And there was me thinking wiring up the 240 was going to be difficult but, thanks to you I can stop panicking and just get on and do it tomorrow, brilliantly explained
Hiya John, how you doing ? Great comment, makes my day when I get comments like that. Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, good luck with your own project, be careful . Cheers ... Jimmy ...
ok, that was the best explaination in plain english I have seen and I have watched at least 50 hookup consumer unit 240 v youtube tutorials. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH. YOURE AMAZING
Hiya Ellen, how you doing? Thanks for the fantastic comments, you've just made my day ! I make the videos cos I do enjoy making them ( even the editting haha ) but when you get comments like yours it's the cream on the cake ... Thanks again ... Jimmy .
Thank you so much. I've been watching videos and reading about how to do this and have not been able to make heads or tails of it. After watching this I finally understand.
Hiya "MTren" how you doing ? Thanks for the great comment. I'm really pleased you liked my video and fingers crossed it'll be some help to you. Good luck with your own project , just go slow, I'm sure you'll be fine. Thanks again for watching and taking time out to comment, I hope you'll watch more of my video's and hopefully become a regular visitor to the channel. Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi James. Just one point everyone should consider; motorhomes and caravans normally use 2-pole mcb's, not single pole like yours. Apparently this covers the situation where the hook up is used in a country that has reversed polarity. Cheers.
Yes Exaclty!!! I just wanted to note here, that this installation can be very dangerous as soon as you go to any european country (which is absolutely can happen since it's a Camper for looking around the world). If you have to use a plug converter in those countries very easily can happen that the Live became a Null and the Null became a Live. From that moment the 1 pole circuit brakers are braking only the Null, and the Live is still in the sockets between the Earth and the Blue cable. Very Dangerous!!!! Use 2 pole CB-s instead this 1 pole ones! This instalation is only good for stationary/home usage where the Live/Null is always on the same wires!!!
Thank's for your great comment, It's made my day ! I often look back and think my explanation skills leave a lot to be desired haha. I'm really pleased it's helped you, thank's for watching my video & taking the time to comment and let me know what you thought. Jimmy
Hiya "raja khan " How you doing ? Thanks for the great comment, it's much appreciated. Thanks for watching & taking time out to comment, and good luck with your own van ... Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Ever consider an isolation transformer that way are isolated from the grid and no need for earth. RCDs remain functional. Great video, getting lots of ideas.
Hi "E-Biker Bulgaria " , how's things ? No... I'm unfamiliar with that, never heard of it before but my systems all done and working fine now , so I've no need to change anything, I'm pleased you liked my video and maybe got some ideas !!! Thanks for watching & commenting, It's much appreciated... ...Cheers...Jimmy...
Hiya "mkzshogun" how you doing ? Thanks for the kind comments, glad to hear it's helped you out. Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, and especially the subscription, I really appreciate it, I hope you continue to enjoy watching my videos and become a regular to my channel . Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Brilliant mate! Bob on for us first-timers! No nonsense info with all detail on every wire, connection point and descriptions. Just what I needed. Cheers mate.😊
Hi Nick... how you doin ? Thanks for the great comments, I'm really pleased the video helped you ! I really appreciate you watching my video and taking the time to leave me your comments... Good luck with your own build... Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 . Doing well in these strange times thankyou. Hope you are to mate. Just trying to get my head around electrics as they seem to affect everything I'm adding at the mo! Argh! I'll get there though with helpful blogs like yours. Thanks again. Be safe. 😊
Hi "cpo sky" how you doing ? Thanks for you great comment and finally,...someone appreciates my sense of humor haha. Just thought, if you like my sense of humor you might like these two...ruclips.net/video/67TpnZksENQ/видео.html (camper van seat, bed, shower.. final chapter ) and ruclips.net/video/7WzNV5Nrn2I/видео.html ( camper van Gas...LPG ) if you do watch them make sure you watch the gas one till the end haha. Well...thanks for watching my video's and of course taking the time to comment and letting me know what you thought , it's much appreciated ! I wish you good luck with your own build and hope you enjoy the process as much as I have. Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 sarcasm and sense of humor is rare these days I am only thinking on a small van nv200 possible e.v but still good to pick up tips etc. with electric etc looking and leaning slowly and cannot wait to get a little project going
Yeah, it's pro's and con's isn't it ? there's no wrong decision here, you trade off a bit of space, comfort, and options on how much stuff you can have against... fuel consumption, accessibility to off grid beauty spots ( some of the Cornwall country roads haha ), easier parking and general maneuverability, but... you pays your money and takes your choice...personal preference...I'm sure whichever van you choose ...you'll love it. Cheers...Jimmy
Hiya "Emilio Vigorelli", how you doing ? Your very welcome, I'm really pleased it helped you. Thanks for watching and talking time to comment and give me your feedback, it's much appreciated... Cheers...Jimmy...
As you say, instructions included, mine had none as well, although you have made this look really easy when you first open up the box you think what the heck?? What goes where. Thanks great video.
Hi Paul, how you doin ? Yes It does look daunting but just take your time and keep going back to re-check your work & make sure all your connections are tight and I'm sure you'll be fine... Thanks for watching and commenting on my video... I really appreciate the feedback... Cheers...Jimmy...
Incredibly helpful vid. Somehow making a thing I have to undertake that i felt was daunting and complex into something clear and simple. Hats off to you sir 🙏
Hiya Sam, How you doing ? Thanks for the great comment ! I'm really pleased you liked it and managed to understand my it haha ...(Geordie accent ). Thanks for watching ( & subscribing ), and taking time out to comment, it's much appreciated, and good luck with your own van ... Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi "Giovanni Grattacielo " That's great, really pleased it helped you. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to send me a comment ! I really appreciate it and it really makes my day when I get such good feedback. Cheers...Jimmy
Hiya "Bethel Tabernacle UK" how you doing ? Thanks for the kind comment , I hope you enjoyed it and if your about to do this job, I hope it's helped you. Thanks for watching my video & taking time out to comment, I always appreciate it. Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi Mike, How you doin ? Thanks for the great comment, really pleased you liked it... Being from County Durham at least you had a "better than most" chance of understanding my Geordie accent hahaha. Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment it's much appreciated. I hope you keep watching ! Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi Steve, Thanks for your great comment ! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it ! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment I do appreciate it. Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi Simon, how you doin ? Thanks for the great comment, I'm pleased it was helpful for you and you enjoyed it... good luck with your own project. Thanks again for watching & taking the time to give me your feedback, it's much appreciated... Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 is there any reason I cant install breakers as in-line fuse/breaker for 12V inside the CU too? obviosly not wiring up the 12V -ve to the 240V Ac -ve, but the 240V earth and 12V common ground will share the same chassis connection, no?
Hi Simon, Sorry for the slow reply... I'm not 100% sure I understand your question ! I think your asking if you could fit 12V & 240V fusses/ breakers inside your consumer unit ??? My advise would be... definitely not ! my advice would be to keep your 240 volt and 12 volt separate, as in 240 volt circuits protected by an RCD & MCB's inside a "garage" consumer unit and your 12 volt circuits protected by either a fuse box (recommended) or inline fuses... I hope that helps ... Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 ok I get it. I will separate them out. I went with Bimble Solar and they supplied me with a CU and breakers, just like 240V instead of the inline breakers I had on my diagram cos "they're better" - no doubt. Hence me asking if I could use the same CU for 12 and 240V. Logically it doesnt seem like a problem, but I shall err on the side of caution and use 2 CUs ! I have one last question regarding your video - the earths. I can see the earth from shore supply going to the right side upper bar and all other earths from units connecting there too. Do you connect that earth block back to the chassis via the bolt you put in at the beginning of the vid? ie is the earth bar grounded to the chassis too?
Hi Simon, If you have a metal body consumer unit the earth bar in the unit is connected (internally) to the consumer unit body, so just run an earth lead ( min 6mm- - - -10mm is better ) from the consumer unit body to the vehicle body, hope that makes sense !!!
all good bonnie lad, from a compatriot down south in Devon, good to see you're still ok!!Thanks for that dude, you made it all very clear and easy to follow, I'm now confident about fitting a consumer unit in my van.
Hi "Juris Lopatins", How's things ? Thanks for the fantastic comment, really pleased you liked it, thanks for watching & taking the time to let me know what you thought it's very much appreciated ... Cheers...Jimmy...
Hiya "Qoriniasi Loloma" how you doing ? Thanks for the nice comment ! slow reply today I'm afraid, I've been, away in the van for the weekend as it happens... Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated. Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi , I'm really pleased you found my video useful and you job went well, thanks for leaving me a comment and letting me know, I appreciate it ... cheers Jimmy
Hi Ian, Thanks for the great comment, I'm really pleased you like it and it was of some help to you... thanks for watching & taking the time to comment I really appreciate it ... Cheers...Jimmy ...
Hi Mark, Brilliant comment, you've made my day haha, I'm really pleased you liked the video and especially pleased you found it helpful, good luck with your installation. Thanks again for watching my video and taking the time to let me know what you thought !!! Cheers...Jimmy
Hi Mark, really pleased to hear that, great job, especially the hand test haha, because it takes no prisoners !!! Thanks for letting me know , Well done . Cheers...Jimmy
Hiya " @johnstanton8499" how you doing ? Thanks for watching my video and leaving a great comment, it's much appreciated, I hope you'll stick around and watch more of my videos in the future ... Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi Paul, Thanks for your comment, It really makes my day when I get comments like yours as I often think my explanation skills leave a lot to be desired haha. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment. Cheers...Jimmy
Hiya "@hikeybike" thanks for the great comments, I'm pleased the video has helped you, it was quite a while ago I made this video, and to be honest almost all my vanning is "off-grid" so I hardly use the 240v . If I remember correctly I ended the circuit at the last socket but I only had 1 socket per circuit ! Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, good luck with your own project ... Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Great video mate! Just a little tip though (important one), when feeding cables through conductive materials you must fit grommets, especially in mobile installations. Also it's handy to use a plug in socket tester which you can get from any big hardware store! 😉
Hi Shaun, how you doing ? Great stuff I'm pleased it helped. Thanks for watching and taking time to let me know what you thought, much appreciated !!! Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 I’m wiring a caravan. Do you think I can put a standard 240v fridge, microwave oven, and lights in there? Or should I get a two way fridge 🤔 I will only use these when parked up at a caravan site. Will also have 12v to run little lights etc
Hi Shaun, Yes, you could put a standard 240v fridge & microwave oven into a caravan ! You haven’t said what sort of consumer unit you’ve got though so… Firstly remember, I’m NOT an electrician but I would think you’d need a 3 gang consumer unit (3 circuits ) and if your having your light running off the hook-up you’ll need one with 1 X 6amp and 2 X 16amp MCB’s (miniature circuit breakers ) so you can run your lights on the 6amp circuit and have your fridge and microwave on the other two 16amp circuits, I would put them on separate circuits if I were you, because your fridge pulls about 6 or 7 amps normal running but can have a start up surge of three times that ( 15 - 20 amps ) and your microwave pulls around 5amps ...these figures are general figures as I don’t know your items specifications. Some alternatives to think about… just in case you didn’t think of them would be… run you lights from a leisure battery, you could then have a battery charger to charge your battery on hook-up so you wouldn’t be using up your battery when using your lights ( on hook-up that is ) You could also plug in a couple of mains lights (table lights or bedside lights) if you wanted. I have a 12v very low consumption fridge (and just use in the same way as above when on hook-up ! ). That would give you the added advantage that you could use them if you were ever “off grid” or in a lay-by while travelling to your camp site. Hope this helps… Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi Lou, How you doin ? Thanks for the great question ! Just to remind you, I'm not an electrician haha but this is my theory... I would think it's just because the earth lead from the consumer unit body is a much heavier cable , ie it should be a minimum of 6mm but 10mm ( 4 x as thick as the 2.5mm cable used to wire the circuits ) earth cable it better and much more commonly available ... & easier to fit to the unit body instead of the earth buzz bar, the buzz bar is internally connected to the consumer unit body anyway . If for instance you had a plastic bodied consumer unit you would connect the body of your vehicle to the earth buzz bar. Hope this makes sense haha ... Thanks for watching & taking time to get in touch. Cheers... Jimmy ...
