Electrical Connecting van at home

[Roadhouse]

Hey all, did a bit of a search and couldn’t find what I was after so thought would post a new thread...

What do you do to connect your 15amp van to power when at home (to power it up, not just charge a battery) given its likely that PowerPoint is 10amp?

Thoughts are put in a dedicated 15amp outlet on the wall at home, grind the earth pin down on lead becky, or get one of those 15 - 10 amp adaptor things like Ampfibian etc.

Adapter prob best way to go perhaps due to portability and legality - any particular one to choose?

Ta

 

[crackacoldie]

An amphibian, 10-15 amp adaptor. Worth carrying with you, have been to parks with 10 amp outlets in the past.

 

[Drover]

Ideally an amphibian then if you run your AC, toaster and HWS all at the same time the amphibian will trip out not your house circuit, some seem to think the amphibian converts the power or some such nonsense, it doesn't, all it does is put a circuit breaker in the line which will trip at 10 amp......... Connecting to a 10 amp house socket is okay as long as you don't fire up high use items like toaster, HWS, AC at the same time, the horror stories you hear are caused by stupid people and we have to protect them................ Have actually seen people using them in caravan parks plugged into a 15 amp pole , just shook my head as he said it was to protect his van from burning down, I just walked away as he didn't have a clue he had just set his power to 10 amp....

For years and still nowadays lots of showgrounds only have 10 amp sockets, those of us that use them just don't run big power items at once, been that way for 50 years..... Sensible to have an Amphibian.

 

[Roadhouse]

Cheers guys

 

[Roadhouse]

Now to choose which one! Amphibian RV02 max, RV PLUS, the mini...

Probably a toss up between RV02 max and the RV PLUS as both are IP55 rated.

Preference? RV02 a bit pricier but looks more compact than the Plus...

 

[willobee]

HI @Roadhouse we use an amphibian mini at home and always carry it with us when away.
it has come in very handy on the odd occasion when we have stayed in some onsite accommodation instead of the van and then the parking bay is unlikely to have a 15 amp socket.
get an amphibian type device and do it properly don't risk a cheap dodgy solution, cheap insurance!

 

[Drover]

The main thing to remember is when using an amphibian you don't have all the high power draws running at once.........it will trip......the amphibian doesn't protect the van it protects the house circuit, that circuit could be running off the kitchen circuit so you have a toaster, kettle and HWS running in the van and the house has a kettle and toaster going so in places like Canberra where they still have wired fuses and dodgy wiring, ( Fact, as my kids live there and I've shuddered when Ive looked in their meter boxes) the fuse will blow if your lucky or a point will melt and probably at the same time the amphibian trips............ with a 15 amp circuit you will find it will more than likely have one other point on the circuit and both would rarely be used together, just changing the GP point is not advised as its the circuit not the GP point that is the issue............

 

[mikerezny]

Now to choose which one! Amphibian RV02 max, RV PLUS, the mini...

Probably a toss up between RV02 max and the RV PLUS as both are IP55 rated.

Preference? RV02 a bit pricier but looks more compact than the Plus...

The mini is for internal use. i.e. hooking your van up at home where you can keep the Ampfibian near an internal power point. The RV Plus is a little more expensive but is designed to be used outside i.e. at caravan parks where the power outlet is 10A.
I can't see the advantage of spending almost double to buy the RV02.
They are all electrically identical

Here is another alternative if you don't want to install a15A outlet in your house or spend any money but charge your van battery safely and legally.
Run a normal 240V extension lead into your van, unplug the power supply / charger and plug it into your extension lead.

Depending on your house, instaling a 15A power point can be much cheaper if you install it in or under your house switch board.

cheers
Mike

 

[Roadhouse]

Thanks all - bought the RV02 last night and very happy with it. Maybe overkill but looks pretty solid and should last.