Additional wiring in caravan

[Wayne2101]

Although quite an old topic, it looks as though there are a lot of 'What ifs' and 'I don't'.

 

The world today needs to have a reason why something has gone wrong, if it is found to be the fault of an item introduced by somebody who was not competent then the chances of the insurance paying out are slim. In a car if you improve it and put in add ons, if they aren't declared to the insurance company and something happens, the insurance compant may not pay out, quite simple.

 

For houses, if a gas check is not carried out or an electrical check, it isn't law (in your own home) however if you try to make an insurance claim and a service could have prevented the problem, well don't expect to get any money.

 

People pay in to the £25K for caravans that they tow and bounce about the British roads. If you have a service every year the gas should be checked and the basic electrics are checked.  In all the cases above I have banged on about insurances and money, hey if you can afford it, then that is your perogative. 

 

What happens when a bared wire, due to vibration in a caravan on the 230 Volt system is touched by you or a child?

 

What happens when the RCD doesn't trip as it hasn't been exercised regularly (as you are supposed to do) and hasn't been picked up as part of an annual check?

 

Wouldn't you really want to get your electrical circuits checked by someone trained so they can be located and repaired before the worst can happen? It isn't just gas that causes fires! In the most cases you may find that the leaking of gas is ignited by a spark of electricity, food for thought.

 

Yes the checks cost money, you get a report on how your systems are, you will probably sleep better.

 

The trained person can inspect even the hobbiest extension (which is recorded) and advise on actions if required, or give a clean bill of health, however if the trained person actually installs the circuit extension / improvement you are issues a minor works certificate that now is a legal document. Read between the lines as you will, it is worth getting these checks.

[Wildwood]

All insurers are subject to the requirements of the Financial Ombudsman who requires them to be fair to their customers. Generally the policy will require the caravan to be maintained to a reasonable standard or serviced regularly by a competent person so you do have to comply with that. 

If things go  wrong then the questions are "were the conditions met?" and if not "was the accident reasonably foreseeable?". The answer will depend on the precise circumstances of any case but failing to maintain the caravan or doing work beyond your ability could be a problem.  You might also look at the premium paid as generally the more you pay the more generous the company will be in the less clear cases but do  not rely on that. Certainly the cheaper policies end to have the claims dealt with in a far harder way.