Hey guys,

I rocked up to a caravan park site today and they said that I need to have my caravan test and tagged??!!?! Has anyone had to do this before? They didn't have anyone that did it. I am looking for places to call.. I've found the local guys - test and tag which look good..... Anyone have any recommendations???

Cheers!!!

Hi BigJ... A caravan forum and a rough location would be more helpful...
My boat (in WA), I don't know who does the testing, It just gets tested. Suits me as I don't have to chase it up.

Hahaha

Nanny State strikes again

Do you have VICTORIAN number plates

I delt with this issue as a subbie , found it easier to just go to an electrical supplies mob and buy tags and fit them myself ....... no questions asked.

Yeah Bunnings sell them

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stupid said..
I delt with this issue as a subbie , found it easier to just go to an electrical supplies mob and buy tags and fit them myself ....... no questions asked.

Champion!

Qualified Electricians can Test tag (you don't need to go scouring for "test taggers")

Cost of nice caravan = $heaps
Cost of nice tow vehicle = $heaps
Cost of licensed sparky testing/tagging van = $100 (maybe)
Cost of electrocution = potential death of yourself or someone you love

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Paddles B'mere said..
Cost of nice caravan = $heaps
Cost of nice tow vehicle = $heaps
Cost of licensed sparky testing/tagging van = $100 (maybe)
Cost of electrocution = potential death of yourself or someone you love

When was the last time you test/tag all the Appliances inside your home?

Fear works w you, got it.

Test and tag is a joke. If it was a major concern the average household would have to comply with the regulations. Every company I've worked for treat it as a joke and also a necessity to work on large job sites. The same way an insurance company writes off a car with a small dent for insurance purposes. It's about money (Sparkies brag how much money they make from it). Inspect equipment daily, use an up to date rcd, apply tags from bunnings or safety shops.

A joke it may seem, but if something goes wrong and you haven't complied then you will have your day in court.

As for fear, well in my previous life I saw exactly what electrical energy is capable of if protection systems do not work properly ................. and that's what the test/tag will check for your van .................. people should be more scared of electricity, but it's just a normal part of everyday life right

There's a few things that **** me about tagging. One is that it breeds complacency, I won't bother with the condescending explanation.
The other is that a Sparky will tag a twenty metre ten amp lead for use on a two thousand watt tool that draws 4000 on starting. That lead is gonna kill that motor, it should be running a fifteen amp lead even though it's a ten amp tool, really shouldn't be over fifteen metres either. Paid for years of tags, took years longer to work out what was going wrong.

You are right psychojoe ................... complacency is dangerous.

And yeah, voltage drop is the enemy of all things electrical and cannot be overcome by tagging ........................ Ohm's Law (V=IR) keepin' it real

i get amped up to see the positive and the negatives on this topic

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cauncy said..
i get amped up to see the positive and the negatives on this topic

...as long as you stay well grounded...

Your jokes are shocking.

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lotofwind said..
Your jokes are shocking.

Watt are you on about?

All you guys are just tripping

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Craig66 said..
All you guys are just tripping

That's just re-volt-ing...

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knot board said..

Oh, flat earthers...

Guys guys you really need to neutralise this thread.

But it's currently active

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PeterDutton said..
Guys guys you really need to neutralise this thread.

Yeah well, sparks flew so I saw the potential...

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psychojoe said..
There's a few things that **** me about tagging. One is that it breeds complacency, I won't bother with the condescending explanation.
The other is that a Sparky will tag a twenty metre ten amp lead for use on a two thousand watt tool that draws 4000 on starting. That lead is gonna kill that motor, it should be running a fifteen amp lead even though it's a ten amp tool, really shouldn't be over fifteen metres either. Paid for years of tags, took years longer to work out what was going wrong.

I'm interested in that
I run a 2.2hp aircompressor as its the biggest I could on a 10A.
But its on 15m of skinny crap lead - sounds like I need to be worried?
How does it affect the device though?

