caravan pitches??

hi all

as you may have read in a previous post of mine i have recently aquired a caravan & camping site in stalham norfork. at present we have 12 static vans, 30 touring pitches & space for upto 30 tents.

we are in the process of updating the facilitys ie. new toilets/showers/clubhouse/swimmingpool & touring pitches.

at present the touring pitches are all on grass & no electric hook up?
the caravaners amongst you may be able to help with a couple of questions i have to ask?

1 would you rather have you van sit on a grass pitch or concrete? if concrete what length/width are most vans?

2 electric hook up or not? if electric hook up what sort of plug to connect to & what is the current rating of caravans?

you help with these questions will help us to make up our mines whether to go ahead with the planned works of leave the pitches as they are

thanks in advance

gary

i have these green grates made plastick you sink them into ground and grass can grow through them and you just mow over top of them much nicer than concrete pads they look like waffle boards used for off roading! but they interlock to form nice solid platform for caravans most caravans have what i call generator plugs where the plug piece is round and blue in colour if u need any pictures ill get some for u!

[rustic]

Originally Posted by gary1

2 electric hook up or not? if electric hook up what sort of plug to connect to & what is the current rating of caravans?

The plug type are the blue plug/sockets, you can look at them at the "Towsure "website. or go to ebay and type "electric hook up" and you will see the plug types. They are generally rated at 16 amps but most caravans would need less than this although some now have electric water heating, air conditioning, heating, microwaves, lighting etc so 16 Amps is a possibility for every socket on site, so is your mains supply up to it?.

You are probably aware of this but there are now very stringent electrical regulations regarding electric hook-up. They are outside and rely on the public to connect to, safety is paramount.
It is now a legal requirement to have these installed by a qualified electrician or inspected by the authorities etc obtaining the correct certificates and periodic inspection and testing of each hook-up etc.

RCD's (Residual Current Device, or earth leakage trip, that trips to help prevent electrical shock) would have to be installed at each pitch and armoured cable used through out, with circuit breakers. Your qualified electrician would be able to advise you on this, if he doesn't know then find one who does.
Third party liability ie danger to people and animals is a major concern.

Hope this helps but your electrician will advise, DON'T rely on a mate who thinks he can do it.

hi rustic

the electrial side is not a problem as i am a electrician just didn't know what supply caravans needed. the blue plugs/socket are all carvans fitted with these nowdays?
thanks

gary

[mr-gadget]

Yes the sockets are commando type 16 amp. normaly supplied by a 10amp breaker, though some are as low as 6amp. As for the pitches Grass every time. I wont go to a site with concrete or stone, i have enough of that at home. stone is to noisy cars driving on it cause a disturbance.

I have been looking at acquiring a caravan park. But not sure how to go about financing it etc. so have not done anything about it as yet.

[Deleted Member S]

I don't have a caravan (will I time) but my mam & dad have & use it alot up & down the country. Most of the pitchs are wide enough for the caravan + awning & car. When we have been away to see the the pitchs have all been hard stand with gravel on top or with what Jace said ontop of the dolamite foundations

[mr-gadget]

The caravan club say for fire safety the caravans should always be spaced at a minimum of 20 feet. Some site i have been to are a lot less than that...

[dinky]

How about a weekend meet,greenlaning.

[dinky]

Place down slabs for wheels,plenty of waterpoints,waste water disposal firepoint.electric 16 amps if possible.Have a look at local sites ,see how they are laid out for ideas.

[theduck]

hi gary, size width of a caravan is 7ft 6inch for most UK vans and goes up to 8ft for european vans, I must say in my opinion go for a gravel base for the van so you can put awning on the grass, and please don't forget to cater for those people with twinn axle vans mine is 7.65m long that includes the hitch and yes certainly to electric. you never know we might just pay a visit (small discount for N4x4fmoc members ):smile: :?:

[Rick1956]

I agree with The Duck, most sites offer either a grass pitch or a "hard standing" of gravel. caravaners are fickle folk (I know cause I,m one) and develop strong preferences for either. Most sites have both types of pitch with the majority being grass pitches.
Good Luck with the site.

[mav]

Hello Gary1,
Good news then as we really do like Stalham.
Just to hire a boat and have a lazy day on the river, Pub lunch, Perfect.

We will just have to come over to you when you get things up and running.

Whats the post code?, So we can see where you.

(P.S. Dont forget the WiFi.) :

Funny thing is Norfolk is one of our favourite places too, try and visit at least once each year. This year on a site at North Creake in Aug. Some excellant lanes in area too. Maybe we could have a mini meet and lanes weekend when your all set up??

[Tubbs]

def hard standing and yes to electric hook up

[(RIP) PLANK]

as for me not too bothered by hard standing as caravans come in such a variety of lenghts it is hard to get it right and most local authorities require planning permission for concrete or hard core bases!

but decent access roads are a must for 2 wheel drives!

and electricity is a must, but it is also nice to have the option of a simple no power grass pitch!