Hi William, I'm just pleased you could understand my "Geordie" accent haha, I'm pleased you enjoyed it and if it's helped you with your own installation that's great, good luck with your future electrics, I'm sure you'll be fine, feel free to drop me line if your not sure of anything, if I can help, I'm happy to. Thanks for watching my video and talking the time to comment and give me your feedback... Cheers...Jimmy
Hi "Rusty's World", I'm really pleased you like my video and that it was of some use to you, thanks for watching and for the great comment !!! It's very much appreciated . Cheers...Jimmy
Hi "stubostar" your very welcome, I'm pleased it was of some help to you. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment and let me know...Cheers Jimmy
Hiya "@graemethomson8995" how you doing ? Your very welcome, I hope you enjoyed it and it was of some help to you. Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, I do appreciate it. Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi James great video, but as a safety precaution to all viewers and yourself, your metal consumer back box inlet holes that you drilled should have been fitted with rubber grommets, especially for a van or mobile build, as you will get lots of vibrations on those wires from your van traveling over time, this could cause rub on the wires and bare the copper causing metal on metal and a death trap situation I'm sorry to say. PLEASE, I would highly recommend that you or any of your viewers sort that issue asap... good installation apart from that though... I know you put a disclaimer but people are people hey always best to be safe...
Hiya "@OnlineopticsCoUk" how you doing ? Thanks for your comment, and of course your right, I think I put grommets on "off camera" as I didn't have any at the time of filming but your dead right it should have been shown in the video. Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, it's much appreciated. Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Brilliant mate! Well explained. Nice to listen to a down to earth chap cutting out the mystery of where the wires go. I've bought a Lewden 63A garage consumer unit for my van conversion. I've got my 2 5mm arctic cable but forgot about the earth wire. Any ideas how big the earth wire needs to be? Many thanks.
Hi Christopher, how you doing ? I 'm really pleased you liked my video and I'm very impressed you could understand my "Geordie" accent haha, well done ! The consumer unit earth cable should be a minimum of 6mm but I used a 10mm cable on mine, my supplier said the 10mm cable was more commonly used and was more readerly available.... but minimum of 6mm. Many thanks for watching my video and taking the time to send me your comment, it's much appreciate and I wish you good luck with your van conversion... Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 That's great👍🏼. Cheers Jimmy. Ps worked for many years with lads from the north east so that's why I was able to understand your video without the need for subtitles 😂. All the best. Chris.
Hiya "mickeencrua" how you doing ? 1st Sorry for the slow reply, I was away in the van ( 1st trip this year ) . Thanks for the great question, unfortunately I'm not going to answer it haha, I really don't want to give you wrong information and to be honest, I don't know the answer, I think there very similar but I'm not 100% sure of the differences between them ! I only have the RCB & MCB'S on my set up but as I say I wouldn't like to advise you on something I'm not personally familiar with. Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, sorry I couldn't be more help, I wish you good luck with your own project and hope you find out answers to your question elsewhere. Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 Thanks for that James. I've investigated further and it would appear that the RCBO performs the combined functions of RCD and MCB. I'm not a qualified electrician so proceed with caution.😜
Super tutorial James, maybe I missed this step but, my understanding is that you are connecting the ground wire coming from 230V external outlet to the Earth bus bar right? Thanks and great work again
Hiya how you doing ? Yes,that's right ! All the earth's together, all the neutrals together and the lives go through the mcb's . Thanks for watching & taking time out to comment, sorry for the slower than usual reply, I'm away in the van for the next 3 to 4 weeks & doing this reply on my phone ( I always do my RUclips stuff on my laptop ) so if there's any mistakes you'll know why haha. Cheers ... Jimmy ...
So what's the best way to have mains top up your battery using this? Is it just a case of leaving a battery charger connected to your battery setup that starts charging as soon as you hook up mains?
Hiya "Sam Stripy" how you doing ? Yeah, on the rare occasion I'm on hook-up that's what I do ! I just plug my battery charger into the double socket in the garage part of the van and charge it up that way ! it's worked fine for me. You can't charge a "DC" Current ( Battery ) with "AC" current (Mains Electricity ), that's what your battery charger does, it converts AC ( Alternating Current ) to DC (Direct Current ) to allow you to charge a battery, hope that makes sense !!! Anyway...Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment... Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi pal, great video, the question I have is I have a plastic body on my consumer unit (Had already bought it before watching this vid), how would I earth that to the body, possibly use the bar that the breakers are placed on? Any help would be great, many thanks,
Hi William, How you doing ? Thanks for your comment . Yes, an earth lead from the vehicle body to the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit would be fine, I’m not sure if you can see very clearly from the video but the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit is actually connected to the unit body (metal units) anyway ! It obviously won’t be on a plastic bodied unit because plastic isn’t a conductive material so doesn’t it ! I hope that makes sense and I haven’t confused you more with that last comment, in short yes it’s ok to fit an earth lead to the earth block inside you consumer unit. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch… Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi Dave, it's very hard to say without seeing it ! It sounds like your talking about "twin & earth" cable !!! Twin & earth cable normally has a gray outer covering and has one wire in a brown sheath, one wire in a blue sheath and another wire without any sheath ! twin & earth cable is normally used in installations where there is no or little movement ie buildings, where as three core (live, neutral & earth ) "flex" (flexible cable ) is more suitable for installations that may be prone to movement ie vehicles ! If that is the case then, yes the bare (wire with no sheath ) would be the earth wire. I would be tempted to replace the old wires with new flex if I were you... for sockets you need 2.5mm flex (1.0mm - 1.5mm flex for lighting). Hope that helps... Cheers...Jimmy
Thanks James, can I ask a question - what you demonstrated was great, but what if I have say 2 or 3 sockets on the same circuit, should I wire them in a ring as in a house, or can I wire them in line? Thanks again
Hi Tony, How you doing ? Thanks for your great question, it’s actually much harder than you might think to answer it properly ! As there’s quite a few things I don’t know about your setup ! Before I go any further I would like to repeat what I said in the video “ I am NOT a qualified electrician” just bear that in mind and if your not sure get a qualified electrician to either further advise you or do the job for you !!! The wiring isn’t the most difficult part (although it is important ), there’s two ways you can wire a multi socket circuit… a “Ring circuit” where the supply leaves the consumer unit to the first socket then to the second, third and so on to the last socket, then, from the last socket it goes back to the consumer unit ! The second is called a Radial circuit ! Which is very similar the ring circuit but does not have the return (to the consumer unit ) cable after the last socket, NOTE : the ring circuit has a higher power capacity (for a given cable size ) than the radial circuit because it supplies the sockets from both ends of the circuit, thus sharing the load (from both ends of the circuit ). It also has disadvantages though ! As your going to have multiple sockets in the same circuit there’s a potential to overload the circuit and “MCB’s” (miniature circuit breakers ), you should therefore try to calculate what items you will be using and there maximum power consumption to make sure you don’t overload the circuit, which should also include the correct “MCB” rating and correct cable size. It’s probably not the answer you wanted to hear or expected, sorry, but to do it right, it gets complicated ! That’s why I decided to only have one socket on one circuit to spread the load, and keep it simple. Generally speaking I do think as long as you use a 16A “MCB” with 2.5mm cable (flex) and don’t use high power items, all at the same time, you “should” be ok… BUT… is “should” good enough ? Lots of calculations to concider (some I haven’t even gone in to ! Voltage drops, how and where cables are routed, temp concerns etc)... I would recommend if possible to to keep it as simple as you can and only use one socket on each circuit if you can get away with it. Bit of a long answer, sorry… I really don’t want to give you bad advise… Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment & giving me headaches (over my answer ) haha Hope it all goes well for you, most importantly keep it safe… Cheers...Jimmy
Hi "Fr240" how you doing ? Sorry for the slow reply, in answer to your question, yes the earth connecting block is connected to the consumer body (internally) and the consumer unit body is connected to the van body with the earth lead (min 6mm--10mm is better ), (demonstrated in the vid - consumer body connection at 6.00 min & van body connection at 20.32 min ), hope that's cleared it up for you... Thanks for watching and taking the time to send me a comment... Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi thank you for a simple explanation to a nightmare for us lol we have been trying to get our heads around this for weeks. Can you tell me do you need that metal plate at the bottom in the consumer unit ?
Hiya "Janice McC" How you doing ? Thanks for your great comment , Although I'm not 100% sure what metal plate your referring to ! The only two metal plates I can think of is the copper buzz bar ? the one with the white cover over it ! If it is that copper plate your talking about, defiantly, your electric's won't work without it, it's the main feed link for your two or three circuits, also IT NEEDS THE COVER FITTED TOO...IT'S LIVE !!! The only other metal plate I can think of is the consumer unit front cover ! and again yes it has to be fitted for safety reasons. I hope that helps you ! If not get back in touch and I'll try again... Thanks again for watching my video & taking the time to comment ( & subscribe ! ) it's much appreciated . Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 thanks for your reply. I’m stressed out with this build haha, this is our first time. Yea it will be the the buzz bar, my husband can’t find it he did have it but it seems to have vanished. Can I buy one ? If so any idea where ? It’s like you get so far then another hick up 😬 Thank you so much for replying I appreciate your advice. Oh you’re welcome your video was a great help, thank you !!
Ahhh, the buzz bar is a very important part of the consumer unit, I'm not sure if they'll sell it separately, they might, I'd contact the people you bought it off ! or maybe an electrical contractor might have one out of an old unit ! Good luck, and with the rest of your build, keep up the good work it'll all be worth it when it's finished and you get to use it, Have you seen my video's of this summer when I got to use it again, first time since before covid started ...fantastic time, loved every minute ... Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi James Thanks for your informative videos. I have a question regarding earthing in the distribution box and earth bonding the exposed metal in the van. Apologies if it is a silly question. and if you covered it in the video. Do you connect the earth terminals bar in the box to the bolt you added on the interior/exterior of the box? Thanks Linda
Hiya Linda, Don't worry it's not a silly question at all. You could connect the earth bar to the bolt in the body of the consumer unit, it would do no harm but you shouldn't need to, it should have an internal connection inside the unit already. The bolt I added was to enable me to connect an earth strap ( minimum 6mm, 10mm better) from the consumer body to the vehicle body ! this is only required if the consumer unit body is metal, obviously no good if the consumer unit body is plastic haha . Hope this helps, if not get back to me , and I'll try again haha . Good luck ! Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi James, may be a silly question, but how does the RCD connect to the earth busbar? Do I not have to connect it manually? Or am I wrong in thinking they even need to connect at all? Thanks :~)
Hiya "Jas Toney" how you doing ? Thanks for your question, although I'm not 100% sure what you mean ! The "RCD" is fitted in the "live" section of the consumer unit and SHOULD NOT be connected to the "earth" section. The easiest way to explain the wiring ( I think ) is as follows, All "Earth" wires, ( from the inlet supply cable from you home or campsite supply AND the outlet cables to the sockets ) should all be connected to the "Earth connecting bar,( yellow & green cables ). All " Neutral" wires (from the inlet supply cable from you home or campsite supply AND the outlet cables to the sockets ) should all be connected to the " Neutral" connecting bar ( blue cable ). The input "live" wire ( input feed from your home or campsite ONLY ie not the outlet's to the sockets ) should be connected to the input side of the RCD, which then feeds the 1, 2 or 3 MCB's ( depending on how many circuit's your consumer unit has ). via the LIVE BUZZ BAR. The output live wires ( to the sockets ) are then connected to the output side of the 1, 2 or 3 MCB's ( depending on how many circuit's your consumer unit has ), live wires are brown . If the body of your particular consumer unit is made of metal (ie not the plastic body one's ) the Earth connecting bar is internally connected to the consumer unit body, therefore you can connect a 10mm earth cable from the body of the consumer unit to the vehicle body... Ahhhhh, hope that makes sense haha ... Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch, much appreciated... Cheers...Jimmy...
