Space Race Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 We are about to become homeless having sold ours but not yet found a new one. Given how crazy rents have got, I’m considering any and all options. One of these would be to buy a caravan as we could site this for free and then sell on afterwards. The caravan could be sited within or immediately outside a barn which currently has electric lighting and nothing else. Would it be possible to have temp electrics run from the house the barn to power the caravan (kettle, TV, Oven) itself as well as say, a washer / dryer, dishwasher etc. The large appliances would be in the (totally dry) barn. The barn is located 40m away (as crow flies) from the main house electric board or 55m if the cable need to skirt the courtyard. The electrics would need to be totally removable afterwards. Is this even possible? If it’s not already apparent I know little about electrics or caravans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 It's a great idea. Delays can mean your rent becomes an unaccounted for significant cost. Someone will be along to tell you how to do it safely. My instinct is be outside the barn as although sheltered, fire escape might be a risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 It is not unusual to have an electrical supply terminate at a kiosk, often close to a boundary. Then, after the DNOs fuse and meter, your electrician can do what they like. So have a word with your DNO and see what they think, and what the costs are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyscotland Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 In principle, yes it would be possible. The actual cost/practicality will depend on quite a few variables e.g. to do with cable sizing, earthing arrangements and where/how the supply is taken off the distribution at the house. There are also some regulations/considerations specific to caravans which differ from those for buildings and there's a few different options for tackling that. It may be possible to reuse elements of the existing supply to the barn, depending on what that was originally designed & installed for. Really the only way to get an accurate opinion would be to get a suitably experienced electrician on site to take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Race Posted August 1, 2022 Author Share Posted August 1, 2022 Sounds promising, Thanks! Next step will be getting an electrician out to take a look then. I just wasn't sure if too much of a stretch given the demands of the various appliances and I'd not considered different regulations for caravans. Rent would be three times our current mortgage and I'm loathed to pay that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Are you knocking down the house to build another or is this house and barn unrelated to your build? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrerahill Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 21 hours ago, Space Race said: We are about to become homeless having sold ours but not yet found a new one. Given how crazy rents have got, I’m considering any and all options. One of these would be to buy a caravan as we could site this for free and then sell on afterwards. The caravan could be sited within or immediately outside a barn which currently has electric lighting and nothing else. Would it be possible to have temp electrics run from the house the barn to power the caravan (kettle, TV, Oven) itself as well as say, a washer / dryer, dishwasher etc. The large appliances would be in the (totally dry) barn. The barn is located 40m away (as crow flies) from the main house electric board or 55m if the cable need to skirt the courtyard. The electrics would need to be totally removable afterwards. Is this even possible? If it’s not already apparent I know little about electrics or caravans All sounds reasonable to me. Just make sure the electrical installation is properly designed and executed to BS7671. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Race Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 4 hours ago, Temp said: Are you knocking down the house to build another or is this house and barn unrelated to your build? The house and barn is a family members, We'd simply be staying with them whilst we house hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Race Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 3 hours ago, Carrerahill said: All sounds reasonable to me. Just make sure the electrical installation is properly designed and executed to BS7671. It would have to be done properly. In addition the whole thing would need to be installed and later removed with as little disruption to their home as possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Why do they want it removed? You would be checking / upgrading the existing supply as necessary and installing a 16A commando socket to plug the caravan into. Why on earth would they insist you remove that afterwards? it could have other used for them in the future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 On 01/08/2022 at 14:49, Space Race said: The electrics would need to be totally removable afterwards Makes sense. You mean disconnect your temporary supply back to the way it was once finished with? I have been tempted in the past to save money by simply connecting cables through, but it is worth putting in a kiosk for safety and control. It also means you can turn off your power without access to the source. BUT if you are going to need a new electric supply then I recommend getting that in ASAP, again to a kiosk. This is normal and acceptable to the electric company. All designed and connected by a certificated electrician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Race Posted August 4, 2022 Author Share Posted August 4, 2022 Will see what the electrician has to say and update once they have been to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now