Reverse polarity in Europe?

[kev54]

How often have you guys experienced reverse polarity on the continent? What’s the options for solving this issue is it as simple as making up a new lead with reverse polarity and a test lead with a martindale

In my experience about one in 10 campsites (France,Spain) have reverse polarity. I was worried last year and made a short cable switching live and neutral. Further research suggests to me that with recent (say 10 years old) it doesn’t really matter. My 2013 Bessacarr has a Sargeant control panel that informs me of reverse polarity but copes with it. Technically, if you have an old vehicle and old equipment with exposed metal parts plugged into it - you might have a problem. That problem is lack of a fuse to blow if there’s a fault in the item plugged in.
France and Spain don’t care which wire is live (as long as there’s an earth) because they have fuses at the source.
Bottom line for me is that I’ve stopped worrying and used the two plugs to split my 25 metre hook up cable instead. Much more useful is a 2-pin and earth domestic plug to the big blue socket - for the one in 15 campsites that don’t have blue sockets

 

[autorouter]

Technically, if you have an old vehicle and old equipment with exposed metal parts plugged into it - you might have a problem. That problem is lack of a fuse to blow if there’s a fault in the item plugged in.

I think that is incorrect. There is only one fuse in any circuit to an appliance, and that's the fuse in the 13A 3-pin UK plug. There are no other fuses.

If the live and neutral are reversed, the problem is that if the fuse does blow, it leaves the 'protected' wiring live.

European systems don't have any fuses at all, so all their protective trips are double-pole, and live/neutral reversal doesn't matter.