Cheers James, just about to wire mine and wondering if it’s necessary to have the earth bolted to the frame of the consumer unit or if you can just run the 10mm earth cable into the earth block? Hope that makes sense!
Hi Oliver, Yes you should be fine connecting the chassis earth lead ( consumer unit earth to vehicle body ) to the earth connecting block inside the unit ! there should be a direct connection to the consumer body from the earth connecting block anyway, just make sure there is... (always assuming yours is a metal body unit, not a plastic body unit). Many thanks for watching my video and taking time to comment and give me your feedback, it's appreciated. Cheers...Jimmy
Hi, thanks for taking the time to watch my video and to leave me your comment, I really appreciate you feedback, I'm really pleased it was of some use to you. Cheer...Jimmy
Just found this (Sept 2021) I think I would have put grommets in the back of the consumer unit where the cables enter and exit. I'd be worried about chafing due to movement and vibration whilst on the move.
Hiya "retiree " how you doing ? Yes, your right, I think It'll be fine, I don't think there'll be much movement, and the cable is flex cable not twin & earth but your right, if your doing this on your van use grommets. Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment. Cheers...Jimmy...
hi james hi am converting a renault master into a catering unit ,my question is which wire did you use for lights and wire for plugs sockets ,b and q was just telling me it as to be the grey wire but i can see yours is white ,hope you understand my question ,awsome videos aswell
Hi "truebrit42" haha, I'll do my best ! there's a few issues here ! I'll start with the wiring question...I think what B&Q are talking about is what's called "twin & earth" cable, Twin & earth cable is a 240 volt cable and comes in a grey oval shaped outer cover, it has the live wire in a brown sheath and the neutral wire in a blue sheath, the earth is not in any sheath ! twin and earth cable in normally used for building electrics and static structures where no movement or vibration will occur, it also comes in different sizes to suit different needs. Flex, on the other hand is what you can see in my video, it is also a 240 volt cable that comes in a white or coloured round outer cover, it comes in 2 or 3 core (core just means wires ) ie two core is just live & neutral (in sheaths brown & blue), the 3 core is live, neutral & earth and all the wires are in sheaths -live = Brown, Neutral = Blue, & Earth = Yellow & Green, it too comes in different sizes for different needs . Flex cable is better for things that may move or vibrate ie a vehicle . NOTE BOTH ABOVE EXAMPLES ARE FOR 240 VOLT DC SUPPLY (MAINS ELECTRIC ) !!! DO NOT USE THEM FOR 12 VOLT AC SUPPLY (LEISURE BATTERY'S ) . Now...are your lights going to be 12 volt (from a leisure battery ) or 240 volts (from a 240 volt hook-up ) ? If they are going to be supplied by a 240 volt hook-up you'll need a 6amp MCB (for you lighting circuit ) in your consumer unit (unlike my van that uses a leisure battery ) and you need to use either 1 or 1.5 mm cable (flex ). If your lights are running off a leisure battery you'll need 16 amp 12 volt cable from a car accessory shop. Your sockets on the other hand need a 2.5 mm 3 core cable (flex). I hope all this makes sense to you , I realise it's complicated and my explaining skills sometimes leave a lot to be desired haha, If your not sure what i'm saying don't hesitate to get back to me and we'll try again haha. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment it's much appreciated. Good luck with your insulation, let me know how you get on.... Cheers...Jimmy
Hi "truebrit42" thanks for your reply, i'm pleased my answer helped you out. I'v just re-read my reply and i'm just writing again to correct a slight mistake I told you , it's just a minor slip of the tongue really & I don't think it would effect how you do your installation but i'd just like to get it right haha. when I was talking about AC and DC current I told you the wrong way round, ... leisure battery's are 12 volt DC (direct current) and mains hook-up is 240 volt AC (alternating current ) sorry for any confusion ... Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 hi james could you please show us how you fitted the wires into your power outlets and how you mounted your outlets to the walls and show what cloured wires go to the different connections in the outlet plugs I am suure their are other videos on the net that show this but i like your educating style and i would trust a video that has been made by you Kind regards ralph mossman
@@ralphmossman974 Hi Ralph, Thanks for your comment, unfortunately I’m not able to do a video about your comment as I’m a bit under the weather and not able to go to the garage at the minute ( not the dreaded virus haha ), I will certainly try to talk your through it though ! I take it when you say my power outlets your referring to the sockets (what you plug your appliances into ) Your sockets and plugs are normally marked on the inside with “L”, “N” and “E” (sometimes the “E” is an earth symbol instead (like the one I pointed out inside the consumer unit in the video), “L” stands for “LIVE” , the “N” stands for “NEUTRAL” and the “E” or “EARTH SYMBOL” stands for “EARTH”. The wires cosponsoring to these connections in both cases (sockets & plugs ) are … Live … Brown wire. Neutral … Blue wire. Earth … Yellow & Green wire. As far as fitting the sockets to the wall ...there are flush fitting or surface mounting ! If your wiring is running along the surface of the wall just use a surface mounted socket, you’ll need to get a socket back box (different thicknesses available and very cheap ), they just screw to the wall and the socket screws the back box. If your wiring is behind the wall you can either use the same as above or fit the back box on the other side of the wall and use longer screws to go through the wall and into the back box, if the appearance isn’t important, the surface mounted option is the easiest Hope all that makes sense ? Let me know if it doesn’t and I’ll try again !!! Thanks for your continued support and loyalty. Cheers...Jimmy
Hi "Tangotop" how you doing ? Thanks for the great question ! No, I think a single pole system will be sufficient, as I say in the video I'm not an electrician but you can only fit what the manufacturers make, I've never heard of a double pole consumer unit ! I would have thought if the manufacturer ( the experts ) thought it necessary they'd have made one... Anyway, thanks for watching and taking the time to send me your... thought provoking question, it's very much appreciated... Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 BS7671 has a few areas within it that cover leisure vehicles etc. Part of this legislation requires the use of double pole MCBs in leisure vehicles. I would strongly advise against buying domestic consumer units when there are suitable alternatives available ;)
Hiya "wilkesysublime", how you doing ? Your very welcome, I'm really pleased it helped you. Thanks for watching and talking time to comment and give me your feedback, it's much appreciated... Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi "fenton009" How you doing ? thanks for your great question ! My hook-up lead from the campsite outlet to the van is a "Arctic Blue" 16A 2.5mm cable with a wide working temp ( -40 to +70 if my memory serves me correctly ) it's a purpose make lead for outdoor use ! If you feel your hook-up usage may be high there is a 32A 4.0mm cable also available in the arctic blue range. It would be very unlikely that you would pull max current from all three circuits at the same time for a prolonged period though. The breaker protection for the supply from the campsite hook-up to your van would be from the campsite system ! Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch . Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi James great video thank you. Could I just ask you as the video wasn't clear at the time, do you have to put a live wire onto the bus bar or is it just a case of pushing the bus bar into the bottom of each live you intend to use? Cheers Graham
Hi Graham, I'm not a 100% sure I understand your question ! I'll answer what I think you're asking , If I'm wrong don't hesitate to get back in touch and I'll try again. Connect the "input" supply (from the camp site hook-up or your home ) to the consumer unit "RCD" (the main trip... the connections should be marked L & N plus separate earth connecting block ) brown wire to L, blue wire to N and yellow and green wire to the earth connecting block. The bus-bar should be fully fitted, all screws tight & cover on at all times (the only time the bus-bar should be disconnected is during the installation process to isolate ALL the circuits ). The unused circuits can be turned off by the toggle switches on the individual "MCB's ( Miniature Circuit Breaker's ) Well ...I hope that has helped you ? if it hasn't get back to me and we'll eventually sort it out haha. Thanks for watching my videos and taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated, Good luck with your installation, let me know how you get on. Cheers...Jimmy
Hi " Pete Reno" how's things ? Thanks for another great question ! As I said in the video...I'm not an electrician but my thoughts are....... The simple answer is no, your battery should be fine, in the event of a short circuit, the "MCB's" would trip (very fast) also they are two different circuits so the power surge ( for the want of a better word) would be to the 240 supply not the battery !!! Thanks for watching and commenting ...it's appricaated. Cheers... Jimmy...
Hi Ashley, Your very welcome , I'm pleased you liked it ! hopefully it's been of some use if your doing your own. Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment. Cheers...Jimmy
Hi Les, how you doing ? thanks for your comment, I'm not sure I fully understand your question, but I'll answer the best I can, and if I've misunderstood anything don't hesitate to get back in touch . Firstly , sorry... I'm unfamiliar with a "zig cf8 unit" I don't know what that is !!! I'm assuming that when your saying a "rcd unit" your referring to a consumer unit as a "rcd" ( residual current device ) is a "circuit breaker", a trip ? It's possible to fit two sockets to the same circuit if that's what you want, but if I were you I'd go for a two or even a three circuit consumer unit and spread the load ( just leave one of the circuit's un-used if you get a three circuit unit, you may want to add another circuit in the future anyway ). Just make sure that all the "mcb's" (miniature circuit breaker's) are rated 16 amp's as they usually come with 1 x 6 amp & 1 x 16 amp mcb's when it's a two circuit consumer unit..... and 1 x 6 amp & 2 x 16 amp mcb's when it's a three circuit consumer unit !!! but your supplier with normally remove the 6 amp mcb & replace it with a 16 amp to make them all 16 amp's if you ask him nicely because there all interchangeable, then wire them one socket per circuit as shown in my video. Sorry this has been a bit long winded...hope you can understand it all ! as I said if you don't just get back to me and we'll try again haha. Good luck with your installation...let my know how it goes and thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment. Cheers ...Jimmy
James Stringer morning James. Yes pal that’s pretty much the answer I was after. I have an 1983 Mercedes 207 d camper and the hookup is run via the zig unit (controller board) . I understand now that I can wire the sockets into the consumer unit . I thought your video was spot on and the explanations were brill. Keep up the great videos. Many thanks for the advice. Keep safe . I’ll keep you posted lol!! Cheers ...Les
Hi "Coastal Rider" thanks for your kind comment & for subscribing to my channel it's really appreciated, I'm really pleased you liked it and hopefully it was helpful if your doing your own van. Thanks again for watching my video and taking the time to comment & let me know your thoughts . Cheers ...Jimmy
Nice informative presentation James. Thank you very much. I am considering doing a similar installation on my cabin cruiser(Freeman 23). As the boat is GRP construction, would a plastic unit be appropriate? This would mean that no earth cable would be used. Any boating people out there who could advise me?
Hiya "mickeencrua " how you doin ? Thanks for the great comment and question, I don't know what "GRP construction" is but if you consumer unit is going to be mounted to wood then I would think a plastic bodied unit would be ok, however if it's going to be mounted onto metal I would go with a metal bodied unit and earth it to be on the safe side. Hope that helps...good luck and thanks again for watching my video and tacking time to comment... Cheers...Jimmy...
I know this comment is very old now but I just wanted to give you the correct information. Since 2018 IET Regulation 421.1.201 states that consumer units in domestic household dwellings should be made of non combustible materials (steel) for thermal protection i.e. fire protection. Nothing to do with earthing. Hope that helps :D
I don’t want to be a negative Jesse I really don’t as your trying to help people. But breakers (MCBs) have to be of the double pole type inside of vehicles, both under regulation and more importantly for safety. Normal domestic breakers are not allowed and could be dangerous in event of fault. Sadly your board and anyone copying will now be at risk, please be safe! (Electrician and lecturer in electrical engineering and wiring regulations)
What consumer unit is best if I want to fit 2 double sockets and split at 16 amps each breaker ? Can you please send me the best one to buy which is suitable as I’m struggling to find one for this task
Hi Alfie, Great, pleased you enjoyed it ! thanks for taking the time to comment and give me your feedback ! also many thanks for subscribing, it's very much appreciated . Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi James. Thanks for the videos. Can you reccommend a good tool for stripping cable? I am doing both twin and earth cable for the 230v and 2 core cable for the 12V.
