A campervan electric hook-up or shore power connection allows you to charge your leisure batteries via mains electricity at a campsite or motorway services. In my opinion, it's essential if you're using your campervan for extended trips. In this guide, I will show you the simple approach to installing campervan electric hook-up in your campervan. We will look at wiring up a battery charger as well as plug sockets, and discuss consumer units and surge protection.
Index
Supplies List
 | Your chosen campervan battery charger |
 | Socket in the side of your van to accept mains electricity |
 | Connect to mains electric hook-up at a campsite |
 | Protect your campervan electrical system in case of fault |
 | Protect the rest of the electrical system from surge |
 | Connects to your inverter to deliver 110/240v electricity |
What is a Campervan Electric Hook-Up?
Shore power or campervan electric hook-up means connecting your van's electrical system to the mains. Installing shore power not only allows us to charge up our leisure batteries, but also allows us to run appliances directly off mains when we are plugged in, saving our leisure batteries. I have lived for quite some time in my campervan in Chamonix, France. It typically sees temperatures of -20°C in the heart of winter, during which time I tend to leave my van plugged into mains.
In the Roaming Home 2023 study we found that 58% of people install shore power in their van conversion.
Regulatory Standards for Shore Power
As with every electrical installation, it's important that your electric hook-up system complies with local electrical regulations. This ensures that your insurance will be valid and that your van will pass its MOT. Read our complete guide to campervan electrical regulations (UK, USA, EU) here.
What is a Battery Charger?
A battery charger is a device which converts 110V/230V AC mains power into 12V DC power. It also regulates the voltage and current running into the batteries and optimises them for the battery's charging profile. It's the device that facilitates your campervan electric hook-up.
I personally use the Victron Blue Smart 25A battery charger and really like it. It was simple to install, functions flawlessly, and has built-in bluetooth monitoring capability. We will look at how to wire it up later in the guide. Check out Victron's range of battery chargers to find one that's right for you.
Renogy also make a battery charger, which is a simpler offering and thus comes at a lower price.
Alternatively, consider a combined campervan inverter-charger. An inverter is another almost-essential feature of a campervan electrical system. A combined inverter-charger combines the functionality of an inverter and a battery charger in one device, meaning less wiring and a cleaner installation. Renogy and Victron both make high-quality inverter-chargers as well.
How to Install a Campervan Electric Hook-up
Step 1: Install a campervan electric hook up inlet in the side of your van
The campervan electric hook-up inlet, is where we plus our van into the mains. You can learn how to install a shore power inlet here.
Step 2: Connect the campervan electric hook up inlet to a consumer unit
A garage consumer unit contains an RCD (residual current device) and several MCBs (miniature circuit breakers). It is a box of breakers for AC systems.
RCD: The RCD (GFCI in North America) will ensure that the power supply is automatically cut to all of the circuits protected by the device if ground leakage or a short circuit is detected. It's an essential safety component and required by regulations worldwide. Read more about electrical system grounding here.
Type A vs. Type AC RCDs: RDCs come in two types: Type A and Type AC. Since 2022, a type A RCD is required for campervan installations.
MCB: The MCBs in the consumer unit protect the devices and plug sockets they connect to. A 16A breaker is standard in the UK, while 15A or 20A breakers are typical for US circuits, depending on the wire gauge. If local campsites offer amperage greater than 16A, you will want to move up to a 32A breaker.
Single vs. double pole MCBs: An MCB can be either single pole or double pole. In Europe and the UK, all MCBs in campervan systems must be double pole.
How to Wire a Consumer Unit for Campervan Electric Hook-up
Using 3-core cable, connect the hook-up inlet to the consumer unit. You should use ferrule connectors to ensure you get a clean connection with the connector block. In most cases, the cabling should be 2.5mm 3-core arctic rated flex cable.
A typical garage unit for campervans will contain a 40A RCD and two MCBs (normally 6A and 16A).
From the shore power inlet: The neutral and live wires go into the top of the RCD, into the corresponding inlets. Earth goes to the earth bar, typically located at the bottom of the unit.
To the battery charger and plug sockets: Our battery charger and plug sockets are wired to the consumer unit. The lives and neutrals connect to the bottoms of the MCBs. The earths all go to the earth bus bar.
Ground: We need to ground our consumer unit. We run this wire to our universal chassis ground point in our van.
Step 3: Connect the consumer unit to a battery charger: As mentioned previously, we wire our battery charger to the consumer unit using 3-core cable. We run the cable into the consumer unit and wire it up to an MCB.
Some battery chargers come pre-wired with a plug head. You will need to snip off this plug head and strip back the live, neutral, and earth wires in order to wire it up to the consumer unit.
Step 4: Connect the battery charger to the leisure batteries: Connect your battery charger to the leisure battery common busbars, with a circuit breaker on the positive wire between the battery charger and busbar.
Step 5: Wire a plug socket into the consumer unit (optional): Wiring a plug socket into the consumer unit is very useful. It means that when you are plugged into shore power, you can charge your devices directly off mains (rather than running through your leisure batteries).
Grab some 3-core cable and run one end of it into the consumer unit in the exact same manner as the cable from the battery charger. Then, wire the other end to a plug socket: live (brown) to live, neutral (blue) to neutral, earth (yellow and green) to earth.
Note: Wall sockets in a campervan must be either unswitched or double pole switched. Single pole switched wall sockets are not suitable for a new installation - they are only for static installations.
Finally, use a jigsaw to cut a cavity for the plug socket in your van's cladding and fix the socket in place.
