§708 — Camping and caravan sites

Camping and caravan sites have their own norm chapter, §708, for the same reason as construction sites (§704) and bathrooms (§701): the usage situation structurally differs from a fixed installation. At a camping site, changing, often non-electrotechnically trained users connect their own (sometimes poorly maintained) caravan or camper to a fixed power supply — a combination that calls for extra protection.

Connection point per pitch

• Each pitch must have at least one 16A socket outlet.
• Each socket outlet is individually protected: its own overcurrent protection and its own RCD with I∆n ≤ 30 mA — not a shared RCD for multiple connections.
• A maximum of 4 of these individually protected socket outlets may be grouped in one distribution box; individual protection per connection still applies even then.

All-pole disconnection

The protection must interrupt all live conductors, including the neutral. This is stricter than in many fixed installations, and has a concrete reason: camping sites generally operate on a TT system via a local earth electrode, while the metal parts of the caravan or camper may not simply be connected to the network PEN. If the PEN conductor in the network is interrupted, a non-all-pole protective device would not guarantee that the metal parts of the vehicle remain de-energized — all-pole disconnection eliminates this risk.

Physical installation

• Socket outlets are mounted at a height of 0.5–1.5 m above ground level.
• Minimum IP44, with IP54/IP65 recommended at locations with increased exposure to rain or splash water.
• Increased mechanical protection rating (IK08) against impacts from camping traffic, tools and daily use.

What §708 does not cover

• §708 governs the fixed provision on the site — the socket outlet, distribution box and cabling up to the connection point.
• The internal wiring of the caravan or camper itself falls under a separate chapter (§721) and is the responsibility of the vehicle manufacturer/owner, not the site operator.
• Permanent dwellings on the same site (for example a warden's dwelling) do not fall under §708, but under the ordinary rules for fixed installations.

Common mistakes

1. One shared RCD for a group of socket outlets — §708 requires its own RCD (and its own overcurrent protection) per connection, even if several connections are in the same distribution box.
2. Applying non-all-pole protection — at a site with a TT system, disconnecting only the phase provides insufficient protection in the event of a PEN fault.
3. Grouping more than 4 connections in one distribution box — even though each connection is individually protected, a practical upper limit of 4 per distribution box applies.
4. Confusing §708 with §721 — the site provision (§708) and the vehicle-internal wiring (§721) are two separate responsibilities, each with its own norm chapter.

Related

• §704 — Temporary installations on construction and demolition sites
• §531 — Residual Current Devices (RCD)
• §701 — Bathrooms and shower rooms