EHU safety instructions in owners manual?

[grumps]

I have just fitted a Battery Master between my leisure and starter batteries. It just sends a bit of leccy to the starter battery when the leisure battery is about 0.7v above the starter.

I have solar, but I understand the BM works if a charger is only charging the leisure battery as well.

Vanbitz in Taunton sell them.

No idea what all the initials are that you are quoting Tn-S, PME etc. I just plug my EHU into a domestic socket. Am I going to blow up??. The whole house has new trips fitted. 2019 MoHo.

 

[Markd]

Proberbly not as the spike has to be down a certain depths about 3 feet if I remember right ?? Another option would be run a extension cable to the van and use a smart charger ,if that doesn't contravene any rules ?

Be careful just where you drive a 3ft spike into the ground near your house - you don't want to hit a cable or drain.

 

[Sadsyndrome]

Just curious:

BS7671 Regulation 721.411.3.1.2 requires structural metallic parts that are accessible from within the caravan to be connected through main protective bonding conductors to the main earthing terminal within the caravan."

However

Regulation 708.411.4 of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (ESQCR) prohibits the connection of a protective multiple earthing (PME) facility to any metalwork in a leisure accommodation vehicle (including a caravan).

Typically Caravan sites use TN-S earthing hence why these are safe to use on EH as they comply with the regulations
However most UK homes use PME earthing which does not comply and is potentially unsafe.

My query is:
Is it explicitly stated in Caravan (and or Motorhome) owners manuals or on any onboard safety stickers not to connect the van to a PME supply.

Note this is not a question about who does connect their vans up at home as pretty much everyone probably does!

Sorry for replying to old post but it is still a valid question which I’d also like t know answer to. I understand risk of PEM fault causing possible high voltages on earthed metalwork but I did read somewhere that there were only 400 cases per year in the whole country.

The actual legislation doesn’t say a homeowner can’t connect a van to the PME. It says the “distributor”… or is that also a homeowner?

Quote”. (4) The distributor shall not connect his combined neutral and protective conductor to any metalwork in a caravan or boat”

My interpretation was this is a law against supply companies providing PME supplies to vans or boats.
So, are the thousands of homeowners plugging in their EHU from PME house to a van breaking the law? Whether it is a sensible thing to do is another matter. Mind you all those people connecting rods to van chassis whilst still using PME earth could be asking for trouble in event of highly unlikely PEN fault and also how many people will cause damage by banging electrode through the services to their house. I’d hazard a guess the risks in providing a separate earth (incorrectly or correctly) outweigh the risks of continuing to connect EHU to PME. I’m interested because I don’t want to invalidate house insurance by breaking a law oh and I don’t want to electrocute anyone either, or cause fire because I’ve created an earth for my neighbours in event of PEN fault.

I just want clear formal advice from a reputable source, it’s very hard to find that.

 

[Wrighpm]

In plugging the moho into a house supply you are effectively plugging in a portable appliance (a big one LOL). If your van has an RCD type protection on the mains within the van and the socket in yer hoose has similar protection then this is not an issue. If it was a serious or even just a legal issue you could be sure there would be a sticker on your van at the socket and it be in bold in the user manual. A bit like the mandatory LPG stickers? My manual states nothing of the like. But it would be nice to know factually as stated

 

[CriftinsCampers]

I had forgotten I asked the question here and I can see the thread has gone a bit off topic

I was specifically curious if the issue was mentioned in any owners manuals?

Obviously there’s no such thing as an owners manual for a self build but for a commercially produced product be it a PVC, Coachbuilt or Caravan. I really would have expected there to be something, even if it was only advice to consult an electrician.

Interesting how many people do seem to be aware of the risk of PME and are using earth rods

 

[Geek]

The danger is a real one. But it's a very small one.

A house is normally PME which ties the whole structure of the house to the supplied earth voltage, which is basically connected to the neutral wire voltage, either at the substation or (normally nowadays) in the meter cabinet

A motorhome, caravan shepherd's hut or EV plugged in to this would be protected the same way, which is perfectly fine if you are inside the motorhome etc and there's a fault, but if you are standing on wet ground and touch metal bodywork at the time of a fault, it wouldn't end well.

This is why a hookup point is normally wired with an earth spike, not connected to the earth of the building.

It's also why lawn mowers are double insulated: if they had an earth, their casings might be "live" with respect to earth.

Generators are safer without an earth spike unless they are connected to somewhere else.