Campervan Electric Hook-up Cable
In order to charge up using your new hook-up connection, you will need a campervan electric hook-up cable. This connects the campsite mains to your van. Per the BS 7671 guidelines, it may have a maximum length of 25m, and must be a flexible cable, with minimum 2.5mm² conductors.
Cable Sizing for Shore Power (BS 7671 & NEC)
BS 7671: For shore power cables up to 25m, a 2.5mm² cable is typically recommended for 16A systems, as it minimizes voltage drop while meeting regulatory standards.
NEC: In the USA, 12 AWG cables are equivalent to 2.5mm² and are similarly used for 20A circuits. For longer runs, upgrading to 10 AWG or 4.0mm² is advisable to prevent excessive voltage drop.
Ensure the cable is fully uncoiled when in use to avoid overheating.
Voltage Drop and Cable Sizing Calculations
When installing shore power in a campervan, it's crucial to size cables correctly to minimize voltage drop, ensuring that your electrical system runs efficiently and safely. Excessive voltage drop can lead to poor appliance performance, overheating, and even potential damage to electrical devices. Check out our detailed guide on wiring to learn about cable gauges and voltage drop in full.
Surge Protection for Campervans
Although not as critical as in homes, surge protection in campervans is beneficial when connecting to shore power, especially at campsites with unstable electrical grids or in areas prone to lightning strikes. Surges can damage sensitive electronics, such as inverters, battery chargers, and laptops.
Why Use Surge Protection?
Unstable Power: Campsites often have inconsistent power quality, with potential voltage spikes caused by overloading or malfunctioning equipment.
Lightning Strikes: Nearby lightning strikes can induce transient overvoltages, posing a risk to your campervan’s electrical system.
Electronics Protection: Expensive devices like inverters and chargers are vulnerable to power surges, and a Surge Protection Device (SPD) can prevent costly damage.
How to Implement Surge Protection
Install a Type 3 SPD (commonly used for RVs and campervans) at the shore power inlet or consumer unit. These devices protect against smaller surges from shore power connections.
Some inverter chargers and battery chargers include built-in surge protection. Verify if your equipment has this feature.
Choosing a Surge Protector
Look for portable RV surge protectors or hardwired surge protection units rated for 230V (UK/EU) or 120V (USA) systems. Ensure they can handle your typical current draw (e.g., 16A or 30A).
Testing and Inspection Requirements
After installing your campervan shore power system, it is essential to carry out proper testing and inspection to ensure the system is safe, compliant, and functioning as expected. Both BS 7671 (UK) and NEC (USA) require specific tests before energizing the system. These checks help identify issues like poor connections, reverse polarity, and faulty earthing, which could lead to hazards.
BS 7671 (UK) Testing Requirements
Under BS 7671 Chapter 61, electrical installations must undergo initial verification and periodic inspection.
The key tests include:
Continuity of Protective Conductors: This test ensures that the earthing conductors (including bonding) are properly connected, verifying that fault currents can safely flow to ground.
Insulation Resistance Test: This checks the insulation of all cabling to confirm there are no defects that could cause short circuits. The test is typically done at 500V DC, and insulation resistance should be at least 1 MΩ.
Polarity Testing: Ensures that live, neutral, and earth connections are correctly wired, especially important for preventing reverse polarity issues at campsites. The test confirms that the live wire is connected to the correct terminal.
Earth Fault Loop Impedance Test: This test measures the total impedance of the earth fault loop path, ensuring the protective devices will operate within the required time if a fault occurs.
RCD Testing: The RCD (Residual Current Device) must trip within the specified time and current (typically 30mA) to ensure protection against electric shock. Use an RCD tester to simulate ground faults and measure trip times.
How to Perform Essential Electrical Tests
1. Continuity of Protective Conductors
Purpose: Ensures all earthing conductors are connected correctly.
How to Perform:
Set a multimeter to continuity mode.
Touch one probe to the earth terminal at the consumer unit and the other to each earth point (e.g., metal chassis, sockets).
A continuous beep or low resistance reading confirms proper earthing.
2. Insulation Resistance Test
Purpose: Checks the integrity of insulation between live conductors and earth.
How to Perform:
Disconnect all sensitive devices.
Set the insulation tester to 500V DC.
Test between live and neutral, live and earth, and neutral and earth.
The insulation resistance should read at least 1 MΩ. Anything lower suggests insulation damage.
3. Polarity Testing
Purpose: Ensures that live, neutral, and earth connections are correctly wired.
How to Perform:
Use a multimeter or polarity tester.
Place the probes on the live and neutral terminals of each socket or device.
Confirm that the live terminal has 230V (UK) or 120V (USA) relative to neutral and earth. Reverse polarity indicates a wiring error.
4. Earth Fault Loop Impedance Test
Purpose: Verifies the total impedance of the earth fault loop path to ensure safety devices will trip in the event of a fault.
How to Perform:
Use an earth fault loop impedance tester.
Connect it to a socket and perform the test.
The device will measure the impedance and calculate whether the circuit can handle fault currents safely, comparing to the allowable limits based on circuit ratings.
5. RCD Testing
Purpose: Ensures that the RCD trips within the specified time at a leakage current of 30mA.
How to Perform:
Use an RCD tester and plug it into a socket protected by the RCD.
Simulate a fault by pressing the test button on the tester, which induces a leakage current.
The RCD should trip immediately. Record the trip time and ensure it complies with the standard.
Conclusion
We covered a lot, but you should now understand campervan shore hook-up systems and feel more confident installing one. When you're ready to choose, remember to check out Renogy and Victron's ranges of battery chargers. Alternatively, Renogy and Victron both make combined inverter-chargers, for a simpler installation.
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Until next time.