Short answer: Electric hook-up (EHU) is a 230 V mains supply from a campsite bollard, connected with a blue 16 A plug (BS EN 60309-2) on a three-core cable of up to 25 m. Sites limit how many amps you can draw, often 16 A or less. A 1,000 W appliance draws about 4.3 A. Unwind the whole cable, check polarity, and know where your RCD is.
What electric hook-up is
Electric hook-up in a campervan means plugging your van into the site's mains supply. Each pitch has a bollard with one or more blue industrial sockets. You run a cable from that socket to an inlet on the side of your van, and the van's consumer unit then feeds your 230 V sockets and, usually, a battery charger that tops up your leisure battery.
The socket is a three-pin, 16 A, 230 V connector to BS EN 60309-2, the blue round plug you will hear called a "commando" plug. The Caravan and Motorhome Club gives that as the standard site socket.
Amps: what the bollard gives you
The plug is rated 16 A, but the site may limit you to less. The Caravan and Motorhome Club says nearly all its sites supply a maximum of 16 A, and that your total use at one pitch must not go over that. Other sites, especially smaller ones and some abroad, supply less. The figure is often written on the bollard or in the site information. If you do not know, ask at reception.
The useful conversion, from the Club: a 1 kW (1,000 W) appliance draws about 4.3 A at 230 V. So watts divided by 230 gives you amps. Add up everything that might be on at once.
| Site supply | Roughly how many watts at once |
|---|---|
| 16 A | about 3,680 W |
| 10 A | about 2,300 W |
| 6 A | about 1,380 W |
Those are simple amps times 230 V sums, so treat them as ceilings, not targets. Leave some headroom, because your battery charger and fridge may switch on by themselves.
What you can run
The Caravan and Motorhome Club gives these typical figures:
| Appliance | Typical watts | Approx. amps |
|---|---|---|
| Kettle (low wattage) | 750 W | 3.3 A |
| Toaster or iron | 1,300 W | 5.6 A |
| Microwave | 1,200 W | 5.2 A |
| Fridge | 125 W | 0.5 A |
| Battery charger | 100 W | 0.4 A |
| TV | 50 W | 0.2 A |
The Club also suggests limiting blown-air heaters and air conditioning to 500 W. A normal household kettle is often much more than 750 W, so check the label. The classic trip is a kettle plus a heater plus a hairdryer on a 6 A or 10 A supply: the bollard cuts out and you go and find someone in a dressing gown to reset it.
If you are planning what to run from your own battery when you are off hook-up, Roam's electrics tools work it through for you; see our solar and battery calculator and inverter size guide.
Your cable
- Spec. The Caravan and Motorhome Club asks for a cable of 25 m maximum, three-core, 2.5 mm² per core, coded H07RN-F or H05VV-F or equivalent. The Camping and Caravanning Club also gives 2.5 mm² cores for a typical 16 A load, and points out that some cheaper leads use 1.5 mm², which you can check on the cable's outer sheath. With a 1.5 mm² lead, cut back how much you draw.
- Unwind it all. A coiled cable carrying current can overheat. Unreel the whole length, even if the bollard is next to the van, and lay the spare in loose loops.
- No joins or splitters. The Caravan and Motorhome Club does not allow cable joiners or splitters on its sites.
- Damage. Never cut, re-join or tape up a damaged cable, and never wrap connections in plastic bags, because condensation can conduct. Replace it.
- Colour. An orange cable is easier to see in long grass and harder to trip over.
Connecting, step by step
This follows the order the Caravan and Motorhome Club gives:
- Switch your van's mains isolating switch (often on the consumer unit) off.
- Unwind the cable fully.
- Plug the female end into the van's inlet first.
- Plug the blue plug into the bollard. Some twist to lock; some have a switch.
- Switch the van's isolator on.
- Check polarity with a plug-in tester, then take the tester out.
To disconnect, reverse it: isolator off, unplug at the bollard, then unplug at the van. That way the loose end of the cable is never live.
Polarity, RCDs and MCBs
Polarity means the live and neutral wires are the right way round. The Club's advice is to check with a polarity tester in a three-pin socket and not to use the supply if polarity is wrong. In practice that means talk to the site staff. Do not leave the tester plugged in.
RCD (residual current device) trips if current leaks to earth, which is what protects you from a shock through a faulty appliance or damaged cable. Club supplies are protected by RCDs, and most vans have one in their own consumer unit. Press its test button now and then; it should trip.
MCB (miniature circuit breaker) trips when you draw too much current. If the bollard's breaker trips, site staff usually reset it. If your van's MCB trips, switch something off before resetting it. A faulty appliance can trip the site supply for neighbours too, so if it keeps happening, unplug things one at a time to find it, with the van disconnected before you investigate a fault.
We are not electricians, and this is general guidance from the two big UK clubs. If your van's mains system was fitted by a previous owner or yourself, get it checked by a competent electrician. Follow each site's own rules.
Our hook-up habits
A few things we do every time we plug in, all drawn from the guidance above. We check the bollard's rating before we put the kettle on. We run the cable along the ground where nobody walks, not across the path to the toilet block. We keep the plug ends off wet grass. We switch heavy loads on one at a time, so if something trips we know which one did it. And in wet weather we check the cable for nicks before we put it away, because a damaged lead is a replacement, not a repair.
Off hook-up, your 230 V sockets only work through an inverter, if you have one, and that drains the leisure battery quickly with high-wattage things like kettles and hairdryers. That is why many vans keep 12 V or gas options for heating and cooking, and save the mains-hungry jobs for hook-up nights.
Questions
How many amps is electric hook-up in the UK?
The plug is 16 A, and the Caravan and Motorhome Club says nearly all its sites supply up to 16 A. Smaller sites may give less, so check the bollard or ask.
Can I use a normal kettle on hook-up?
On a 16 A supply a typical kettle is usually fine on its own. On lower supplies, or with a heater running, a full-power kettle can trip it. A low-wattage travel kettle helps.
Can I plug my hook-up into a house socket?
Adapters exist, but a domestic 13 A socket is not the same as a site bollard, so you will be limited by the 13 A plug and fuse. Check the adapter, the circuit and your cable before trying it.
Does hook-up charge my leisure battery?
Only if your van has a mains battery charger fitted, which most converted and factory vans do. Our campervan electrics hub explains how it fits together.