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Mark _australia said..

psychojoe said..
There's a few things that **** me about tagging. One is that it breeds complacency, I won't bother with the condescending explanation.
The other is that a Sparky will tag a twenty metre ten amp lead for use on a two thousand watt tool that draws 4000 on starting. That lead is gonna kill that motor, it should be running a fifteen amp lead even though it's a ten amp tool, really shouldn't be over fifteen metres either. Paid for years of tags, took years longer to work out what was going wrong.

I'm interested in that
I run a 2.2hp aircompressor as its the biggest I could on a 10A.
But its on 15m of skinny crap lead - sounds like I need to be worried?
How does it affect the device though?

I find coiling the lead really really tight and if it melts its to small...


Please don't try that Mark.

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Mark _australia said..

psychojoe said..
There's a few things that **** me about tagging. One is that it breeds complacency, I won't bother with the condescending explanation.
The other is that a Sparky will tag a twenty metre ten amp lead for use on a two thousand watt tool that draws 4000 on starting. That lead is gonna kill that motor, it should be running a fifteen amp lead even though it's a ten amp tool, really shouldn't be over fifteen metres either. Paid for years of tags, took years longer to work out what was going wrong.

I'm interested in that
I run a 2.2hp aircompressor as its the biggest I could on a 10A.
But its on 15m of skinny crap lead - sounds like I need to be worried?
How does it affect the device though?

I don't think it does. Measure the resistance of the lead, apply ohms law and work out the voltage drop at 10A.

I am sure it drops the voltage by a decent amount, but is it going to affect the motor? I doubt it.

Worst case, get an extension lead made up with heavier duty cable intended for 15amp circuits, but using 10amp plugs and sockets on each end.

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Mark _australia said..

psychojoe said..
There's a few things that **** me about tagging. One is that it breeds complacency, I won't bother with the condescending explanation.
The other is that a Sparky will tag a twenty metre ten amp lead for use on a two thousand watt tool that draws 4000 on starting. That lead is gonna kill that motor, it should be running a fifteen amp lead even though it's a ten amp tool, really shouldn't be over fifteen metres either. Paid for years of tags, took years longer to work out what was going wrong.

I'm interested in that
I run a 2.2hp aircompressor as its the biggest I could on a 10A.
But its on 15m of skinny crap lead - sounds like I need to be worried?
How does it affect the device though?

I lack the perspicacity to offer a concise reply. Paddles sounds like he knows.
Anyway, I don't imagine compressors surge the way other tools do so maybe it's not an issue. The end result for me, without understanding how the motors could be fixed was just replacing the tool repeatedly because it stopped working although most made it past a year or two when I would typically replace them anyway.
The only reason a good tradesman doesn't blame his tools is because we've always got the best or newest you can buy

It's the increase in current that does the damage Mark, this is because of the reduced voltage. It'll still run fine but in extreme cases the increased current can cook the windings and the motor carks it quicker.

V=IR (and your compressor motor is the R) so if V drops then I goes up because R is constant.

Cracking good electricity jokes there too lads

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BigJ15 said..
Hey guys,

I rocked up to a caravan park site today and they said that I need to have my caravan test and tagged??!!?! Has anyone had to do this before? They didn't have anyone that did it. I am looking for places to call.. I've found the local guys - test and tag which look good..... Anyone have any recommendations???

Cheers!!!

Having just registered a 37 year old motorhome I imported from overseas in this country (specifically SA) last year, I can safely say that caravan 240V electrics is a big, giant can of worms. There's an Australian Standard but naturally enough, Victoria has gone their own way.

Caravans are treated (and should be) a bit like a glorified permanent installation so you shouldn't need a tag and test, i.e. you wouldn't tag and test your house. In accordance with the standard, they should also be wired up by a licensed electrician. I think this is appropriate but Victoria, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that this is not the case and a caravan is more like a plug in appliance so any caravan built in Victoria should be treated with great caution because the person doing the wiring could have no electrical qualification and a test and tag probably would be a good idea.

On the subject of risk management, I'd be more concerned if the caravan has solar panels. DC electricity with timber framing, aluminium skins and polystyrene insulation and lots of mechanical vibration ticks all the boxes for quite the fire risk. If you do have solar panels, does your install have a properly rated DC isolation switch?