Hi "hennnnerz" thanks for watching my video and leaving a comment to let my know your feedback . As far as wire strippers goes I have a really basic stripper ( I've had it for years ), just seen a similar one on eBay for only £5.00, I tried to copy the link for you but it wouldn't let me (I'm not the greatest on computers ...sorry ), I sometimes even just use pliers, but watch you don't squeeze to hard if you try stripping with pliers or you'll cut right through the cable. Good luck !!! Cheers...Jimmy
Hiya "@mitch3424" , how you doing ? Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment, It's always nice to hear what people think, especially it their comments are good ones haha, It's much appreciated, thank you. Cheers ... Jimmy ... keep watching ...
Hi Dave, Yes your dead right you should really, although there not moving parts and shouldn't move around much after installation but yes your right & if you have some handy when your fitting yours definitely use them. thanks for watching my videos and taking the time to give me your feedback ...much appreciated. Cheers...Jimmy
Hi Jamesie, thanks for your great comment ! I'm pleased you liked it and hope its useful to you if your doing your own, if you are, good luck with your installation. Thanks for watching my video and for taking the time to comment & giving me your feedback. Cheers...Jimmy
Great video James, do you take an earth and neutral out for each appliance? I was looking at the image at 18:51 there's 2 lives going out but only 1 earth and neutral?
Hiya "KeepTheBalance" how you doin ? I think what might be confusing you is the diagram ! Yes your "items" have to be wired with a live, a neutral, & an earth. The two lives you refer to, I assume are on the diagram ? they are "circuit" feeds, not "item" feeds, they are supplying the circuits not individual items, the diagram in question is for a consumer unit with only two circuits ( not the three circuit I have on my consumer unit ) if it had been for a three gang unit it would have shown three lives... still only one neutral & earth though ! It's hard for me to explain, My explaining skills aren't quite up to scratch haha, I hope that made sense, if it doesn't let me know & I'll try again ... Thanks for watching & taking time to contact me, it's much appreciated & I hope you'll keep watching my other videos too ! Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi almost there ,a real install requires double pole circuit breaker’s & flexible conduit would be better + grommets for any wire passing through metal. Ed,
Hi James. Thank you for the video. Im new to it all and just starting my first conversion. Transit Jumbo. Excuse me if it sounds stupid. But the 240v inlet. Is it the same socket for campsites in Europe. Spain/Portugal/France. Thank you
Hi Steven, Thanks for your question... It's definitely not a stupid question, unfortunately I'm pretty inexperienced at camper van travel myself and this is my first camper build too. I "think" there's an issue with polarity in some places abroad but as I say I'm no expert ! I believe there's an adaptor available to change over the polarity when needed but you'll need to check it out, sorry I can't be more help than that, hope it helps. Good luck with your build, I'm sure you'll love the experience !!! Thanks again for watching my video and taking the time to leave a comment...Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 hi James. Will looking into the convertee. Ive already got tge 12v leisure battery in on the split charge when my van it on. If i want another battery for extra storage. How do i connect. Do i litterally bridge. Cable from pos to pos and neg to neg. Thank you
Hi Steven, Yeah pretty much ! fit your batteries securely (clamped down) as close to each other as possible to prevent using longer than needed cables that maybe causing a voltage drop ! , connect the batteries positive to positive ( red to red ) and negative to negative (black to black) also known as connecting in parallel !!! Good luck...thanks for watching and commenting . Cheers...Jimmy
Hi "PotatoRossti" I bought my consumer unit from a little electrical supplier in Whitley Bay..."David Bainbridge" I'm not sure if he sells online if your not from the North East of England but his phone number is 0191 251 4564 , you could give him a call to find out...The part No for the consumer unit is..."Safeguard VUEP907" . Yes the earth strap to the vehicle chassis is from the metal body of the consumer unit to the vehicle chassis. (min 6mm cable, 10mm is better ) Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment, also a special thanks for subscribing, it's very much appreciated ! Good luck with your installation. Cheers...Jimmy
Hi Dave, I'm not sure I understand your question ! so I'll answer what I think you want to know, If my answer doesn't help & wasn't what you meant, get back to me and I'll try again !!! Firstly I'm not that familiar with all the types of "camper" fridge freezers, so my answer is for a 240 volt, (mains electric ) household fridge / freezer ! I think your asking what size "mcb" (16A or 32A ) you need to run a fridge freezer ? Fridge freezers are normally low consumption items and will be fine running on a 16 Amp circuit . If you haven't purchased your fridge yet, have you considered a 12 volt option ? because if you have a mains 240 volt, you'll only be able to use it on a campsite hook-up (or through an inverter, which will hammer you battery ) , I'm not trying to tell you what to buy, just a 12 volt fridge just connects to your leisure battery through a fuse of course, and your done. Hope that helps ... thanks for watching and commenting on my video... Cheers...Jimmy
Hiya "Giovanni " , how you doin ? No, it's not a silly question, don't you worry about that ! but if you want to charge your battery up while your on a campsite or at your home with access to 240 volte supply, you'll need to buy a battery charger (loads of them about...Halfords or any car accessories place with have them ) and all you do is when your hooked up to a 240 volt supply use the battery charger as you would if you were charging your battery at home, just plug the charger into one of the sockets you will have fitted when you installed the consumer unit ... ( obviously this will only work if your on a 250 volt hook-up ). I hope that makes sense ! Thanks for watching and taking time to comment, much appreciated. Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi "Zebra Pot" how you doing ? Haha, yeah, did it give you a "shock" ? By the way if you haven't seen my gas video ( ruclips.net/video/7WzNV5Nrn2I/видео.html ) check it out, you might like that one too ! it's got something similar nearer the end . Any-hoo, thanks for watching and taking time out to comment & I also appreciate the much needed subscription haha. I hope you keep watching (and enjoying ) my vid's ... Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hiya "Fantom 48 " how you doing ? Firstly , sorry for the slow reply, that's not like me, thanks for you enquiry ! Think of it as a double safety net against a potential electrocution issue, If the cable insulation was compromised, ie the insulation worn through or damaged exposing the uninsulated live cable, or the live connection on your appliance became loose or broken and came into contact with the vehicle body, that would make the vehicle body "live" and potentially capable of giving an electric shock to anyone that touched the vehicle body. fitting an earth strap from the vehicle body to the body of the consumer unit ( metal body units ) or vehicle body to internal earth block (inside the unit) on plastic bodied consumer units would guard against this issue, It would also make sure the consumer unit trips work as intended. Hope that all made sense haha, thanks for watching my video and taking time out to get in touch, much appreciated, good luck if your doing this job in your own van ... Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hiya "Cinders" how you doing ? Thanks for the comment, yes, my 240v system does have three double sockets ! one on each circuit . You could however have more than one socket on a circuit if you wanted . All things considered though ...ie more wiring , slightly more complicated wiring, temptation to or unknowingly overloading the circuit, and probably more negative points if I thought about it, but considering the space and my needs, 3 double sockets is ample for me, to be honest most of my camper vanning is off grid anyway, so I rarely use the 240v haha. Anyhoo, thanks for watching the video and taking time out to comment, good luck with your venture if your planning to install 240v to your own van. Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 thank you so much jimmy, I have an old camper everything is wired already, but I haven't a clue as most of it looks like you could bring frankinstien back with it lol, so ime looking to change it !! Just so I know what is what and wear is wear I've subscribed to your channel as your explanation is so easy for me to understand, so thank you and a happy new year 🙏👌🏽💕
That CU is not suitable for a motorhome/camper or caravan. The regulations stipulate that the MCB's should switch both line and neutral, house CU's only switch the line. Please buy the correct unit, there is not much difference in price.
Hiya "@stevebroadway7274" how you doing ? And "grommets" to you too haha. I did fit grommets, just not on camera but your right, I should have shown it "ON CAMERA" . Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment . Cheers ... Jimmy ...
I saw that you earthed the cable to a bolt on your metal consumer unit, I was planning on earthing my cable to one of the earth points within the consumer unit i have because the unit itself is plastic and not metal, is this a viable thing to do? Thanks
Hi MrGenedancingmachine, How you doing ? Thanks for your comment . Yes, an earth lead from the vehicle body to the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit would be fine, I’m not sure if you can see very clearly from the video but the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit is actually connected to the unit body (metal units) anyway ! It obviously won’t be on a plastic bodied unit because plastic isn’t a conductive material so doesn’t need it ! I hope that makes sense and I haven’t confused you more with that last comment, in short yes it’s ok to fit an earth lead to the earth block inside you consumer unit. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch… Cheers...Jimmy...
And there was me thinking wiring up the 240 was going to be difficult but, thanks to you I can stop panicking and just get on and do it tomorrow, brilliantly explained
Hiya John, how you doing ?
Great comment, makes my day when I get comments like that.
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, good luck with your own project, be careful .
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
ok, that was the best explaination in plain english I have seen and I have watched at least 50 hookup consumer unit 240 v youtube tutorials. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH. YOURE AMAZING
Hiya Ellen, how you doing?
Thanks for the fantastic comments, you've just made my day !
I make the videos cos I do enjoy making them ( even the editting haha ) but when you get comments like yours it's the cream on the cake ...
Thanks again ...
Jimmy .
Thank you so much. I've been watching videos and reading about how to do this and have not been able to make heads or tails of it. After watching this I finally understand.
Hiya "MTren" how you doing ?
Thanks for the great comment.
I'm really pleased you liked my video and fingers crossed it'll be some help to you.
Good luck with your own project , just go slow, I'm sure you'll be fine.
Thanks again for watching and taking time out to comment, I hope you'll watch more of my video's and hopefully become a regular visitor to the channel.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Fantastic detailed explanation and simple for a beginner. Many thanks it’s appreciated
Hiya "@luvieorange5" how you doing ?
Thanks for watching my video and talking time out to comment, I hope it's been of some help.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi James. Just one point everyone should consider; motorhomes and caravans normally use 2-pole mcb's, not single pole like yours. Apparently this covers the situation where the hook up is used in a country that has reversed polarity. Cheers.
Yes Exaclty!!! I just wanted to note here, that this installation can be very dangerous as soon as you go to any european country (which is absolutely can happen since it's a Camper for looking around the world). If you have to use a plug converter in those countries very easily can happen that the Live became a Null and the Null became a Live. From that moment the 1 pole circuit brakers are braking only the Null, and the Live is still in the sockets between the Earth and the Blue cable. Very Dangerous!!!! Use 2 pole CB-s instead this 1 pole ones! This instalation is only good for stationary/home usage where the Live/Null is always on the same wires!!!
Love your style of presentation, so easy to follow, nice & easy delivery, well done & thankyou for helping us all out.
Thank's for your great comment, It's made my day ! I often look back and think my explanation skills leave a lot to be desired haha.
I'm really pleased it's helped you, thank's for watching my video & taking the time to comment and let me know what you thought. Jimmy
Top man great vid just what us novices needed. Feel confident in doing it myself now. Thanks again
Hiya "raja khan " How you doing ?
Thanks for the great comment, it's much appreciated.
Thanks for watching & taking time out to comment, and good luck with your own van ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Ever consider an isolation transformer that way are isolated from the grid and no need for earth. RCDs remain functional. Great video, getting lots of ideas.
Hi "E-Biker Bulgaria " , how's things ? No... I'm unfamiliar with that, never heard of it before but my systems all done and working fine now , so I've no need to change anything, I'm pleased you liked my video and maybe got some ideas !!!
Thanks for watching & commenting, It's much appreciated...
...Cheers...Jimmy...
Great simple video mate, just what I needed, thankyou.
Hiya "mkzshogun" how you doing ?
Thanks for the kind comments, glad to hear it's helped you out.
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, and especially the subscription, I really appreciate it, I hope you continue to enjoy watching my videos and become a regular to my channel .
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Brilliant mate! Bob on for us first-timers! No nonsense info with all detail on every wire, connection point and descriptions. Just what I needed. Cheers mate.😊
Hi Nick... how you doin ? Thanks for the great comments, I'm really pleased the video helped you !
I really appreciate you watching my video and taking the time to leave me your comments... Good luck with your own build...
