By Guest Author, Scott David Badman

As a licensed NSW sparky, I get quite concerned when inexperience and electricity are allowed to mix. Electricity is our friend. It keeps our beers cold, our bodies warm, and allows us to see when it would otherwise be dark!

But electricity has a very nasty split personality, and can kill indiscriminately within milliseconds.

The most common post I see on Facebook groups is someone asking how to plug their caravan in at home, which is often followed by inappropriate and illegal suggestions.

I’d like to set a few things straight, and offer some legal options!

Intent

The most common justification for illegally modifying an extension lead (by putting a 10A plug on a 15A lead) , or having one made, is that the owner only intends to run small loads.

The rules and regulations don’t care about the intent of one individual. They deal with what something can be used for. There is nothing to stop someone using that lead to plug a high current device into a standard outlet. The best case result could be nuisance tripping. The worst case, fire.

10A outlets are rated for 10A appliances, anything more is simply playing Russian roulette.

Plug & Socket System

We have a pretty good system in Australia of matching the potential current draw of an appliance to the supply capability, including a wide range of plugs (10A, 15A, 20A, 25A, 32A). Any plug will fit into any socket of an identical or higher rating, but not vice versa.

Caravans use a 15A inlet to comply with a lesser known standard, AS/NZS-3001, which deals with portable and relocatable premises and their associated supplies. Caravan parks are required to comply with this standard as well, which is why their pillars should all have 15A sockets on them.

Newer vans have a 16A circuit breaker on their internal switchboard to match the rating of the inlet. This is not suitable when drawing off a 10A supply.

10A to 15A adapters

There are now a few legal adapters on the market, and they all share one thing in common. They all have internal 10A overload and 30mA safety protection.

The overload protection will prevent your 15A capable equipment from drawing more power than the 10A outlet can safely deliver. The 30mA safety protection will protect you and other persons in the event of a fault that could kill or injure.

This is particularly important with older vans that may not have it built-in, or older houses that may still be using rewireable fuses.

These adapters vary in price and IP rating.

IP rating

Also known as Ingress Protection, this is a system of classifying how resistant a device is to water and dust ingress. Essentially the higher the numbers the better the rating.

A device with a lower number (eg IP33) is suitable for indoor use only.

A device with a higher number (eg IP67) is suitable for outdoor use. These devices will generally be constructed from a UV stabilised polycarbonate plastic, which means they can withstand exposure to the sun.

Mini Ampfibian – Indoor model, IP33

This is the cheaper Ampfibian. The Mini is suitable for indoor use only and I imagine the most popular due to its relatively low price. Plug this into a powerpoint in your garage then run your regular 15A lead to your van.

Max Ampfibian – Outdoor model, IP55

This is the premium model with weather resistance on the outlet side as well. The Max is ideal if you have an external power point near your van. This model is rated for commercial use, so you know it will take some abuse.

Jaycar – outdoor model, IP55

Jaycar’s offering is cheaper than the Ampfibian and is outdoor rated. However, it is unlikely to handle as much abuse as the competition being essentially a domestic version of the above.

Getting a 15A Circuit Installed

If your van at home is normally parked near your switchboard, getting a sparky to install a 15A outlet is a good option.

You can have a safe, reliable supply that matches one provided by a caravan park. The cost of an installation should typically be $120-$150, or even less if you can bundle other electrical work with them.

Of course, a sparky can put a 15A outlet virtually anywhere, but the cost may be higher. As with any trade get a few quotes and go with the one you are happiest with.

Some final notes

If you use a generator or inverter with a 10A outlet to supply your van, the legal adapters can still be used, and the overload will still operate when necessary. However, the safety switch will likely not work. This is no cause for concern as the nature of these supplies has its own inherent safety in the form of having no earth reference.

Tagging of leads

It is a WorkCover requirement of caravan parks that all equipment they own must be regularly tested and tagged. This requirement does not specifically extend to customer leads, however, some parks do have it as a condition of entry.

Tagging is relatively cheap and offers peace of mind that your equipment won’t be a hazard to other campers. No one wants an electrocution to be a conversation starter!

So if the park requests it, and you could ask this when booking, it may save you being plunged into darkness one night 🙂

Safe camping everyone!

This item was originally published in the Everything Caravan & Camping group on Facebook. As it is a closed group, you need to join to see the content.