10amps maximum usage??

[babalicious]

we are new to caravanning and we are going to our first site and in the terms and conditions it say maximum usage is 10amps, what exactly does this mean? does it mean i cant use anything with a 13amp fuse, like a kettle etc??? thanks

[Buenchico]

Every electrical item draws a certain amount of electrical current, measured in Amps. As is common to many campsite hook-ups, the system will trip out if the TOTAL current drawn by your electrical items exceeds 10A.

The current drawn will depend upon the power ratings of the appliances used. You'll need to check the labels of your appliances to find those ratings. The formula you need to know is that the current is found by dividing the power (in watts) by 230 (which is the nominal UK supply voltage).

So, for example, a 3kW (=3000W) kettle will draw 3000 ÷ 230 Amps = (roughly) 13A. So using such a kettle would cause the hook-up to 'trip out'. However some kettles use less power. A Tesco Value kettle (for £4.78), for example, is only rated at 2.2kW, so dividing 2200 by 230 shows that it would only draw 9.6A so you could use that kettle as long as you didn't have anything else plugged in at the same time.

Chris

[babalicious]

so looking at your answer we wont be able to watch tv? how do people do then as i've seen them watching tv, and making a brew with the lights on, i'm so confused and starting to wish i hadnt got the bloody caravan!

[KARL]

A maximum of 10amp is probably the highest limit you will find at sites, some allow considerably less. Many sites will have alongside the socket where you plug in a circuit breaker which you can access so if you trip it you can reset it yourself. In other cases you will not yourself be able to reset and will instead need to get staff to do it. In a few cases you may inconvenience other campers should you overload the circuit. It is therefore worth knowing what you are consuming and ensure you stay within the set limit.

[Buenchico]

You'll have no problem watching TV unless you're also using other electrical appliances at the same time, with a resultant total load exceeding 10A.

Taking my figures from here
http://reviews.cnet.c.../tv-power-efficiency/
a typical plasma TV might be rated at 300w. Dividing that by 230 shows that it would only draw 1.3A. An LCD TV would draw even less current (around 0.5A, based upon the figures from that page).

Chris

[Buenchico]

PS: To make a brew for two people while using other electrical appliances, get hold of a little travel kettle, such as this one which draws under 3A:
http://www.argos.co.u...artNumber/4229289.htm

If you need to brew up for more than 2 people, this kettle only draws 5.2A:
http://www.argos.co.u...artNumber/0503473.htm

Chris

[babalicious]

right i think i get it now, i was getting concerned because i thought that a tv or laptop would be much bigger than a kettle until my hubby pointed it out to me that the kettle is probably the biggest! thankyou all fellinf a little more relaxed about it now! x