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 . Doing well in these strange times thankyou. Hope you are to mate. Just trying to get my head around electrics as they seem to affect everything I'm adding at the mo! Argh! I'll get there though with helpful blogs like yours. Thanks again. Be safe. 😊
Planning on doing a camper build in a few months thank you for your time making this video and the good sense of humor
Hi "cpo sky" how you doing ? Thanks for you great comment and finally,...someone appreciates my sense of humor haha.
Just thought, if you like my sense of humor you might like these two...ruclips.net/video/67TpnZksENQ/видео.html
(camper van seat, bed, shower.. final chapter )
and ruclips.net/video/7WzNV5Nrn2I/видео.html
( camper van Gas...LPG ) if you do watch them make sure you watch the gas one till the end haha.
Well...thanks for watching my video's and of course taking the time to comment and letting me know what you thought , it's much appreciated !
I wish you good luck with your own build and hope you enjoy the process as much as I have.
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 sarcasm and sense of humor is rare these days I am only thinking on a small van nv200 possible e.v but still good to pick up tips etc. with electric etc looking and leaning slowly and cannot wait to get a little project going
Yeah, it's pro's and con's isn't it ? there's no wrong decision here, you trade off a bit of space, comfort, and options on how much stuff you can have against... fuel consumption, accessibility to off grid beauty spots ( some of the Cornwall country roads haha ), easier parking and general maneuverability, but... you pays your money and takes your choice...personal preference...I'm sure whichever van you choose ...you'll love it.
Cheers...Jimmy
Thanks for making this video.
Well explained.
It cleared out some of the doubts I had.
Hiya "Emilio Vigorelli", how you doing ?
Your very welcome, I'm really pleased it helped you.
Thanks for watching and talking time to comment and give me your feedback, it's much appreciated...
Cheers...Jimmy...
As you say, instructions included, mine had none as well, although you have made this look really easy when you first open up the box you think what the heck?? What goes where. Thanks great video.
Hi Paul, how you doin ?
Yes It does look daunting but just take your time and keep going back to re-check your work & make sure all your connections are tight and I'm sure you'll be fine...
Thanks for watching and commenting on my video... I really appreciate the feedback...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Incredibly helpful vid. Somehow making a thing I have to undertake that i felt was daunting and complex into something clear and simple. Hats off to you sir 🙏
Hiya Sam, How you doing ?
Thanks for the great comment ! I'm really pleased you liked it and managed to understand my it haha ...(Geordie accent ).
Thanks for watching ( & subscribing ), and taking time out to comment, it's much appreciated, and good luck with your own van ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Thanks so much for your video. It was very clear and a huge help. Like yours, mine came without instructions!
Hi "Giovanni Grattacielo " That's great, really pleased it helped you. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to send me a comment ! I really appreciate it and it really makes my day when I get such good feedback.
Cheers...Jimmy
Thanks Jimmy. You’ve given me the knowledge and confidence to crack on with this part of my van build. You’re a star!
Ben.
Hi Ben, How's things ? Thanks for the great comment, really pleased it helps, thanks for watching...
Cheers...Jimmy...
This is an excellent video
Just about ready to do mine, I'm reasonably ok at 240 electrics so happy to do this. Very good video and installation....well done beaut 👍
Hi "grange247", How's things ? Thanks for the great comment, really pleased it helps, thanks for watching, Good Luck...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Crystal clear presentation
Hiya "Bethel Tabernacle UK" how you doing ?
Thanks for the kind comment , I hope you enjoyed it and if your about to do this job, I hope it's helped you.
Thanks for watching my video & taking time out to comment, I always appreciate it.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 Iam Pastor Aaron Daniel that’s my church name
mike from County Durham, very well explained, cheers and thank you.
Hi Mike, How you doin ?
Thanks for the great comment, really pleased you liked it...
Being from County Durham at least you had a "better than most" chance of understanding my Geordie accent hahaha.
Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment it's much appreciated. I hope you keep watching !
Cheers...Jimmy...
Thanks James Great Video . Great Explanation , best I have seen.
Hi Steve, Thanks for your great comment ! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it !
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment I do appreciate it.
Cheers...Jimmy...
thanks for doing this. About to go nail in the electrics. Now I know how to. Superb!
Hi Simon, how you doin ?
Thanks for the great comment, I'm pleased it was helpful for you and you enjoyed it... good luck with your own project.
Thanks again for watching & taking the time to give me your feedback, it's much appreciated...
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 is there any reason I cant install breakers as in-line fuse/breaker for 12V inside the CU too? obviosly not wiring up the 12V -ve to the 240V Ac -ve, but the 240V earth and 12V common ground will share the same chassis connection, no?
Hi Simon, Sorry for the slow reply... I'm not 100% sure I understand your question ! I think your asking if you could fit 12V & 240V fusses/ breakers inside your consumer unit ???
My advise would be... definitely not ! my advice would be to keep your 240 volt and 12 volt separate, as in 240 volt circuits protected by an RCD & MCB's inside a "garage" consumer unit and your 12 volt circuits protected by either a fuse box (recommended) or inline fuses...
I hope that helps ...
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 ok I get it. I will separate them out. I went with Bimble Solar and they supplied me with a CU and breakers, just like 240V instead of the inline breakers I had on my diagram cos "they're better" - no doubt. Hence me asking if I could use the same CU for 12 and 240V. Logically it doesnt seem like a problem, but I shall err on the side of caution and use 2 CUs !
I have one last question regarding your video - the earths. I can see the earth from shore supply going to the right side upper bar and all other earths from units connecting there too. Do you connect that earth block back to the chassis via the bolt you put in at the beginning of the vid? ie is the earth bar grounded to the chassis too?
Hi Simon, If you have a metal body consumer unit the earth bar in the unit is connected (internally) to the consumer unit body, so just run an earth lead ( min 6mm- - - -10mm is better ) from the consumer unit body to the vehicle body, hope that makes sense !!!
all good bonnie lad, from a compatriot down south in Devon, good to see you're still ok!!Thanks for that dude, you made it all very clear and easy to follow, I'm now confident about fitting a consumer unit in my van.
Great explanation best I have seen on RUclips
Hi "Juris Lopatins", How's things ? Thanks for the fantastic comment, really pleased you liked it, thanks for watching & taking the time to let me know what you thought it's very much appreciated ...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Best version of this I have seen
Hi David, Thanks for your great comment ! It was much appreciated...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Awesome video, many thanks. Lucky your still alive
Hiya "Qoriniasi Loloma" how you doing ?
Thanks for the nice comment ! slow reply today I'm afraid, I've been, away in the van for the weekend as it happens...
Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated.
Cheers...Jimmy...
Thanks James, great video! Just hooked up 240v in my friends van and this was great :)
Hi , I'm really pleased you found my video useful and you job went well, thanks for leaving me a comment and letting me know, I appreciate it ...
cheers Jimmy
Very helpful and well explained. Thank you
Hi Ian, Thanks for the great comment, I'm really pleased you like it and it was of some help to you... thanks for watching & taking the time to comment I really appreciate it ...
Cheers...Jimmy ...
Nice one Jimmy, top video and helped me out a lot. Just bought my consumer unit and about to fit it 👍🏻
Hi Mark, Brilliant comment, you've made my day haha, I'm really pleased you liked the video and especially pleased you found it helpful, good luck with your installation.
Thanks again for watching my video and taking the time to let me know what you thought !!!
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 Installation went well! All working fine now. Plus, I put my hand in it and it was alright :D
Hi Mark, really pleased to hear that, great job, especially the hand test haha, because it takes no prisoners !!! Thanks for letting me know , Well done .
Cheers...Jimmy
Great info Thanks
One can also buy self contained 240 volt consumer units for use when camping in a tent , may be able to make use of one of these?
Hiya "
@johnstanton8499" how you doing ?
Thanks for watching my video and leaving a great comment, it's much appreciated, I hope you'll stick around and watch more of my videos in the future ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
very well explained so easy to follow
Hi Paul, Thanks for your comment, It really makes my day when I get comments like yours as I often think my explanation skills leave a lot to be desired haha.
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment.
Cheers...Jimmy
cheers mate, that was absolutely spot on - do I need a ring circuit or can the cables just end at the last socket?
Hiya "@hikeybike" thanks for the great comments, I'm pleased the video has helped you, it was quite a while ago I made this video, and to be honest almost all my vanning is "off-grid" so I hardly use the 240v . If I remember correctly I ended the circuit at the last socket but I only had 1 socket per circuit !
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, good luck with your own project ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Great video mate! Just a little tip though (important one), when feeding cables through conductive materials you must fit grommets, especially in mobile installations. Also it's handy to use a plug in socket tester which you can get from any big hardware store! 😉
Hiya Michael, How you doing ? Thanks for watching my video & taking time out to comment, it's much appreciated ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Cheers dude!! That was a very informative video! Will help me a lot!! Keep up the good work 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Hi Shaun, how you doing ? Great stuff I'm pleased it helped.
Thanks for watching and taking time to let me know what you thought, much appreciated !!!
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 I’m wiring a caravan. Do you think I can put a standard 240v fridge, microwave oven, and lights in there? Or should I get a two way fridge 🤔 I will only use these when parked up at a caravan site. Will also have 12v to run little lights etc
Hi Shaun, Yes, you could put a standard 240v fridge & microwave oven into a caravan ! You haven’t said what sort of consumer unit you’ve got though so…
Firstly remember, I’m NOT an electrician but I would think you’d need a 3 gang consumer unit (3 circuits ) and if your having your light running off the hook-up you’ll need one with 1 X 6amp and 2 X 16amp MCB’s (miniature circuit breakers ) so you can run your lights on the 6amp circuit and have your fridge and microwave on the other two 16amp circuits, I would put them on separate circuits if I were you, because your fridge pulls about 6 or 7 amps normal running but can have a start up surge of three times that ( 15 - 20 amps ) and your microwave pulls around 5amps ...these figures are general figures as I don’t know your items specifications.
Some alternatives to think about… just in case you didn’t think of them would be… run you lights from a leisure battery, you could then have a battery charger to charge your battery on hook-up so you wouldn’t be using up your battery when using your lights ( on hook-up that is ) You could also plug in a couple of mains lights (table lights or bedside lights) if you wanted.
I have a 12v very low consumption fridge (and just use in the same way as above when on hook-up ! ).
That would give you the added advantage that you could use them if you were ever “off grid” or in a lay-by while travelling to your camp site.
Hope this helps…
Cheers...Jimmy...
That was great to watch, can I ask why you earthed the box to the van. And not from the buzz bar earth to the van
Hi Lou, How you doin ?
Thanks for the great question ! Just to remind you, I'm not an electrician haha but this is my theory... I would think it's just because the earth lead from the consumer unit body is a much heavier cable , ie it should be a minimum of 6mm but 10mm ( 4 x as thick as the 2.5mm cable used to wire the circuits ) earth cable it better and much more commonly available ... & easier to fit to the unit body instead of the earth buzz bar, the buzz bar is internally connected to the consumer unit body anyway .
If for instance you had a plastic bodied consumer unit you would connect the body of your vehicle to the earth buzz bar.
Hope this makes sense haha ... Thanks for watching & taking time to get in touch.
Cheers... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 thanks James
Very good video James. So clearly described, it gives me confidence to tackle my own installation.
Hi William, I'm just pleased you could understand my "Geordie" accent haha, I'm pleased you enjoyed it and if it's helped you with your own installation that's great, good luck with your future electrics, I'm sure you'll be fine, feel free to drop me line if your not sure of anything, if I can help, I'm happy to.
Thanks for watching my video and talking the time to comment and give me your feedback...
Cheers...Jimmy
Really useful and helpful info Jimmy, top job!
Hi "Rusty's World", I'm really pleased you like my video and that it was of some use to you, thanks for watching and for the great comment !!! It's very much appreciated .
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 no problem got to support a fellow geordie 😀
Great stuff, "Why Aye Man" great to have your support man...and at least you should have some idea what the hell I'm talking about haha
Cheers...Jimmy
Very helpful and informative video thanks.
Hi "stubostar" your very welcome, I'm pleased it was of some help to you.
