Hi all, I'm looking for some advice/help with the electrical service board in our alpha camper. Ever since we got it in 2017, there has been ongoing electrical gremlins. I guess the first problem was intermittent power. I traced that to a spade clip connection between the battery and the 50amp circuit breaker. You could see the arc marks on the spade, so I replaced that with a 50amp Anderson plug. Since then, I've soldered the wires in all the spade clips and replaced the cheap, really cheap, 12 volt sockets. My problem is that if I use the 12 volt sockets, the fridges will stop working. The fridges are a Waeco cfx50 and an aftermarket Alpicool 45 lt. If I hook the fridges directly to the 2 separate batteries, no dramas at all.
The battery setup is a 140amp with a ctek dc to dc charger hooked to solar and a 100 amp no name which is getting a solar panel soon. The 100 amp battery is completely separate to the 140amp battery.
So, today, I pulled out the power board to sus out what is happening. Now, I'm not even an electrician's thumbnail, so I need advice..
The main circuit breaker between the 140 amp battery and service board is a 50amp manual reset. That part I'm good with.
Now to the part where the struggle rug comes out. Inside the service board, there is (1) power on switch, (2) light switch and (3) plug switch. The amp ratings for the manual reset circuit breakers are as follows: (1) 10amp, (2) 3 amp and (3) 6 amp. These look like Narva breakers according to Epay.
The fridges would probably draw 10 amps during cycling. I also run 4 Ridge line led lights, charge a Coleman 12 volt fan and a 12 volt primus shower pump. I have no idea what the last three devices take.
I need to know what amp rating I can replace these breakers with so that I can avoid connecting directly to the batteries and risking any shorts etc.
Sorry for the rambling message, but I wanted to give you all the info I know.
Thanks for you time in reading this and I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Happy camping
Randall
KFT said
01:01 AM Jan 4, 2021
G'day
I am an electrician with considerable experience in Rv electrics.
The best advice I can give you is to seek the services of an auto electrician who knows RV electrics. Their time mau cost you but the advice and probable outcome will be well worth the investment.
I think your system sounds like a dogs breakfast that needs tidying up and sorting out.
Hope that helps
Frank
Whenarewethere said
07:25 AM Jan 4, 2021
I cut the Waeco supplied lead as short as possible & stuck an Anderson plug on the end & screwed that though the fridge's cover into a small block of aluminium inside the cover to spread the load when pulling the Anderson plug out.
There is a spacer behind the plug on the fridge so when plugging in there is clearance.
Also put a panel circuit breaker in to replace the fuse at the end of the Waeco lead.
I now always have an electrical connection. The Waeco lead only has 16awg wire which is too thin for its length. I also replaced the wire inside the fridge from the back of the socket to the circuit board + & - in total is 1.1 metres now my fridge has 12awg wire here.
Anywhere you can minimise voltage drop the better.
My 28L fridge is rated at 6.5amps but typically draws 3.8amps & 4.0amps maximum when the compressor is running. The 50L fridge I think is rated at 7.5amps.
The 12v sockets are too thin & don't have a good electrical connection.
I need to know what amp rating I can replace these breakers with so that I can avoid connecting directly to the batteries and risking any shorts etc.
Randall, please note that the circuit breakers are there to protect the wiring, not the appliance. By just increasing the size of circuit breaker to match the current draw of the appliance you risk overloading the wiring and it catching fire.
I would start from scratch by calculating your appliances current draw and length of runs, and this will give you the required wiring size and appropriately rated sockets, switches, and circuit protection for your application.
-- Edited by Mamil on Monday 4th of January 2021 06:01:18 PM
bcd8238 said
11:38 PM Jan 5, 2021
Thank you all for the suggestions. I found that book online and have ordered it. I appreciate the advice to use an auto sparky. Certainly look into that.
Hi all, I'm looking for some advice/help with the electrical service board in our alpha camper. Ever since we got it in 2017, there has been ongoing electrical gremlins. I guess the first problem was intermittent power. I traced that to a spade clip connection between the battery and the 50amp circuit breaker. You could see the arc marks on the spade, so I replaced that with a 50amp Anderson plug. Since then, I've soldered the wires in all the spade clips and replaced the cheap, really cheap, 12 volt sockets. My problem is that if I use the 12 volt sockets, the fridges will stop working. The fridges are a Waeco cfx50 and an aftermarket Alpicool 45 lt. If I hook the fridges directly to the 2 separate batteries, no dramas at all.
The battery setup is a 140amp with a ctek dc to dc charger hooked to solar and a 100 amp no name which is getting a solar panel soon. The 100 amp battery is completely separate to the 140amp battery.
So, today, I pulled out the power board to sus out what is happening. Now, I'm not even an electrician's thumbnail, so I need advice..
The main circuit breaker between the 140 amp battery and service board is a 50amp manual reset. That part I'm good with.
Now to the part where the struggle rug comes out. Inside the service board, there is (1) power on switch, (2) light switch and (3) plug switch. The amp ratings for the manual reset circuit breakers are as follows: (1) 10amp, (2) 3 amp and (3) 6 amp. These look like Narva breakers according to Epay.
The fridges would probably draw 10 amps during cycling. I also run 4 Ridge line led lights, charge a Coleman 12 volt fan and a 12 volt primus shower pump. I have no idea what the last three devices take.
I need to know what amp rating I can replace these breakers with so that I can avoid connecting directly to the batteries and risking any shorts etc.
Sorry for the rambling message, but I wanted to give you all the info I know.
Thanks for you time in reading this and I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Happy camping
Randall
I am an electrician with considerable experience in Rv electrics.
The best advice I can give you is to seek the services of an auto electrician who knows RV electrics. Their time mau cost you but the advice and probable outcome will be well worth the investment.
I think your system sounds like a dogs breakfast that needs tidying up and sorting out.
Hope that helps
Frank
I cut the Waeco supplied lead as short as possible & stuck an Anderson plug on the end & screwed that though the fridge's cover into a small block of aluminium inside the cover to spread the load when pulling the Anderson plug out.
There is a spacer behind the plug on the fridge so when plugging in there is clearance.
Also put a panel circuit breaker in to replace the fuse at the end of the Waeco lead.
I now always have an electrical connection. The Waeco lead only has 16awg wire which is too thin for its length. I also replaced the wire inside the fridge from the back of the socket to the circuit board + & - in total is 1.1 metres now my fridge has 12awg wire here.
Anywhere you can minimise voltage drop the better.
My 28L fridge is rated at 6.5amps but typically draws 3.8amps & 4.0amps maximum when the compressor is running. The 50L fridge I think is rated at 7.5amps.
The 12v sockets are too thin & don't have a good electrical connection.
Randall, please note that the circuit breakers are there to protect the wiring, not the appliance. By just increasing the size of circuit breaker to match the current draw of the appliance you risk overloading the wiring and it catching fire.
I would start from scratch by calculating your appliances current draw and length of runs, and this will give you the required wiring size and appropriately rated sockets, switches, and circuit protection for your application.
I have found Collyn River's book on RV electrics an excellent guide to such things Caravan & Motorhome Electrics: The Complete Guide: Rivers, Collyn: Amazon.com.au: Books or if you're not comfortable tackling it yourself then Frank's suggestion to employ an auto sparky is also a good one.
-- Edited by Mamil on Monday 4th of January 2021 06:01:18 PM
Cheers
Randall