240v electrics DIY

Hello all
I have a dandy destiny 6 lowside.
This will be our first year in the dandy and I have so many things to do and buy, lots of little jobs but also some big ones, of which one being the electrics.
I do have a EHU cable already and plan on getting a lesiure battery, but I want to have 240v sockets.
So here goes my ideas and questions.
I would like a couple of sockets inside, where would be best for these to go?
I would also like one on the outside where the awning would be.
What do I need to do this job from scratch?
Where abouts does the main outside 3 pin socket go? (we don't have a front locker box at atm) but I'm assuming it goes there somewhere.
If any of you have any pictures, and links of parts that I would need I would very much appreciate it

Thank you in advance

Ellaxx

Hello Ellaxx

I don't know how much you camp, what you want nor how accurately what you think you want is actually what you will want when you have camped in your Dandy a few times.
If you need technical help then navver and Peridot are far more knowledgeable than I. With the reservation that there have been people who they might not want to advise because it's been apparent that that they didn't quite get what was been said and both these individuals are professional people and there is a limit as to what they might want to get involved in.
We have covered the wiring for battery charging and fridge cooling while traveling. We have also covered 240V wiring and battery charging.
However before you get involved in hard wiring the Dandy why not just get one of these [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] type things and then just look at what you want and need. These type of connectors are not perfect most don't have 2.5mm² wires as required for a hook up lead. They only allow for 2.4Kw (most of them) not the full 3.8Kw of a full 16 amp unit.  The plug points are in line not at 90⁰ to the unit so a small charging unit blanks off another plug but they can be used with extension cables and let you think about what you want.
For an example see here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

That also provided a link to charging batteries from the car and mains.

This explains the legality of doing your own work [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This shows Mr (&Mrs) Perridot's rather wonderful wiring job and shows why your not any worse off without pre installed electrics.  http://www.dandycampers.org/t2074-dandy-wiring

The intent isn't to overwhelm you and I'm sure Messrs navver and Peridot will help in bite sized pieces when you know definitely what you want but for now why not just grab an rcd protected unit and go camping and work out what your requirements are. You might think it's a waste of £40.00 but if needs be you can always sell it on.

The last link TowItch provided tells you what equipment you want.

You need to identify where to put the consumer unit, probably in a bed box or bottom kitchen cupboard. You may want to put a battery charger or power supply unit next to it.

The mains inlet socket can go just under the dandy but reachable from the side, preferably in front of the wheels to stop spray hitting it. I would put it on the offside to keep the cable away from the awning. The cable can go through the floor to the consumer unit. Not sure where the wheels are on a 6, in the kitchen unit or bed box. The consumer unit should not have bedding piled against it when in use as it may overheat.

Socket positions depend on what you want to plug in and on getting suitable cable routes from the consumer unit.

Thank you both for getting back to me. some good links there that gives me a good idea of what needs doing.
don't worry I wont actually be doing any of this kind of thing myself, but just wanted to no how it all works so that when I do get someone to do it I no what to look out for.

Thanks Ellaxx

Either a professional or a reasonably competent armature is fine for the installation. I think we have become overly prescriptive in what people can and can't do in their own house. I'm looking at changing my solid fuel heating system but these too now need to be fitted by by regulated professionals (For sure I've seen some of the jobs done) or you have to get your own fit signed off by the council. None of this affects what the real idiots do anyway.

navver will or might chose to correct me that this is out of date but this this is a brief summation of what you are looking for presented in a user friendly form.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Yep sorry Titch, the link is to the 16th edition, we are on the 17th edition now. Not a lot of difference though

What I didn't say was that the link to the question about lighting was there because I firmly believe you should get out there and camp first before installing loads of kit because what you think you want and what you actually need or want might be two different things.

Tow Itch wrote:What I didn't say was that the link to the question about lighting was there because I firmly believe you should get out there and camp first before installing loads of kit because what you think you want and what you actually need or want might be two different things.

I agree tow itch, im just getting over excited about everything lol, these things will take time anyway as my partner works a lot of hours and we have a 2 year old to keep us busy
I appreciate your help
thank you
Ellaxx

Hi Ellaxx,

Tow Itch and navver have covered the main things you need to consider. Personally I like to have lots of sockets available for convenience and to minimise equipment leads getting in the way.

The easiest installation method for sockets is into a cupboard or underseat storage area using a 'dry lining' box.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Another technique I've used to fit sockets in a Dandy uses a shallow light switch backing box recessed into the narrow space between the inner and outer walls of the camper. I then use a 'converta socket' which needs only the single shallow box behind it. This is much neater than a surface mounted socket but obviously requires more work to install cables in the Dandy walls.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Also consider the sockets with built-in USB sockets for charging phones, kindles, tablets, etc. They're a bit pricey but very handy.

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An external socket for the awning is very useful. On my Designer I mounted one on the rear of the unit between the door and the towing light cluster. For the Destiny, I didn't fancy having one mounted on the side where it might get knocked when towing so I fitted it upside down underneath the camper, which is a little awkward but works. A better solution would have used a bracket to mount it in a more conventional orientation, which is on my list of jobs to do. The external socket clearly must be waterproof and I only ever use the MK Masterseal range. Cheaper alternatives are available but the MKs are much better quality and worth the extra. Even with them, careful assembly is required to ensure the sealing gasket is correctly seated.

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For the inlet, you have the choice of fitting the through-wall caravan type or a surface-mount one under the unit. The former gives a neat result but involves cutting metal and sealing against moisture ingress. The surface-mount option is far simpler.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]    [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Cable should be 'flex' rather than the solid core wiring used in domestic installations, and circuit breakers should be double-pole rather than domestic single-pole types. This provides additional protection if the site supply polarity is incorrect.


If I think of anything else, I'll add it in later.

Peridot that's great. really like the double usb plug, just one of them would be enough on the inside. and a double on the awning side.
would a fuse box be needed?
Thank you
ellaxx

My Dandy strip and restore is on hold as my wife decided that the master bedroom needs it more than the Dandy, but I have been looking at sockets with USB chargers. You want something that responds to the device and turns off when it is fully charged. I have ordered some from here for the bedroom and if they turn out as expected, will use more in the Dandy.

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One thing to watch is that they will be deep. The description says they will fit a 35mm back box, but I have put in 47mm just in case. Deeper boxes means a seat box or cupboard fit. I am still waiting for them to arrive and just have the original socket plates on my newly deepened boxes. I will update with some feedback when they arrive. Fortunately as 'replacements' in a bedroom, they are still allowed for DIY.

Ellaxx wrote:Peridot that's great. really like the double usb plug, just one of them would be enough on the inside. and a double on the awning side.
would a fuse box be needed?
Thank you
ellaxx

Yes, you do need to have a small consumer unit (modern name for fuse box) in the camper. This will contain an 'RCD' for earth leakage protection, and 'MCBs' for each circuit providing overcurrent protection. Alternatively, you can have 'RCBOs' which provide individual earth leakage and overcurrent protection for each circuit.

Apart from anything else you don't want to be relying for protection on the site electrics when you don't know how well they've been installed or how often they are inspected and tested. Large commercial sites and most small sites will be fine, but you still come across some horrors from time to time.

ChrisP wrote: I have been looking at sockets with USB chargers. You want something that responds to the device and turns off when it is fully charged. I have ordered some from here for the bedroom and if they turn out as expected, will use more in the Dandy.

They're less expensive than I've previously seen Chris. Let us know how you get on with them.

Also important to have a 2A rating if you want to charge iPads and other tablets. I've seen some that are only 1A. Unless it states otherwise the total current capability is normally shared across the two sockets rather than per socket.