continental hook up

[behai]

My van is a Westfalia joker and when i lift up the hook up flap it has a continental style hook up.

Can anyone please tell me how i can hook up on a uk site, can a buy a hook up cable that ill do the job.

[andisnewsyncro]

If you're not confident in doing it yourself, get down to your local caravan / motorhome service centre and let them have a look. I'm guessing that it will just have the Westy BBB and no consumer unit with trip switches etc, which whilst not a legal requirement on an imported van, are what you need installing for safety and peace of mind. Have it done correctly by someone qualified would be my advice; whilst it's there, ask them to check over your gas installation as well, don't forget you've probably got twenty year old gas pipes and hoses.
Plus if everything is done properly, that's one less thing for your insurance to be picky about

[Cafnod]

Hi
I cannot remember what the continental van socket looks like. If you cant get an adater at the local caravan place most marine chandlers will have a plug/adaptor, try someone like Force 10, yachts go and hook up all over the world and are built all over to so chandlery suppliers are used to dealing with odd hookups.
Andis advice about someone checking installations is good, I changed the gas reg on our van when we got it and the tube split along the seam like it had a zip, I looked at the hose date and it was 1985, the year the van was converted.

[andisnewsyncro]

I'm sure that there are leads available, but I would still advise to have the electrics checked over professionally, all sorts of "modifications" might have been made over the years. I don't think it's a good idea to get a 2 pin converter lead and plug it in with out checking it all first.

When I brought mine back from Germany, it was as I described earlier, socket on rear straight to BBB; I've had it all replaced properly for my own peace of mind.. I can't remember the exact cost, but the components were not too expensive.



If you go over to the continent, get a converter lead for their style hookups (although many sites seem to use the same 3pin as over here now) and use it in conjuncton with a polarity checker, both will cost you under £15 and you know everything's correct.

Electricity and gas are things to be held in a degree of respect, especially where the two of them are in such close proximity, in a confined space and with you asleep in it too.