![]() If you’ve built your van in Australia, Europe or the UK, you probably run 220-240v appliances in Canada and the US, 110-130v.Īll your AC electrical appliances must be the same, either all 110v or all 240v because they all need to be compatible with the campervan’s electrical components supplying them. The first thing to note is the voltage of your appliances. There are a few components needed to install and use an electrical hookup in a camper. For more info, please check our disclosure page. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. With mains supply, you can run AC appliances directly on an AC circuit and/or use a power converter to transform the AC power to DC, so you can charge your 12v batteries. Draw too much, the breaker will trip and you’ll probably need to speak with the camp staff to resolve it. You can only draw a maximum of the circuit’s current limit without tripping the supply breaker.Ĭampgrounds limit the current supply, with each pitch usually having a dedicated breaker. Plugging a campervan into the mains electrical supply is like plugging in any electrical appliance and the same restrictions apply. This is as a result of trying to pull too much current on one circuit, either because you plugged in something too powerful, too many appliances onto one circuit or a faulty appliance suddenly tried to draw too much current.Įither way, the breaker tripped to protect the circuit. You might have experienced a tripped breaker in your house. This prevents burning out the large mains electric cable and tripping the entire electrical supply for your neighbourhood. The regulations limit the maximum current any one circuit can handle and stipulate the total current of all the circuits combined must not be greater than the total current the grid is supplying. ![]() ![]() They aim to ensure standardisation and safety. Most countries have regulations governing electrical installations. In the most simple terms, the diagram below shows how an installed hookup system hangs together. It’s helpful to understand how hookup works to figure out what you can and can’t do when it comes to installation, running AC appliances and charging 12v batteries. Mains power voltages are big enough to kill so if you don’t know what you’re doing, always use a qualified electrician. Read More: Wiring RV Batteries In Series Vs. If you only use your camper for a few days at a time, a hookup facility for use at home, coupled with charging the batteries as you drive may be enough to avoid needing a solar system. Installing shore power capability in a campervan isn’t expensive so it’s well worth installing as a fallback. But we can pull into a campground to recharge our batteries if we need. We live in our van full-time but rarely use campgrounds, preferring boondocking and wild camping where possible. This means if you want to run an air conditioning unit, power-hungry microwave or even a washing machine, shore power is the answer. Not only can you top up the battery bank, but you can run household appliances directly from it too. The ability to recharge the batteries from a mains supply is the best alternative. You could drive or run the engine to top up the batteries but that’s not always convenient. Cloud cover will hamper recharging from solar panels alone. More commonly, the weather isn’t always kind. If you can rely on enough daily sunshine to replenish any electrical demand, firstly, we envy you and secondly, you don’t need an RV electrical hookup. ![]() If you’ve built an off-grid campervan, you can charge your leisure batteries from a solar setup and even with a split charge relay or battery to battery charger while driving. You can also use a household electrical supply, so it’s ideal for weekend warriors who need to recharge the batteries after a few days away. Shore power works by plugging a camper into a power source, usually an electrical pedestal on or near your pitch, transferring AC power to the camper. It’s called shore power as it’s commonly used for ships and boats when they need a power supply or to recharge their batteries in a marina or harbour. RV shore power, often referred to as a campervan hookup, is when you plug your RV or campervan into the AC electrical grid or mains supply. Automatically Create Your Bespoke RV Wiring Diagram What is RV Shore Power? ![]()
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