Hookup Cable

[Rumblestripe]

Just bought an Autosleeper Trident.

It's missing the hookup cable. I know that I need a 16A connector cable with 2.5mm copper cores to cope with high loading. How long should I buy?

I know the recommendation is 25m but I also read comments that 10-15m is long enough 99/100.

[sherman]

25m would mean you can park where ever you want on a pitch shorter might restrict you.

[Scrump]

15m was enough for me in most places. In a couple of sites (one a French Aire, another a rural basic UK field) it was not enough.
A family member sold their van last year and I took the opportunity to swap to their longer hookup cable.

Longer cable is a bit heavier and will be more of a hassle to unroll it all (which I do if running anything with a heavy draw like an electric heater).

[Mr Pointy]

How much current do you expect to actually pull? 1.5mm is good for 16A, 2.5mm is rated to 20A BUT it's highly likely you are talking about a cable with blue 16A IEC60309 "Commando" type connectors so you shouldn't be pulling more than 16A (roughly 3.6kW) anyway. There is less voltage drop of course but the difference is only 2.1V at 16A (for 25m) so hardly critical. The 2.5mm cable is more robust, heavier & more expensive.

Buy a 25m cable, spend £8 on a pair of Commando male & female connecters, cut the cable & make yourself a 15m & 10m pair which you can join togther if required. There's also hundreds of hookup cables on FB Marketplace for not much money.

[POIDH]

I bought two - a 10m and 15m in different colours. Ideal for shorter hookups or when needed extend out to 25m. I'm surprised by how many times I've had to add both cables.

I bought mine second hand from a local caravan place and saved a lot.

Edited by POIDH on Monday 30th March 08:10

[Rough101]

It’s called 2.5mm 3 core blue arctic.

I’d go for 15M and a 10m extension, as 15 will do most applications and has a lower volt drop, it’s lighter as well.

Buy a 50m drum and keep the spare for repairs.

The plugs and sockets aren’t expensive, the Lewden ones are good value.

[Mr Pointy]

Rough101 said:

It s called 2.5mm 3 core blue arctic.

No it isn't. The majority of hook up cables are standard 3183Y orange PVC cable & the volt drop difference is negligable.

[The Gauge]

Just remember to fully uncoil all of the cable from any drum/reel when in use, as they can otherwise get warm if left wound around itself.
(is 'wound' even a word? )

[Rumblestripe]

Thanks 25m it is.

I can always add an additional 10m cable later if that seems convenient.

[The Gauge]

I think the Caravan & Motorhome Club state that on their sites all of their pitches are within 25m of an electric hook up point.

[sherman]

The Gauge said:

I think the Caravan & Motorhome Club state that on their sites all of their pitches are within 25m of an electric hook up point.

And what about when your not on a club site?

[The Gauge]

sherman said:

The Gauge said:

I think the Caravan & Motorhome Club state that on their sites all of their pitches are within 25m of an electric hook up point.

And what about when your not on a club site?

Take a 100m cable?

[mike9009]

Our hook up cable is 15m and only ever needed an extension at one campsite in Normandy. Luckily the campsite owner had a spare 10m cable which allowed us to connect, so I reckon it is quite uncommon to have pitches more than 15m from the hook up.

Not sure how many different pitches we have stayed at over the years but we have a van, so regularly move from on site to another......so cover quite a large qty of pitches in UK and France......

[Steve Kimberley]

Over many years I've accumulated several hook-up cables, from 10m to 25m.
In the UK (not that we do much here) I usually carry the 25m and that's more than enough. However, on the continent, it can be a different matter, so I always carry a 25mm and a 10m (and struggled with that on a site in Confolens! I may swap the latter out for a 15m next time).

[mart 63]

Ive bèen on a couple of sites in Portugal that needed over 25m of cable. Also quite a few Tripstop sites in Spain that you need over 25m. But when your paying around €15 a night it's worth looking to find your closest EHU. I'd expect the EHU in the UK to be on the pitch, with the ripoff prices.

[oblio]

I use a 25m one (orange, 2.5mm cores) plus carry a 12 - 15m extension. I have had to use the extension several times when abroad, never in the UK.

[Rumblestripe]

oblio said:

I use a 25m one (orange, 2.5mm cores) plus carry a 12 - 15m extension. I have had to use the extension several times when abroad, never in the UK.

Not planning on any trips to Europe this year (maybe 27) have you had any issues with the type of connector at the site end. I understand that sometimes they are the "domestic" type round pin euro sockets?

[Scrump]

Rumblestripe said:

Not planning on any trips to Europe this year (maybe 27) have you had any issues with the type of connector at the site end. I understand that sometimes they are the "domestic" type round pin euro sockets?

I have never seen that on French sites or Aires.

[mart 63]

Scrump said:

Rumblestripe said:

Not planning on any trips to Europe this year (maybe 27) have you had any issues with the type of connector at the site end. I understand that sometimes they are the "domestic" type round pin euro sockets?

I have never seen that on French sites or Aires.

Quite a few sites in Spain have 2 pin domestic sockets, we have 2 or 3 different end connectors that basically cover Europe.

[Mr Pointy]

Amazon have converters:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=eu+plug+to+16A+comman...