there was a direct short. Even if the tv has one of the older 2 pin style plugs, there is usually an in-line fuse within the set itself. The fact that as you state the other vans on the same circuit were not affected suggests the fault is within the tv itself. If the tv is new then there may be a claim you can make under the terms of the guarantee.

As far as regulations themselves, then the NCC may be able to offer help in that direction. However, all vans made in the UK follow the same pattern, that is, a main RCD device is fitted and 3 pin sockets are wired from that in accordance with the correct wiring systems for 13 amp circuits. Any device inserted into any socket should be fitted with a 3 pin plug with the correct fuse for that particular device. The van itself is connected to the external mains supply using the approved (blue) 16 amp plugs and sockets and heavy duty cable. It is unlikely that the power supply on the site was malfunctioning as these are checked regularly by approved electricians. Again, no one else was affected.

If however, you have concerns in the future then you can fit a safety plug between the 3 pin socket and the plug of the device. This has a trigger trip which will break the circuit before any damage is caused.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

I use my Tv on 12V but for the Sky box I have a plug in surge protector like you would use for a computer

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Joan,

I assume that the company are refusing to fix the problem because they have had a chance to examine the dead TV? Otherwise it's just an assumption on their part - but a good possibility.

If an appliance fitted to your caravan fails in service - then either the fuse in the appliance plug, or depending on the nature of the fault either the RCD or the MCB in the caravan "fuse box" should trip.

But none of these safety devices will protect your appliances from a surge or spike in the supply line. And if you were the last in the supply line, then there is a reasonable chance that you will see unusual voltages - especially if one of the in-between caravans had a faulty appliance and they put a large spike on the power line.

That other things were not affected doesn't mean too much - a TV contains lots of electronics - and nearly everything else (fridge, heater, lights, etc.) is pretty much just a heater filament so won't be affected (too much) by spikes or surges

Without seeing inside the TV and what parts died, then it's impossible to guess what really happened - it could be that the company is trying to wriggle out - and it's equally likely that they are right and you were spiked by a neighbour or the site supply.

Robert