Problem with EHU adapters and water ingress

Tinkertaylor

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Travelling through Greece at the moment so we need 2 adapters on our EHU cable, continental plug to 16amp skt and a reverse polarity. Everything was fine until we had a torrential down pour, one camper likened it to camping a in car wash, due to water ingress into the socket we lost power. The problem is really down to the plugs and sockets only being splash proof so without any adapters connected the EHU cable plugs into the van and has a cover over it same at the EHU post. But the adapters hang down and the cable entry faces up and is the prone to water ingress. I have temporarily solved the problem with amalgam tape and lunch bags. But plan on making longer adapter leads when I get home so I can protect them better in the future. Anyone else come across this?
 
Yup. I have a pair used in that orientation that eventually fill with water and every so often will trip the breaker as the water shorts the terminals.

Simple fix ... Drill a small drain hole at the bottom so when the water seeps in it has somewhere to escape out.
 
round plastic (eg milk) bottles Cut end and and side just a bit more robust than plastic bags.
Depends how long you are staying on a given site.
Bicycle inner tubes ?
 
wildebus said:
Yup. I have a pair used in that orientation that eventually fill with water and every so often will trip the breaker as the water shorts the terminals.

Simple fix ... Drill a small drain hole at the bottom so when the water seeps in it has somewhere to escape out.
Click to expand...
Not sure of this as it would mean drilling holes in both plug and socket, but since they both have cable entries they already have holes. But thanks anyway.
 
jagmanx said:
round plastic (eg milk) bottles Cut end and and side just a bit more robust than plastic bags.
Depends how long you are staying on a given site.
Bicycle inner tubes ?
Click to expand...
Like the plastic bottle idea I reckon 2ltr water bottle wil do. Only the other day I recycled a cheap cola bottle, used in waste tank. Thanks
 
Why not install an RCD at the main incomer of your van, that way you'll not need to worry about reverse polarity.
 
Tinkertaylor said:
Not sure of this as it would mean drilling holes in both plug and socket, but since they both have cable entries they already have holes. But thanks anyway.
Click to expand...
Basically I found water was getting into the plug - and as it was plugged in, it must have been coming into the socket at the top (cable entry was not watertight) and draining down through the socket connectors and into the plug.
Then the plug would fill up as the cable entry on the plugs were watertight with the ones I had (if the cable entry has a gland and you fully tighten, it is watertight) and gradually would fill with water, create a short and trip the MCB.
This process took quite a long time - many, many weeks when it rained a lot so it was not like the water was pouring in. A small hole drilled in the plugs at a suitable place fixed it.
The 16A "Commando" plugs are not waterproof by design and cannot ever be so the fact water gets into them is no surprise.
 
wildebus said:
Basically I found water was getting into the plug - and as it was plugged in, it must have been coming into the socket at the top (cable entry was not watertight) and draining down through the socket connectors and into the plug.
Then the plug would fill up as the cable entry on the plugs were watertight with the ones I had (if the cable entry has a gland and you fully tighten, it is watertight) and gradually would fill with water, create a short and trip the MCB.
This process took quite a long time - many, many weeks when it rained a lot so it was not like the water was pouring in. A small hole drilled in the plugs at a suitable place fixed it.
The 16A "Commando" plugs are not waterproof by design and cannot ever be so the fact water gets into them is no surprise.
Click to expand...
I understand what happened with yours, mine was slightly different in that both the cable entries in plug and socket were not water tight. It looks like enough water got in and the power track between live and neutral, it took awhile before the trip went. From experience it wasn’t worth trying to salvage the socket, not only could I see the track but smell it as well. Luckily I have a 16amp to 13amp adapter that I could rob the socket from.
 
Thanks for all your replies, I think I will go for the plastic bottle covers as they are cheap, easily obtainable, wife has already got me 2 from her beach litter pick, and I can see if any water does ingress.
 
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