Anderson Plug

Martin_QLD · Veteran Member

Anderson Plug

macka17 · Guru

Any Positive power cable coming from a battery.
SHOULD have a fuse or trip on it. Rated to suit output of battery.
I always use 60a. even on 250a Battery's.

I like it to trip b4 anything starts to cook\overheat thank you.

sandsmere · Guru

Martin, go to a qualified auto electrician.

You will get all sorts of strange info from " would be's " on here.

dazz49 · Senior Member

Ditto to the above

Jaahn · Guru

Martin_QLD wrote:

I am looking for some advise about fitting an Anderson plug to my ow vehicle which will charge the batteries in my camper while driving. I am of the understanding the connection from tow vehicle to the batteries is direct and doesn't go through any sort of regulator. Can anyone shed a light on the following points.
Do I run the Anderson plug from the battery, alternator or regulator. or should I run a separate voltage regulator devise so as not to "cook" my camper batteries.
Can I use the Anderson plug on the camper as a power out for plugging in a 12v compressor.
Can I run the cables myself or does this have to be done by a auto electrician.
should I have a fuse which is dedicated to the Anderson plug and would this be a inline fuse or run through the fuse box of the tow vehicle.
Any links which can give me an understanding of what I need to do would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Martin

Hi Martin smile

You should go to a qualified person if you are unsure of what you are doing. It is also dependent on what the tug is, and what alternator it has. However I will give some general advice.

A "normal" anderson plug will not handle the current from a modern alternator as they are rated 50Amps. There are bigger ones or fit two. So depending on your alternator you might need to control the current or use a DC to DC charger to work correctly.

Currently the wisdom seems to be a DC to DC charger and lots of money.

Cheers jaahn

Do I run the Anderson plug from the battery, alternator or regulator. or should I run a separate voltage regulator devise so as not to "cook" my camper batteries. Direct from the battery through a big fuse or circuit breaker. I use a 150a circuit breaker.
Can I use the Anderson plug on the camper as a power out for plugging in a 12v compressor. Yes but the lead from the camper battery also needs a fuse or circuit breaker. Bigger rating than the charging amps.
Can I run the cables myself or does this have to be done by a auto electrician. As stated if you are unsure get a person who knows what to do. The cables need to be tied or clipped securely and protected from sharp edges and damage in the same manner as the vehicle wiring.
should I have a fuse which is dedicated to the Anderson plug and would this be a inline fuse or run through the fuse box of the tow vehicle. As already said run from the battery with a seperate cable and circuit breaker. I do not like fuses so use circuit breakers. It must be rated at more than your alternator out put or charging current, as must be the cable.
Any links which can give me an understanding of what I need to do would be appreciated.

GerryP · Veteran Member

Just a quick note... the fuse rating should be matched to the cable size used and NOT the alternator output. Fuses are there to protect the wiring. If you use a 150a fuse on say 50a rated wiring, any overload can and will melt the wiring, causing a possible fire, well before the fuse blows!

I also agree that, if you're at all unsure, get an auto sparky to do the job for you. While it's perfectly legal for you to DIY, get it wrong and it could cost you a lot more in the long run.

ants_oz · Veteran Member

GerryP wrote:
Just a quick note... the fuse rating should be matched to the cable size used and NOT the alternator output. Fuses are there to protect the wiring. If you use a 150a fuse on say 50a rated wiring, any overload can and will melt the wiring, causing a possible fire, well before the fuse blows!
<snip>

In my opinion, this good advice provided by GerryP is EXACTLY why you should take the advice of a qualified tradesperson, and not rely on dubious advice from internet sparkies...

Martin_QLD · Veteran Member

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am going to take it to a auto electrician, the cost to have it fitted is just over a few cartoons of beer (that is without materials)and I cant seem to get a great saving by doing it myself so off to the guys with all the knowledge and experience. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

Martin

PeterD · Guru

Looks like my previous attempt to asnswer failed. Here is what I attempted to post, recovered via Lazarus.

2.. Can i use the Anderson plug on the camper as a battery out as well as in for using a 12v compressor.
3.. Can I run the cables myself or does this have to be done by a auto electrician.
4.. should I have a fuse which is dedicated to the Anderson plug and would this be a inline fuse or run through the fuse box of the tow vehicle
5.. Any links which can give me an understanding of what I need to do would be appreciated.

Martin

1.. The best place to connect the hot wire to the rear Anderson plug is the battery. When the tug and camper batteries are connected together with a thick cable the camper battery is no more liable to be cooked by the charging system than the tug battery. You should however have some sort of disconnect device to prevent your tugs starter battery being discharged by overuse of power in the camper. A large relay controlled by the ignition switch is sufficient.

2.. Yes

3.. If you have to ask then it's possible you should use someone else. Have you done any wiring on your vehicles before and not stuffed it up?

4.. You should have a fuse in any cable leading away from the battery. This will mean one in the tug and one in the camper.

5.. The Camper Trailer Book Solar Success Caravan & Motorhome Electrics

Vince · Senior Member

PeterD wrote:
Looks like my previous attempt to asnswer failed. Here is what I attempted to post, recovered via Lazarus.

2.. Can i use the Anderson plug on the camper as a battery out as well as in for using a 12v compressor.
3.. Can I run the cables myself or does this have to be done by a auto electrician.
4.. should I have a fuse which is dedicated to the Anderson plug and would this be a inline fuse or run through the fuse box of the tow vehicle
5.. Any links which can give me an understanding of what I need to do would be appreciated.
Martin
1.. The best place to connect the hot wire to the rear Anderson plug is the battery. When the tug and camper batteries are connected together with a thick cable the camper battery is no more liable to be cooked by the charging system than the tug battery. You should however have some sort of disconnect device to prevent your tugs starter battery being discharged by overuse of power in the camper. A large relay controlled by the ignition switch is sufficient.
2.. Yes
3.. If you have to ask then it's possible you should use someone else. Have you done any wiring on your vehicles before and not stuffed it up?
4.. You should have a fuse in any cable leading away from the battery. This will mean one in the tug and one in the camper.
5.. The Camper Trailer Book Solar Success Caravan & Motorhome Electrics

Ditto

Hylife · Guru

If you have over approx 5 meters of wiring from your tow battery to the camper battery it simply wont work properly.

Regardless of what sized wires you use (recommend 6 gauge) you will get significant voltage drop over 4-5 meters and your camper batteries simply wont get charged over about 60 percent.

At 230VAC like in your home wiring a drop of one or two volts means nothing, but at low volt DC systems getting 12.8 instead of 14.4 means your batteries don't get charged properly.

In addition, modern cars now have what are termed smart alternators. This means that when your crank battery gets to 12.8VDC they shut off because long term testing has shown that you wont shorten your battery lifespan so long as you get it up to that level of charge. This provides less load on the engine and therefore lower pollution emissions as is required under the new ECE pollution laws.

Under no load your multimeter might show 14 volts at the aux battery connectors, but when the aux battery is presenting a load that's when you find things just don't stack up.

This is why we have DC-DC chargers. They take the lower voltage that has arrived at the auxiliary battery and bump it up and then operate like a smart charger so that you don't overcharge your aux battery and they usually (not Redarc) have a built-in isolation switch which disconnects the aux and crank batteries so you cant flatten your crank battery. Some even have solar panel input connections.

Oh, and a normal 50amp Andersen plug will do quite fine.