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment and let me know...Cheers Jimmy
Hi good job done , you could get a plug tester it will show polarity etc cheers 👍
Hi Alun, I'm pleased you liked my video, thanks for watching it and taking the time to comment and let me know, I really appreciate it,
cheers Jimmy
Thank you James. ❤
Hiya "@graemethomson8995" how you doing ?
Your very welcome, I hope you enjoyed it and it was of some help to you.
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, I do appreciate it.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Hi James great video, but as a safety precaution to all viewers and yourself, your metal consumer back box inlet holes that you drilled should have been fitted with rubber grommets, especially for a van or mobile build, as you will get lots of vibrations on those wires from your van traveling over time, this could cause rub on the wires and bare the copper causing metal on metal and a death trap situation I'm sorry to say. PLEASE, I would highly recommend that you or any of your viewers sort that issue asap... good installation apart from that though... I know you put a disclaimer but people are people hey always best to be safe...
Hiya "@OnlineopticsCoUk" how you doing ?
Thanks for your comment, and of course your right, I think I put grommets on "off camera" as I didn't have any at the time of filming but your dead right it should have been shown in the video.
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, it's much appreciated.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Or drill the consumer unit holes larger than the holes in the backboard
Brilliant mate! Well explained. Nice to listen to a down to earth chap cutting out the mystery of where the wires go. I've bought a Lewden 63A garage consumer unit for my van conversion. I've got my 2 5mm arctic cable but forgot about the earth wire. Any ideas how big the earth wire needs to be? Many thanks.
Hi Christopher, how you doing ? I 'm really pleased you liked my video and I'm very impressed you could understand my "Geordie" accent haha, well done !
The consumer unit earth cable should be a minimum of 6mm but I used a 10mm cable on mine, my supplier said the 10mm cable was more commonly used and was more readerly available.... but minimum of 6mm.
Many thanks for watching my video and taking the time to send me your comment, it's much appreciate and I wish you good luck with your van conversion...
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 That's great👍🏼. Cheers Jimmy. Ps worked for many years with lads from the north east so that's why I was able to understand your video without the need for subtitles 😂. All the best. Chris.
I've finally got around to doing the installation on my cabin cruiser. Now I'm stuck. Does an RCBO replace an RCD or do they have to be used together?
Hiya "mickeencrua" how you doing ?
1st Sorry for the slow reply, I was away in the van ( 1st trip this year ) .
Thanks for the great question, unfortunately I'm not going to answer it haha, I really don't want to give you wrong information and to be honest, I don't know the answer, I think there very similar but I'm not 100% sure of the differences between them ! I only have the RCB & MCB'S on my set up but as I say I wouldn't like to advise you on something I'm not personally familiar with.
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment, sorry I couldn't be more help, I wish you good luck with your own project and hope you find out answers to your question elsewhere.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 Thanks for that James. I've investigated further and it would appear that the RCBO performs the combined functions of RCD and MCB. I'm not a qualified electrician so proceed with caution.😜
Super tutorial James, maybe I missed this step but, my understanding is that you are connecting the ground wire coming from 230V external outlet to the Earth bus bar right? Thanks and great work again
Hiya how you doing ?
Yes,that's right ! All the earth's together, all the neutrals together and the lives go through the mcb's .
Thanks for watching & taking time out to comment, sorry for the slower than usual reply, I'm away in the van for the next 3 to 4 weeks & doing this reply on my phone ( I always do my RUclips stuff on my laptop ) so if there's any mistakes you'll know why haha.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 cool Jimmy, thanks for getting back sounds like you are having good fun, enjoy! 🤙🏻
So what's the best way to have mains top up your battery using this? Is it just a case of leaving a battery charger connected to your battery setup that starts charging as soon as you hook up mains?
Hiya "Sam Stripy" how you doing ?
Yeah, on the rare occasion I'm on hook-up that's what I do ! I just plug my battery charger into the double socket in the garage part of the van and charge it up that way ! it's worked fine for me.
You can't charge a "DC" Current ( Battery ) with "AC" current (Mains Electricity ), that's what your battery charger does, it converts AC ( Alternating Current ) to DC (Direct Current ) to allow you to charge a battery, hope that makes sense !!!
Anyway...Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi pal, great video, the question I have is I have a plastic body on my consumer unit (Had already bought it before watching this vid), how would I earth that to the body, possibly use the bar that the breakers are placed on? Any help would be great, many thanks,
I just read your comment right after typing mine, I have the same issue :)
Hi William, How you doing ? Thanks for your comment .
Yes, an earth lead from the vehicle body to the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit would be fine, I’m not sure if you can see very clearly from the video but the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit is actually connected to the unit body (metal units) anyway ! It obviously won’t be on a plastic bodied unit because plastic isn’t a conductive material so doesn’t it ! I hope that makes sense and I haven’t confused you more with that last comment, in short yes it’s ok to fit an earth lead to the earth block inside you consumer unit.
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch…
Cheers...Jimmy...
, grand all sorted, thanks again 👍👍
Hi James great videos can I ask you I have old wires were does the bare wire go is it earth?
Hi Dave, it's very hard to say without seeing it ! It sounds like your talking about "twin & earth" cable !!! Twin & earth cable normally has a gray outer covering and has one wire in a brown sheath, one wire in a blue sheath and another wire without any sheath ! twin & earth cable is normally used in installations where there is no or little movement ie buildings, where as three core (live, neutral & earth ) "flex" (flexible cable ) is more suitable for installations that may be prone to movement ie vehicles !
If that is the case then, yes the bare (wire with no sheath ) would be the earth wire.
I would be tempted to replace the old wires with new flex if I were you... for sockets you need 2.5mm flex (1.0mm - 1.5mm flex for lighting).
Hope that helps... Cheers...Jimmy
Thank you Jimmy great advice will do that 😀
Thanks James very informative 👍🏻
Hi "mr fox" I very pleased you liked it, Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment. Cheers...Jimmy
Thanks James, can I ask a question - what you demonstrated was great, but what if I have say 2 or 3 sockets on the same circuit, should I wire them in a ring as in a house, or can I wire them in line? Thanks again
Hi Tony, How you doing ? Thanks for your great question, it’s actually much harder than you might think to answer it properly ! As there’s quite a few things I don’t know about your setup !
Before I go any further I would like to repeat what I said in the video “ I am NOT a qualified electrician” just bear that in mind and if your not sure get a qualified electrician to either further advise you or do the job for you !!!
The wiring isn’t the most difficult part (although it is important ), there’s two ways you can wire a multi socket circuit… a “Ring circuit” where the supply leaves the consumer unit to the first socket then to the second, third and so on to the last socket, then, from the last socket it goes back to the consumer unit !
The second is called a Radial circuit ! Which is very similar the ring circuit but does not have the return (to the consumer unit ) cable after the last socket, NOTE : the ring circuit has a higher power capacity (for a given cable size ) than the radial circuit because it supplies the sockets from both ends of the circuit, thus sharing the load (from both ends of the circuit ). It also has disadvantages though !
As your going to have multiple sockets in the same circuit there’s a potential to overload the circuit and “MCB’s” (miniature circuit breakers ), you should therefore try to calculate what items you will be using and there maximum power consumption to make sure you don’t overload the circuit, which should also include the correct “MCB” rating and correct cable size.
It’s probably not the answer you wanted to hear or expected, sorry, but to do it right, it gets complicated ! That’s why I decided to only have one socket on one circuit to spread the load, and keep it simple.
Generally speaking I do think as long as you use a 16A “MCB” with 2.5mm cable (flex) and don’t use high power items, all at the same time, you “should” be ok… BUT… is “should” good enough ?
Lots of calculations to concider (some I haven’t even gone in to ! Voltage drops, how and where cables are routed, temp concerns etc)... I would recommend if possible to to keep it as simple as you can and only use one socket on each circuit if you can get away with it.
Bit of a long answer, sorry… I really don’t want to give you bad advise… Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment & giving me headaches (over my answer ) haha Hope it all goes well for you, most importantly keep it safe…
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 thanks Jimmy, you've explained it well!
Have you connected the earth bar to the body of the van as well as the consumer unit box itself? Thanks
Hi "Fr240" how you doing ? Sorry for the slow reply, in answer to your question, yes the earth connecting block is connected to the consumer body (internally) and the consumer unit body is connected to the van body with the earth lead (min 6mm--10mm is better ), (demonstrated in the vid - consumer body connection at 6.00 min & van body connection at 20.32 min ), hope that's cleared it up for you...
Thanks for watching and taking the time to send me a comment...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi thank you for a simple explanation to a nightmare for us lol we have been trying to get our heads around this for weeks.
Can you tell me do you need that metal plate at the bottom in the consumer unit ?
Hiya "Janice McC" How you doing ?
Thanks for your great comment , Although I'm not 100% sure what metal plate your referring to !
The only two metal plates I can think of is the copper buzz bar ? the one with the white cover over it !
If it is that copper plate your talking about, defiantly, your electric's won't work without it, it's the main feed link for your two or three circuits, also IT NEEDS THE COVER FITTED TOO...IT'S LIVE !!! The only other metal plate I can think of is the consumer unit front cover ! and again yes it has to be fitted for safety reasons.
I hope that helps you ! If not get back in touch and I'll try again...
Thanks again for watching my video & taking the time to comment ( & subscribe ! ) it's much appreciated .
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 thanks for your reply.
I’m stressed out with this build haha, this is our first time.
Yea it will be the the buzz bar, my husband can’t find it he did have it but it seems to have vanished.
Can I buy one ? If so any idea where ?
It’s like you get so far then another hick up 😬
Thank you so much for replying I appreciate your advice.
Oh you’re welcome your video was a great help, thank you !!
Ahhh, the buzz bar is a very important part of the consumer unit, I'm not sure if they'll sell it separately, they might, I'd contact the people you bought it off ! or maybe an electrical contractor might have one out of an old unit !
Good luck, and with the rest of your build, keep up the good work it'll all be worth it when it's finished and you get to use it, Have you seen my video's of this summer when I got to use it again, first time since before covid started ...fantastic time, loved every minute ...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi James Thanks for your informative videos. I have a question regarding earthing in the distribution box and earth bonding the exposed metal in the van. Apologies if it is a silly question. and if you covered it in the video. Do you connect the earth terminals bar in the box to the bolt you added on the interior/exterior of the box? Thanks Linda
Hiya Linda, Don't worry it's not a silly question at all.
You could connect the earth bar to the bolt in the body of the consumer unit, it would do no harm but you shouldn't need to, it should have an internal connection inside the unit already. The bolt I added was to enable me to connect an earth strap ( minimum 6mm, 10mm better) from the consumer body to the vehicle body ! this is only required if the consumer unit body is metal, obviously no good if the consumer unit body is plastic haha .
Hope this helps, if not get back to me , and I'll try again haha . Good luck !
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 Thanks for your help James.I have just had a look at the metal box and can now see the earth to external screws connection.
Hi James, may be a silly question, but how does the RCD connect to the earth busbar? Do I not have to connect it manually? Or am I wrong in thinking they even need to connect at all? Thanks :~)
Hiya "Jas Toney" how you doing ?
Thanks for your question, although I'm not 100% sure what you mean !
The "RCD" is fitted in the "live" section of the consumer unit and SHOULD NOT be connected to the "earth" section.
The easiest way to explain the wiring ( I think ) is as follows,
All "Earth" wires, ( from the inlet supply cable from you home or campsite supply AND the outlet cables to the sockets ) should all be connected to the "Earth connecting bar,( yellow & green cables ).
All " Neutral" wires (from the inlet supply cable from you home or campsite supply AND the outlet cables to the sockets ) should all be connected to the " Neutral" connecting bar ( blue cable ).
The input "live" wire ( input feed from your home or campsite ONLY ie not the outlet's to the sockets ) should be connected to the input side of the RCD, which then feeds the 1, 2 or 3 MCB's ( depending on how many circuit's your consumer unit has ). via the LIVE BUZZ BAR.
The output live wires ( to the sockets ) are then connected to the output side of the 1, 2 or 3 MCB's ( depending on how many circuit's your consumer unit has ), live wires are brown .
