What is this lekky box under the van ?

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Well you guessed right. Sollatek said this morning amozan have 94 in stock

93 now, just ordered one for our bus, just to be on the safe side. I think we got lucky last year when my electric toothbrush charger just stopped working, it was the only thing connected to the electrics on a French site last year. I will get it fitted before we go back this year.
Mike.

 

[AlunandFelicie]

Got mine from RS components, probably all made in China anyway

Actually made in Egypt! I’m shocked I thought they only made sand there

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Actually made in Egypt! I’m shocked I thought they only made sand there

I think they originally cornered the market in Pyramids, then everyone and their dog wanted them.
Mike.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Actually made in Egypt! I’m shocked I thought they only made sand there

So that Union Jack emblazoned on the front is made in Egypt, sounds about right!!
Better check mine for bugs, in more than one waywhen it arrives then.
Mike.

 

[MisterB]

Just getting round to fitting my Sollatek AVS30 - it states i need to fit a 30A HBC fuse (or less) - what have other people fitted please?

i will fit the Sollatek immediately on the incoming EHU before it goes to the Autochangeover relay and then on to either the consumer unit or the inverter as recommended.

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[MitchandJenny]

Van just parked next to us on site , black cable from external mains point with grey box at end then orange mains cable from this plugged into bollard , what is the grey box ? RCD ? I thought all vans had them on board , just curious .View attachment 713597

Voltage stabilizer
Mitch

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

This is the one I have bookmarked.

FuseBox T2 Surge Protection Device SP with MCB

The FuseBox Type 2 Surge Protection Device (SPD) is designed to be a robust and efficient solution for protecting electrical systems from surge damage, particularly in TN systems. Its compact design, measuring just 1 module in width, makes it an ideal choice for installations where space is at a...

www.expertelectrical.co.uk

And these RCBOs

FuseBox Single Pole RCBOs Type A 6kA

FuseBox A Type RCBO's (Residual Current Circuit Breaker with Overload Protection) provide residual and overload protection in one neat device. Available in current ratings that range from 6A to 50A.FuseBox RCBOs have become increasingly popular due to their solid construction, attractive price...

www.expertelectrical.co.uk

I have never used this company but Nick Bundy uses them so....

That SPD relies on there being a very good Earth connection to short the spike to ground. May be ok for you if on a site with good electrics but useless for the others wanting to protect themselves from dodgy site electrics. Many of the ones I have tested in France & Spain have either no Earth or a very bad quality Earth. If you fit an SPD then you should invest in a tester such as this one: Amazon product ASIN B073CPDLH1 and check the quality of the Earth or unplug if there is a storm.
I fitted one in my house in France but had to improve the quality of the Earth by adding two extra ground spikes as it was a “TT” system as most of France is and I suspect most of the campsites.

 

[MisterB]

Just getting round to fitting my Sollatek AVS30 - it states i need to fit a 30A HBC fuse (or less) - what have other people fitted please?

i will fit the Sollatek immediately on the incoming EHU before it goes to the Autochangeover relay and then on to either the consumer unit or the inverter as recommended.

?????

my thoughts were that i would fit a single pole 20A MCB just on the live conductor but after thinking about it, if i am on a site with reversed polarity, wouldnt it make sense to also fit a single pole 20A MCB on the neutral? This is only to protect the Sollatek AVS30, which is the surge protection device, which is fitted before the EHU goes into my on board consumer unit, which has all the usual protections for using EHU safely (all i am doing is fitting a surge protection device) i could of course fit a DP 20A MCB but as i have already bought a single, i can just buy another?

 

[autorouter]

my thoughts were that i would fit a single pole 20A MCB just on the live conductor but after thinking about it, if i am on a site with reversed polarity, wouldnt it make sense to also fit a single pole 20A MCB on the neutral? This is only to protect the Sollatek AVS30, which is the surge protection device, which is fitted before the EHU goes into my on board consumer unit, which has all the usual protections for using EHU safely (all i am doing is fitting a surge protection device) i could of course fit a DP 20A MCB but as i have already bought a single, i can just buy another?

I think there's no situation with a motorhome where a single pole MCB, RCD or RCBO makes sense. There is always a possibility of reverse polarity, and a double pole MCB covers that.

The problem with separate MCBs in live and neutral is that they won't both trip together, only one will trip. It will be the one with the lowest trip threshold, and could be either the live or neutral one. So, are you feeling lucky?

 

[MisterB]

I think there's no situation with a motorhome where a single pole MCB, RCD or RCBO makes sense. There is always a possibility of reverse polarity, and a double pole MCB covers that.

The problem with separate MCBs in live and neutral is that they won't bot trip together, only one will trip. It will be the one with the lowest trip threshold, and could be either the live or neutral one. So, are you feeling lucky?

Thanks, I will change to double pole BUT as it isn't part of a safety regime (I have that in built into the Motorhome consumer unit already) and it's in lieu of a a fuse for the sollatek surge protector I did think it would suffice, after all a fuse would only be fitted to the live conductor usually?

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[ontheroadagain]

Thanks, I will change to double pole

I have just purchased an AVS30 and looking at options for a fuse/MCB on the incoming power side.
What MCB did you end up fitting?
I have limited space available so I am looking for something as small as possible.
Is it possible to get a suitable inline type fuse which would be perhaps be smaller than a MCB?

