A common mistake made by new caravanners is to think you can use your appliances from home, for example your kettle and toaster, while holidaying in a touring caravan. This isn’t the case, but what electrical appliances can you use in a caravan? We explain everything you need to know to be able to enjoy your creature comforts safely while on holiday.
How do I get electric to my caravan?
When staying on a caravan site, there are generally two ways to supply electricity to your caravan – a leisure battery or an electric hook-up. A leisure battery operates similarly to a car battery to provide a 12V supply. An electric hook-up provides 240V, the same as in your home.
What is a leisure battery?
A leisure battery powers 12V appliances and equipment in a touring caravan, by providing a constant, lower level of power over a period of time (unlike a car battery which is designed to give a burst of energy when needed to start the vehicle’s engine). Appliances that will run off a leisure battery include the television, lights, and oven, as well as small appliances such as kettles.
What is electric hook-up?
Many sites offer electric hook-ups on some or all pitches. Electric hook-up, sometimes referred to as EHU, enables you to have a functioning power outlet in your caravan. An electric hook-up will provide a 240V supply which would power your domestic appliances from home. However, the site itself may have restricted supplies, with most being able to provide guests with between 10A (amps) and 16A. This means that you will need to check the ampage or current, of each appliance you want to use as exceeding the limit of the site’s supply will result in you ‘tripping’ the electric, which will not make you popular with fellow holidaymakers.
How many amps do my appliances use?
Simply, ampage is wattage divided by voltage. So, taking a 3kW (3000W) domestic kettle which runs on your home’s 240V, we can calculate the amps the kettle will use as follows: 3000/240 = 12.5 amps.
This example of your usual household kettle illustrates clearly that on a 16A pitch, the supply will power your kettle. However, if anything else is used or, for example, a water heater kicks in or you need to use a microwave, the pitch supply will trip.
If we now do a similar calculation with an appliance designed for touring caravan use such as the 1000W Kampa Cascade Kettle we can see the difference it makes to use specialist appliances.
1000/240 = 4.16 amps
800W Judge 2 Slice Toaster we can see the difference it makes to use specialist appliances.
800/240 = 3.3 amps
Electrical appliances for caravans
At BEC Ingoldmells, we stock a wide range of appliances that are suitable for use in both static and touring caravans, operating with a leisure battery or from an electric hook-up. From heaters and hobs , to an extensive range of appliances and accessories we have everything you need for a safe and comfortable holiday.
