Reverse Polarity

Hi

First post to the forum and apologies if this is in the wrong section but new to the scene and have bought a vw t4 camper. I just got an adapter to allow hook up to the house mains for charging and maintaining the leisure battery but when i plug in the camper the reverse polarity light comes on in the electric supply unit.

I have googled this and I have a small understanding of reverse polarity but now I am more confused due to the posts on google and other posts about having to bring along adapters for continental travel.

Anyone got any advice for what I need for hooking up to the house mains for battery maintainence and for continental travel which we are planning for september???

Thanks in advance.

I agree with the above post check the wiring also who did you get your camper of ,go back to them and ask did they have the same problem if you bought it of a dealer take it back and get him to repair the problem because I'm sure you spent a lot of money buying your first camper

Firstly I'm NOT an electrician.
My understanding based on what I have read is that reverse polarity makes the live neutral and neutral live and some people are quite happy with this an hook up accordingly with reversing the reverse. I gather though that when you turn a light (for example) off on the switch there will still be a live current going to the light and this may lead to issues if you have to work on the light.
So for me I don't take any chances if I test and find reverse polarity I use an adaptor to un reverse it.
The tester is basically a plug which has 3 lights if all is correct and another number of lights if it is reverse polarity, it costs a couple of quid off eBay. The adaptor is a three pin to three pin again a few quid of eBay or you can by a complete set which has the plugs for some older French/Spanish etc sockets 2 pin which feed into a standard 3 pin euro connector.

Yes, that will do the trick and has the EU plug too for some sites that use it in France.
A reverse polarity adaptor can be made for less than £10.

Jamie, you're correct. The light fittings can remain live in a reverse polarity condition, not really an issue in French property as they use twin pole switches (break both live & neutral) but definitely an issue in U.K. Wired vans/houses. Best correcting it just to be safe and give peace of mind.

No problem if you want it checked over the weekend, simple test and simple repair I should think.

Aren't you glad you joined the craic where else would you get the info and the help good luck hope you get it sorted

Agreed.
But it doesn't matter if it's neutral or positive short to earth..... it will trip on either.
A short circuit between pos/neutral is the same, regardless of polarity.

Sorry to disagree Daffysparks but I cannot see why a Factory wired reverse Polarity could possibly be any safer than a home wired reverse Polarity??

As you say an RCBO is a combined RCD/MCB which gives both earth leakage and short circuit + overload protection. However an ELCB/RCD gives only earth leakage protection and will not trip on phase to neutral short circuit or overload.
It is very easy for someone that has to replace an RCBO, perhaps in a Camper, to ask for an RCD/ELCB instead of RCBO not realising that they are not the same and could in the event of a fault have serious consequences.
They both look very much alike but are in essence very different.

Erasmus I guess I didn't make my point very well. I meant that a factory wired camper might have a better chance of not being damaged by reverse polarity than a home wired one, not that it is any safer. A lot of factory built psu or not polarity sensitive but a lot of over the counter ones are. The main thing is that he is getting the issue sorted and so removing any danger to himself or his camper