 

[Lenny HB]

I have just purchased an AVS30 and looking at options for a fuse/MCB on the incoming power side.
What MCB did you end up fitting?
I have limited space available so I am looking for something as small as possible.
Is it possible to get a suitable inline type fuse which would be perhaps be smaller than a MCB?

Don't really need anything on the incoming side as the site outlet will have an RCD & MCB.

 

[ontheroadagain]

Don't really need anything on the incoming side as the site outlet will have an RCD & MCB.

Thanks Lenny HB.
But the instructions say to fit a fuse of 30A or less?

 

[Orion]

Thanks Lenny HB.
But the instructions say to fit a fuse of 30A or less?

Ditto, not fitted anything on the incoming side of mine. BTW they do work. When we were ‘camping on board’ on the Igoumenitsa to Bari ferry and on EHU, the over voltage protection operated a few times before we got underway. I’m guessing the ship’s generated power was fluctuating for some reason at that point as it settled down once we’d left harbour.

 

[Lenny HB]

When we were ‘camping on board’ on the Igoumenitsa to Bari ferry and on EHU, the over voltage protection operated a few times before we got underway.

I didn't waste my Money then, I originally fitted one because I'd heard about ferry supplies being dodgy. We did Ancona to Patras although I didn't notice any problems.

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[Lenny HB]

Thanks Lenny HB.
But the instructions say to fit a fuse of 30A or less?

The site outlet will have either a 6, 10 or 16 amp MCB.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

I didn't fit one either reasoning the same argument with myself, I can't remember being anywhere receiving an electrical supply that wasn't protected with some form cut out device but if I do blow it up Ill come back and report so.
Mike.

 

[ontheroadagain]

The site outlet will have either a 6, 10 or 16 amp MCB.

Thanks Lenny.
That is what I thought but I was concerned when the instructions said to fit one.
They are likely just covering themselves.
I will fit it without the additional MCB/fuse.

 

[ontheroadagain]

Ditto, not fitted anything on the incoming side of mine.

Hi Orion.
Where did you fit yours?
There is not a lot of space available in the Adria SC.

 

[autorouter]

But the instructions say to fit a fuse of 30A or less?

They have to cover themselves for if someone uses it to protect a supply to a garage, for example, where the circuit could be a 32A ring main, which is too much for this device. If the supply to it is protected by an MCB of 16A or less, then that would be sufficient protection. Hookup posts should have 16A or lower protection.

Of course it won't work if it's on one wire of a 32A ring main, because the voltage surge could come down the other leg of the ring main. so it needs to be connected right at the consumer unit, to both legs of the ring. But that's another problem, not relevant here because ring main circuits are not used in motorhomes.

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[Orion]

Hi Orion.
Where did you fit yours?
There is not a lot of space available in the Adria SC.

Hi Ian,

I installed it externally on the lower panel of the boiler/electric cupboard, in the corner underneath the seat cushion. It’s accessible but not in the way there. The wiring from the EHU point is just to the right of there beneath the slim lift up panel and there was plenty of excess cable available to cut into it and make the connections.

 

[ontheroadagain]

I installed it externally on the lower panel of the boiler/electric cupboard, in the corner underneath the seat cushion. It’s accessible but not in the way there. The wiring from the EHU point is just to the right of there beneath the slim lift up panel and there was plenty of excess cable available to make the connections.

Thanks Graham.
Very helpful.

 

[Orion]

Thanks Graham.
Very helpful.

You’re welcome - now to find a suitable location for a 3000w inverter!

 

[MitchandJenny]

Van just parked next to us on site , black cable from external mains point with grey box at end then orange mains cable from this plugged into bollard , what is the grey box ? RCD ? I thought all vans had them on board , just curious .View attachment 713597

Probably a voltage Stabilizer.
Mitch

 

[MisterB]

I fitted a double pole isolator, on the basis that if the supply is reversed both L and N would trip if needed .... Its probably belt, braces and a bit of rope tied tightly, but I'm very confident it will be ok unless we get an alien invasion ...

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[ontheroadagain]

AVS30 fitted this afternoon.
I have used the following settings -
Voltage high = 250
Voltage low = 190
Wait = 0.5 min.
Blind = not sure about this - just left it where it was (it was set on 3)
Do these settings look ok?

 

[autorouter]

Voltage high = 250

You may want to raise this to about 255V. See here for example.

Leads Direct | What is the difference between UK voltage and European voltage

 

[autorouter]

Blind = not sure about this - just left it where it was (it was set on 3)

If the voltage dips under the low voltage limit, it will ignore this for 3 minutes, then switch off if it is still too low. This is to stop niusance tripping when high inrush current devices like a fridge compressor are switched on.

 

[ontheroadagain]

If the voltage dips under the low voltage limit, it will ignore this for 3 minutes, then switch off if it is still too low. This is to stop niusance tripping when high inrush current devices like a fridge compressor are switched on.

Looking at it again the blind settings on the AVS30 are in seconds.
Range seems to be 0.5 to a max of 10 seconds.
I currently have it set to 3 seconds which was the factory default.

 

[autorouter]

Looking at it again the blind settings on the AVS30 are in seconds.
Range seems to be 0.5 to a max of 10 seconds.
I currently have it set to 3 seconds which was the factory default.

That makes more sense. In the instructions I read it didn't say either minutes or seconds, and the 'wait' time in the previous paragraph was minutes, so I thought it was the same.

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