Hook up on your van

Just open the engine lid and hook up!
Mine is attached to the reg plate screws.

 

you could get a lead with an rcd unit on it,
and plug it in and pop it through the window...

 

I'm thinking of Doing something similar, But ill put mine inside the engine compartment LHS side, it might mean leaving the engine compartment open when using the hook up, ???

 

Is chafing a problem?

 

how personal!
i have cream

 

I'm in the same situation as you. I have the through the window extension -is that any more dangerous than electrics v near to petrol?

For the number of times im likely to use electric, I think ill stick with what i have for now and probably still never actually use when camping

 

Not at all... but it does now!

 

That's fine.

 

I'd be more concerned about the engine lid munching its way through the mains cable...

 

when i suggested using that set up in another thread peoplle rightly pointed out it wasn't without risk

Off the top of my head if the cable got damaged you weren't protected from the bus becoming a live metal box

Others said whilst that was true they would still do it occassionally

 

It's fine.

 

munching? i've never seen it chew but i will keep an eye on the cable

 

The main problem with the leads through the window is the body of the van is not earthed properly.

A bit of a read for you
http://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/leisure-electrics-230v.5526/

 

@matty thanks for the response. Your guide is very good and I appreciate you expertise and input

Could one of the sockets of the (through the window type) extension be used as an earth?

EG a permananet wire from a very good van earth into a normal houshold plug. The normal household plug (only wired up as an earth, nothing connected to the other pins) would then plug into one of the spare sockets in the through the window type extension. Would this work as an earth and make the through the window type cable safer?

Please don't laugh at my lack of electrical knowledge, physics is the only subject I failed at school!

If I needed electric more often then I would consider a proper permanent set up - but in 20 years of ownership i've only used electric hook up a handful of times (through the window)

 

TMI!

@Merlin Cat , re the hook up through the window thingy, we did that for many years, at home and abroad, no issues. We fitted a permanent hook up point simply cos we reckoned it looks tidier. Kept hook up cable in a shopping bag and that doubled up as our kneeler-onner when plugging in, thus avoiding the dreaded wet knee syndrome

 

Exactly this on my van but with less under seal.

 

This is on my to do list as well, I'm thinking an RCD twin socket, fed directly from a 13A fused spur, as I can't face being ripped off for a bit of orange cable with a couple of plastic sockets......