If the body of your particular consumer unit is made of metal (ie not the plastic body one's ) the Earth connecting bar is internally connected to the consumer unit body, therefore you can connect a 10mm earth cable from the body of the consumer unit to the vehicle body...
Ahhhhh, hope that makes sense haha ...
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch, much appreciated...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Cheers James, just about to wire mine and wondering if it’s necessary to have the earth bolted to the frame of the consumer unit or if you can just run the 10mm earth cable into the earth block? Hope that makes sense!
Hi Oliver, Yes you should be fine connecting the chassis earth lead ( consumer unit earth to vehicle body ) to the earth connecting block inside the unit ! there should be a direct connection to the consumer body from the earth connecting block anyway, just make sure there is... (always assuming yours is a metal body unit, not a plastic body unit).
Many thanks for watching my video and taking time to comment and give me your feedback, it's appreciated.
Cheers...Jimmy
great post ! thank you very informative
Hi, thanks for taking the time to watch my video and to leave me your comment, I really appreciate you feedback, I'm really pleased it was of some use to you. Cheer...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 It was exactly what i wanted and very well explained ....cheers
Just found this (Sept 2021) I think I would have put grommets in the back of the consumer unit where the cables enter and exit. I'd be worried about chafing due to movement and vibration whilst on the move.
Hiya "retiree " how you doing ?
Yes, your right, I think It'll be fine, I don't think there'll be much movement, and the cable is flex cable not twin & earth but your right, if your doing this on your van use grommets.
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment.
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 It's worth keeping an eye on though Jimmy.
hi james hi am converting a renault master into a catering unit ,my question is which wire did you use for lights and wire for plugs sockets ,b and q was just telling me it as to be the grey wire but i can see yours is white ,hope you understand my question ,awsome videos aswell
Hi "truebrit42" haha, I'll do my best ! there's a few issues here !
I'll start with the wiring question...I think what B&Q are talking about is what's called "twin & earth" cable, Twin & earth cable is a 240 volt cable and comes in a grey oval shaped outer cover, it has the live wire in a brown sheath and the neutral wire in a blue sheath, the earth is not in any sheath ! twin and earth cable in normally used for building electrics and static structures where no movement or vibration will occur, it also comes in different sizes to suit different needs.
Flex, on the other hand is what you can see in my video, it is also a 240 volt cable that comes in a white or coloured round outer cover, it comes in 2 or 3 core (core just means wires ) ie two core is just live & neutral (in sheaths brown & blue), the 3 core is live, neutral & earth and all the wires are in sheaths -live = Brown, Neutral = Blue, & Earth = Yellow & Green, it too comes in different sizes for different needs . Flex cable is better for things that may move or vibrate ie a vehicle .
NOTE BOTH ABOVE EXAMPLES ARE FOR 240 VOLT DC SUPPLY (MAINS ELECTRIC ) !!! DO NOT USE THEM FOR 12 VOLT AC SUPPLY (LEISURE BATTERY'S ) .
Now...are your lights going to be 12 volt (from a leisure battery ) or 240 volts (from a 240 volt hook-up ) ?
If they are going to be supplied by a 240 volt hook-up you'll need a 6amp MCB (for you lighting circuit ) in your consumer unit (unlike my van that uses a leisure battery ) and you need to use either 1 or 1.5 mm cable (flex ).
If your lights are running off a leisure battery you'll need 16 amp 12 volt cable from a car accessory shop.
Your sockets on the other hand need a 2.5 mm 3 core cable (flex).
I hope all this makes sense to you , I realise it's complicated and my explaining skills sometimes leave a lot to be desired haha, If your not sure what i'm saying don't hesitate to get back to me and we'll try again haha.
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment it's much appreciated.
Good luck with your insulation, let me know how you get on....
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 thank you it as helped me a lot i know what to get now ty
Hi "truebrit42" thanks for your reply, i'm pleased my answer helped you out.
I'v just re-read my reply and i'm just writing again to correct a slight mistake I told you , it's just a minor slip of the tongue really & I don't think it would effect how you do your installation but i'd just like to get it right haha.
when I was talking about AC and DC current I told you the wrong way round, ... leisure battery's are 12 volt DC (direct current) and mains hook-up is 240 volt AC (alternating current ) sorry for any confusion ...
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 hi james could you please show us how you fitted the wires into your power outlets and how you mounted your outlets to the walls and show what cloured wires go to the different connections in the outlet plugs I am suure their are other videos on the net that show this but i like your educating style and i would trust a video that has been made by you Kind regards ralph mossman
@@ralphmossman974 Hi Ralph, Thanks for your comment, unfortunately I’m not able to do a video about your comment as I’m a bit under the weather and not able to go to the garage at the minute ( not the dreaded virus haha ), I will certainly try to talk your through it though !
I take it when you say my power outlets your referring to the sockets (what you plug your appliances into )
Your sockets and plugs are normally marked on the inside with “L”, “N” and “E” (sometimes the “E” is an earth symbol instead (like the one I pointed out inside the consumer unit in the video), “L” stands for “LIVE” , the “N” stands for “NEUTRAL” and the “E” or “EARTH SYMBOL” stands for “EARTH”.
The wires cosponsoring to these connections in both cases (sockets & plugs ) are …
Live … Brown wire.
Neutral … Blue wire.
Earth … Yellow & Green wire.
As far as fitting the sockets to the wall ...there are flush fitting or surface mounting !
If your wiring is running along the surface of the wall just use a surface mounted socket, you’ll need to get a socket back box (different thicknesses available and very cheap ), they just screw to the wall and the socket screws the back box.
If your wiring is behind the wall you can either use the same as above or fit the back box on the other side of the wall and use longer screws to go through the wall and into the back box, if the appearance isn’t important, the surface mounted option is the easiest
Hope all that makes sense ? Let me know if it doesn’t and I’ll try again !!!
Thanks for your continued support and loyalty.
Cheers...Jimmy
Thanks James 240 f freezer conect to 16A
Should the MCB's not be double pole to cut both Live and Neatral in case of a problem
Hi "Tangotop" how you doing ? Thanks for the great question !
No, I think a single pole system will be sufficient, as I say in the video I'm not an electrician but you can only fit what the manufacturers make, I've never heard of a double pole consumer unit ! I would have thought if the manufacturer ( the experts ) thought it necessary they'd have made one...
Anyway, thanks for watching and taking the time to send me your... thought provoking question, it's very much appreciated...
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 BS7671 has a few areas within it that cover leisure vehicles etc. Part of this legislation requires the use of double pole MCBs in leisure vehicles. I would strongly advise against buying domestic consumer units when there are suitable alternatives available ;)
Great video, thanks for the help 👍🏼
Hiya "wilkesysublime", how you doing ?
Your very welcome, I'm really pleased it helped you.
Thanks for watching and talking time to comment and give me your feedback, it's much appreciated...
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 I’m good thanks, currently converting out VW LT46 minibus into a camper van instagram.com/p/CMP2OUwhu4-/?igshid=ips2v36fbz3d
what size is the cable feeding the van into the rcd? if your 3 circuit breakers are pulling 15 amps each whats protecting the mains coming in?
Hi "fenton009" How you doing ? thanks for your great question !
My hook-up lead from the campsite outlet to the van is a "Arctic Blue" 16A 2.5mm cable with a wide working temp ( -40 to +70 if my memory serves me correctly ) it's a purpose make lead for outdoor use ! If you feel your hook-up usage may be high there is a 32A 4.0mm cable also available in the arctic blue range.
It would be very unlikely that you would pull max current from all three circuits at the same time for a prolonged period though.
The breaker protection for the supply from the campsite hook-up to your van would be from the campsite system !
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch .
Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi James great video thank you. Could I just ask you as the video wasn't clear at the time, do you have to put a live wire onto the bus bar or is it just a case of pushing the bus bar into the bottom of each live you intend to use?
Cheers Graham
Hi Graham, I'm not a 100% sure I understand your question ! I'll answer what I think you're asking , If I'm wrong don't hesitate to get back in touch and I'll try again.
Connect the "input" supply (from the camp site hook-up or your home ) to the consumer unit "RCD" (the main trip... the connections should be marked L & N plus separate earth connecting block ) brown wire to L, blue wire to N and yellow and green wire to the earth connecting block.
The bus-bar should be fully fitted, all screws tight & cover on at all times (the only time the bus-bar should be disconnected is during the installation process to isolate ALL the circuits ).
The unused circuits can be turned off by the toggle switches on the individual "MCB's ( Miniature Circuit Breaker's )
Well ...I hope that has helped you ? if it hasn't get back to me and we'll eventually sort it out haha.
Thanks for watching my videos and taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated, Good luck with your installation, let me know how you get on.
Cheers...Jimmy
If you earth the 240v system to the chassis is that no the12v earth,ie if the was I short circuit ,will it not blow up the battery?
Hi " Pete Reno" how's things ? Thanks for another great question ! As I said in the video...I'm not an electrician but my thoughts are.......
The simple answer is no, your battery should be fine, in the event of a short circuit, the "MCB's" would trip (very fast) also they are two different circuits so the power surge ( for the want of a better word) would be to the 240 supply not the battery !!!
Thanks for watching and commenting ...it's appricaated.
Cheers... Jimmy...
Thanks James! Nice one!
Hi Ashley, Your very welcome , I'm pleased you liked it ! hopefully it's been of some use if your doing your own.
Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment.
Cheers...Jimmy
I want to wire up two sockets into my camper. Would a rcd unit with 16a be suitable. It’s controlled via a zig cf8 unit . Cheers
Hi Les, how you doing ? thanks for your comment, I'm not sure I fully understand your question, but I'll answer the best I can, and if I've misunderstood anything don't hesitate to get back in touch .
Firstly , sorry... I'm unfamiliar with a "zig cf8 unit" I don't know what that is !!!
I'm assuming that when your saying a "rcd unit" your referring to a consumer unit as a "rcd" ( residual current device ) is a "circuit breaker", a trip ?
It's possible to fit two sockets to the same circuit if that's what you want, but if I were you I'd go for a two or even a three circuit consumer unit and spread the load ( just leave one of the circuit's un-used if you get a three circuit unit, you may want to add another circuit in the future anyway ).
Just make sure that all the "mcb's" (miniature circuit breaker's) are rated 16 amp's as they usually come with 1 x 6 amp & 1 x 16 amp mcb's when it's a two circuit consumer unit..... and 1 x 6 amp & 2 x 16 amp mcb's when it's a three circuit consumer unit !!! but your supplier with normally remove the 6 amp mcb & replace it with a 16 amp to make them all 16 amp's if you ask him nicely because there all interchangeable, then wire them one socket per circuit as shown in my video.
Sorry this has been a bit long winded...hope you can understand it all ! as I said if you don't just get back to me and we'll try again haha.
Good luck with your installation...let my know how it goes and thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment.
Cheers ...Jimmy
James Stringer morning James. Yes pal that’s pretty much the answer I was after. I have an 1983 Mercedes 207 d camper and the hookup is run via the zig unit (controller board) . I understand now that I can wire the sockets into the consumer unit .
I thought your video was spot on and the explanations were brill. Keep up the great videos. Many thanks for the advice. Keep safe . I’ll keep you posted lol!!
Cheers ...Les
Great video mate keep up the good work
Hi "Coastal Rider" thanks for your kind comment & for subscribing to my channel it's really appreciated, I'm really pleased you liked it and hopefully it was helpful if your doing your own van.
Thanks again for watching my video and taking the time to comment & let me know your thoughts .
Cheers ...Jimmy
great video, thanks for you help mate
Hi Karl... My pleasure, really pleased you found it helpful &
thanks for taking the time to comment to let me know.
Nice informative presentation James. Thank you very much. I am considering doing a similar installation on my cabin cruiser(Freeman 23). As the boat is GRP construction, would a plastic unit be appropriate? This would mean that no earth cable would be used. Any boating people out there who could advise me?
Hiya "mickeencrua " how you doin ?
Thanks for the great comment and question, I don't know what "GRP construction" is but if you consumer unit is going to be mounted to wood then I would think a plastic bodied unit would be ok, however if it's going to be mounted onto metal I would go with a metal bodied unit and earth it to be on the safe side. Hope that helps...good luck and thanks again for watching my video and tacking time to comment...
Cheers...Jimmy...
@@jamesstringer8172 Thanks for the reply James. GRP is Glass Reinforced Plastic more commonly known as Fibreglass.
Ah, ok, so it's a non-conductive material ! In that case a plastic consumer unit should be fine haha...
I know this comment is very old now but I just wanted to give you the correct information. Since 2018 IET Regulation 421.1.201 states that consumer units in domestic household dwellings should be made of non combustible materials (steel) for thermal protection i.e. fire protection. Nothing to do with earthing. Hope that helps :D
I don’t want to be a negative Jesse I really don’t as your trying to help people.
But breakers (MCBs) have to be of the double pole type inside of vehicles, both under regulation and more importantly for safety. Normal domestic breakers are not allowed and could be dangerous in event of fault.
Sadly your board and anyone copying will now be at risk, please be safe!
(Electrician and lecturer in electrical engineering and wiring regulations)
What consumer unit is best if I want to fit 2 double sockets and split at 16 amps each breaker ? Can you please send me the best one to buy which is suitable as I’m struggling to find one for this task
good vid, thanks
Ah, your very welcome, thanks for watching & taking time to comment...
Cheers...Jimmy...
Nice video Jimmy.👍
Hi Alfie, Great, pleased you enjoyed it ! thanks for taking the time to comment and give me your feedback ! also many thanks for subscribing, it's very much appreciated .
Cheers...Jimmy...
Hi James. Thanks for the videos. Can you reccommend a good tool for stripping cable? I am doing both twin and earth cable for the 230v and 2 core cable for the 12V.
Hi "hennnnerz" thanks for watching my video and leaving a comment to let my know your feedback .
As far as wire strippers goes I have a really basic stripper ( I've had it for years ), just seen a similar one on eBay for only £5.00, I tried to copy the link for you but it wouldn't let me (I'm not the greatest on computers ...sorry ), I sometimes even just use pliers, but watch you don't squeeze to hard if you try stripping with pliers or you'll cut right through the cable. Good luck !!!
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 Thank you! Looking forward to my tool being delivered and starting on the wires.
Excelleent ❤
Hiya "@mitch3424" , how you doing ?
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment, It's always nice to hear what people think, especially it their comments are good ones haha, It's much appreciated, thank you.
Cheers ... Jimmy ... keep watching ...
Hi James, do you not need rubber grommets in the holes you drilled into the metal ?
Hi Dave, Yes your dead right you should really, although there not moving parts and shouldn't move around much after installation but yes your right & if you have some handy when your fitting yours definitely use them.
thanks for watching my videos and taking the time to give me your feedback ...much appreciated.
Cheers...Jimmy
This was great thanks
Hi Jamesie, thanks for your great comment ! I'm pleased you liked it and hope its useful to you if your doing your own, if you are, good luck with your installation.
Thanks for watching my video and for taking the time to comment & giving me your feedback.
Cheers...Jimmy
Great video James, do you take an earth and neutral out for each appliance? I was looking at the image at 18:51 there's 2 lives going out but only 1 earth and neutral?
Hiya "KeepTheBalance" how you doin ?
I think what might be confusing you is the diagram !
Yes your "items" have to be wired with a live, a neutral, & an earth. The two lives you refer to, I assume are on the diagram ? they are "circuit" feeds, not "item" feeds, they are supplying the circuits not individual items, the diagram in question is for a consumer unit with only two circuits ( not the three circuit I have on my consumer unit ) if it had been for a three gang unit it would have shown three lives... still only one neutral & earth though !
It's hard for me to explain, My explaining skills aren't quite up to scratch haha, I hope that made sense, if it doesn't let me know & I'll try again ... Thanks for watching & taking time to contact me, it's much appreciated & I hope you'll keep watching my other videos too !
Cheers...Jimmy...
i realize I'm kinda off topic but do anyone know of a good site to stream new tv shows online ?
@Bryan Clark flixportal :D
@Devin Justus thanks, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) I really appreciate it !
@Bryan Clark you are welcome :)
Hi almost there ,a real install requires double pole circuit breaker’s & flexible conduit would be better + grommets for any wire passing through metal.
Ed,
Hi James. Thank you for the video. Im new to it all and just starting my first conversion. Transit Jumbo. Excuse me if it sounds stupid. But the 240v inlet. Is it the same socket for campsites in Europe. Spain/Portugal/France. Thank you
Hi Steven, Thanks for your question... It's definitely not a stupid question, unfortunately I'm pretty inexperienced at camper van travel myself and this is my first camper build too. I "think" there's an issue with polarity in some places abroad but as I say I'm no expert ! I believe there's an adaptor available to change over the polarity when needed but you'll need to check it out, sorry I can't be more help than that, hope it helps.
Good luck with your build, I'm sure you'll love the experience !!!
Thanks again for watching my video and taking the time to leave a comment...Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 hi James. Will looking into the convertee. Ive already got tge 12v leisure battery in on the split charge when my van it on.
If i want another battery for extra storage. How do i connect. Do i litterally bridge. Cable from pos to pos and neg to neg. Thank you
Hi Steven, Yeah pretty much ! fit your batteries securely (clamped down) as close to each other as possible to prevent using longer than needed cables that maybe causing a voltage drop ! , connect the batteries positive to positive ( red to red ) and negative to negative (black to black) also known as connecting in parallel !!!
Good luck...thanks for watching and commenting .
Cheers...Jimmy
Thanks!
Hiya Linda, how you doing ,?
Your very welcome, I'm pleased you liked it.
Thanks for watching & taking time out to comment ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
Great video! Where did you get your unit from? Also the earth to the chassis, was that just attached from the consumer unit box?
Hi "PotatoRossti" I bought my consumer unit from a little electrical supplier in Whitley Bay..."David Bainbridge" I'm not sure if he sells online if your not from the North East of England but his phone number is 0191 251 4564 , you could give him a call to find out...The part No for the consumer unit is..."Safeguard VUEP907" .
Yes the earth strap to the vehicle chassis is from the metal body of the consumer unit to the vehicle chassis. (min 6mm cable, 10mm is better )
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to comment, also a special thanks for subscribing, it's very much appreciated !
Good luck with your installation.
Cheers...Jimmy
@@jamesstringer8172 hi James , how do I wire it up so the electric charges the leisure BAt cheers
Hi could you tell me were I would fit a fridge freezer 32A or 16A
Hi Dave, I'm not sure I understand your question ! so I'll answer what I think you want to know, If my answer doesn't help & wasn't what you meant, get back to me and I'll try again !!!
Firstly I'm not that familiar with all the types of "camper" fridge freezers, so my answer is for a 240 volt, (mains electric ) household fridge / freezer ! I think your asking what size "mcb" (16A or 32A ) you need to run a fridge freezer ? Fridge freezers are normally low consumption items and will be fine running on a 16 Amp circuit . If you haven't purchased your fridge yet, have you considered a 12 volt option ? because if you have a mains 240 volt, you'll only be able to use it on a campsite hook-up (or through an inverter, which will hammer you battery ) , I'm not trying to tell you what to buy, just a 12 volt fridge just connects to your leisure battery through a fuse of course, and your done.
Hope that helps ... thanks for watching and commenting on my video... Cheers...Jimmy
sorry for silyl question but how use this system to charge a leisure battery in a campervan??
Hiya "Giovanni " , how you doin ?
No, it's not a silly question, don't you worry about that ! but if you want to charge your battery up while your on a campsite or at your home with access to 240 volte supply, you'll need to buy a battery charger (loads of them about...Halfords or any car accessories place with have them ) and all you do is when your hooked up to a 240 volt supply use the battery charger as you would if you were charging your battery at home, just plug the charger into one of the sockets you will have fitted when you installed the consumer unit ... ( obviously this will only work if your on a 250 volt hook-up ).
I hope that makes sense !
Thanks for watching and taking time to comment, much appreciated.
Cheers...Jimmy...
Deadly
Twat! Good job I didn't have my gob around a cup of coffee when you put your hand in ! Ha Ha ha!
Very Good presentation and paced explanation!
Hi "Zebra Pot" how you doing ?
Haha, yeah, did it give you a "shock" ? By the way if you haven't seen my gas video ( ruclips.net/video/7WzNV5Nrn2I/видео.html ) check it out, you might like that one too ! it's got something similar nearer the end .
Any-hoo, thanks for watching and taking time out to comment & I also appreciate the much needed subscription haha.
I hope you keep watching (and enjoying ) my vid's ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 Thanks for the reply Jimmy, and I will give it a watch as fitting an LPG tank Is my next project Ha Ha!
Not sure why you bolted the earth to the side wall of the unit ?
Hiya "Fantom 48 " how you doing ?
Firstly , sorry for the slow reply, that's not like me, thanks for you enquiry ! Think of it as a double safety net against a potential electrocution issue, If the cable insulation was compromised, ie the insulation worn through or damaged exposing the uninsulated live cable, or the live connection on your appliance became loose or broken and came into contact with the vehicle body, that would make the vehicle body "live" and potentially capable of giving an electric shock to anyone that touched the vehicle body. fitting an earth strap from the vehicle body to the body of the consumer unit ( metal body units ) or vehicle body to internal earth block (inside the unit) on plastic bodied consumer units would guard against this issue, It would also make sure the consumer unit trips work as intended.
Hope that all made sense haha, thanks for watching my video and taking time out to get in touch, much appreciated, good luck if your doing this job in your own van ...
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
So I take it that you have 3,!! 240v sockets ? 💕
Hiya "Cinders" how you doing ?
Thanks for the comment, yes, my 240v system does have three double sockets ! one on each circuit . You could however have more than one socket on a circuit if you wanted . All things considered though ...ie more wiring , slightly more complicated wiring, temptation to or unknowingly overloading the circuit, and probably more negative points if I thought about it, but considering the space and my needs, 3 double sockets is ample for me, to be honest most of my camper vanning is off grid anyway, so I rarely use the 240v haha.
Anyhoo, thanks for watching the video and taking time out to comment,
good luck with your venture if your planning to install 240v to your own van.
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
@@jamesstringer8172 thank you so much jimmy, I have an old camper everything is wired already, but I haven't a clue as most of it looks like you could bring frankinstien back with it lol, so ime looking to change it !!
Just so I know what is what and wear is wear
I've subscribed to your channel as your explanation is so easy for me to understand, so thank you and a happy new year 🙏👌🏽💕
Great stuff, I need all the subscribers I can get, I'm pleased you found some benefit from my video and thanks again ...
Jimmy ...
Illegal installation. Installation regs in caravan or motorhome call for two pole breakers. You have installed single pole.
That CU is not suitable for a motorhome/camper or caravan. The regulations stipulate that the MCB's should switch both line and neutral, house CU's only switch the line. Please buy the correct unit, there is not much difference in price.
Grommets
Hiya "@stevebroadway7274" how you doing ?
And "grommets" to you too haha.
I did fit grommets, just not on camera but your right, I should have shown it "ON CAMERA" .
Thanks for watching and taking time out to comment .
Cheers ... Jimmy ...
I saw that you earthed the cable to a bolt on your metal consumer unit, I was planning on earthing my cable to one of the earth points within the consumer unit i have because the unit itself is plastic and not metal, is this a viable thing to do? Thanks
Hi MrGenedancingmachine, How you doing ? Thanks for your comment .
Yes, an earth lead from the vehicle body to the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit would be fine, I’m not sure if you can see very clearly from the video but the earth connecting block inside the consumer unit is actually connected to the unit body (metal units) anyway ! It obviously won’t be on a plastic bodied unit because plastic isn’t a conductive material so doesn’t need it ! I hope that makes sense and I haven’t confused you more with that last comment, in short yes it’s ok to fit an earth lead to the earth block inside you consumer unit.
Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to get in touch…
Cheers...Jimmy...
James Stringer thank you, I understand fully, I will not die now 😂😂😂