No Options Apply My endless list of jobs (or feels like)

[jazzeddie1234]

Good luck

Thanks!
Ok this is weird. I seem to have found the problem . My Anderson on the A frame (former fridge feed) had fallen down and the road destroyed it. This Anderson goes through it's own breaker but is also behind that master 50A breaker. It appears the wire shorted, the master 50A tripped, the sudden surge blew the two 20A fuses on both solar controllers, and the breaker on the A frame did nothing. The assumption that the problem was between the fuses and the solar controllers was a red herring...

Now back to the beers

 

[mikerezny]

Thanks!
Ok this is weird. I seem to have found the problem . My Anderson on the A frame (former fridge feed) had fallen down and the road destroyed it. This Anderson goes through it's own breaker but is also behind that master 50A breaker. It appears the wire shorted, the master 50A tripped, the sudden surge blew the two 20A fuses on both solar controllers, and the breaker on the A frame did nothing. The assumption that the problem was between the fuses and the solar controllers was a red herring...

Now back to the beers

Circuit breakers are usually slow acting. Some are thermally triggered. Fuses are mostly fast acting.
Seems like the main breaker triggered faster than the one on the A-frame.

 

[Drover]

I have used maxi fuses on my batteries as a sparky said they react quicker, besides they were cheaper than a breaker though only 40 amp but I don't envisage any higher amperage I have a breaker on my panels to controller more so for quick disconnect for maintenance really......

So I assume your old fridge Anderson wasn't a direct to fridge line but plugged into the old wiring harness and was actually live somehow when it shouldn't have been, might be something else lurking there.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

We've been camping along the hyden/norseman road for a few days so only just back in mobile range. Nothing like a downpour to make that road an exciting drive with a van on the back!

The 3 way fridge anderson did go directly to the fridge but I repurposed it after fitting the compressor fridge. It now is a direct feed to the van batteries so I can use it to charge them or run a tyre pump etc.

Anyway everything is pretty much running as hoped (opps designed). A few more minor electrical things have broken but that's normal for the rough roads we travel. The fridge is running great, solar is keeping up ok, even on an overcast day like today, ute lithiums are charging fine and supplementing the van when required. We are restocking in Norseman tomorrow before heading over to SA

 

[Drover]

but I repurposed it after fitting the compressor fridge.

But left the long lead part.............. it happens I know someone who didn't bother plugging fridge in for a similar thing, well the anderson got chewed up but not fizzing................... enjoy your tour..... I'm getting toey, counting the days.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

Who made the cheeky comment about complexity...
View attachment 68936 This is my test setup before it goes in the ute tray. The box holds two batteries (now lithium), various tools, and two water jerries. I decided to add a few 'improvements' aka complexities before putting it back. A juntek shunt and coulomb counter , a tidier (ok it will be) junction box for minor 12v things (ute tray lights etc), and my favorite ltc3780 dc dc module which will trickle charge the cranking battery when the lithiums are full. Out of shot is the anderson cable which is plugged into the caravan so I can test the effect of running all batteries in parallel when required

And I'm still messing around with my camping shower, currently a 5l spray bottle painted black. Printed a holder for the shower head off a submersible pump to see how that works

View attachment 68937 I may not need it at all now my gas consumption is (hopefully) much reduced with the new fridge

A couple of updates seeing it's raining again

The trickle charger is working a treat. Recap: I inserted a relay in the feed from the cranking battery to the projecta DC DC so when the ignition is off a 1 amp trickle charge is fed back to keep the cranking battery topped up when we are parked for long stays. It just holds at 13.1 on my voltmeter in the tray so there is immediate feedback if something has been left on or a door is open - usually the vhf...

The hobs are working fine so it's good to tidy the thermocouple connections before ordering a new one

The cheap lithiums in the ute tray are working fine. I did stress for ages about my plan to simply parallel them with the van lithiums (different supplier) when they are very unequally charged. Turns out to be a non event compared to agms as lithium voltages are so similar there is almost no balancing current - even when one end has a massive draw from the inverter.

The HWS actually fired up with the door closed on a really cold morning but every other time it needs to door flap open for 5 mins. I now suspect I have an early circuit board that others had issues with

All in all pretty good so far

 

[jazzeddie1234]

A random mod that's working quite well

I use the cheap camec towing mirrors and they have given good service over the past 5 years - especially under $50. But they do have a couple of problems: They can damage the mirror housing if done up too tight, they spin around in a wind gust, and they never sit in exactly the same spot when removed so I have to adjust them each time.

So I glued (siliconed) 2 squares of rubber where they clamp on
Now I know exactly where to re fit them, they grip better and don't damage the paint. Such a simple idea

I also marked where the mirror shaft is clamped by the plastic screw, filed a small flat there and now they don't rotate either...

 

[jazzeddie1234]

And another crazy idea to keep my Tow Secure battery charged and prevent more early failures.
Obviously the wall plug charger only works when plugged in to 240v and I considered the idea of simply hooking up to the main van battery. But why go simple when I have spare 12v dc dc modules to play with? It's currently hooked up to the solar mppt controller load terminals but I can't figure out (yet) what setting to use so it only comes on when the sun is out...
Anyway it all seems to work ok so I just need to tidy up the cables

 

[Drover]

You certainly like complicated, I just connected the cable orange/purple ?? thats supposed yo go to the 7/12 pin into the van circuit, luckily it runs right next to breaksafe, fitted a switch so I can turn it on/off, no stuffing around with tug wiring.... The new units now don't even have a battery, it's now legal to use the van battery...

 

[Boots in Action]

And another crazy idea to keep my Tow Secure battery charged and prevent more early failures.
View attachment 69884 Obviously the wall plug charger only works when plugged in to 240v and I considered the idea of simply hooking up to the main van battery. But why go simple when I have spare 12v dc dc modules to play with? It's currently hooked up to the solar mppt controller load terminals but I can't figure out (yet) what setting to use so it only comes on when the sun is out...
Anyway it all seems to work ok so I just need to tidy up the cables

@jazzeddie1234 , power from the LOAD terminals from MPPT solar controller is available AT ALL TIMES. So you must have something wrong. I have all the 12 volt loads for my van connected through the load terminals of my MPPT controller (not directly from battery terminals!) and provides power 24 hours a day.....at least while the battery has power!!!

 

[Boots in Action]

You certainly like complicated, I just connected the cable orange/purple ?? thats supposed yo go to the 7/12 pin into the van circuit, luckily it runs right next to breaksafe, fitted a switch so I can turn it on/off, no stuffing around with tug wiring.... The new units now don't even have a battery, it's now legal to use the van battery...

Correct @Drover about the brake safe now connected to van battery and not to an independent separate 12 volt battery.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

@jazzeddie1234 , power from the LOAD terminals from MPPT solar controller is available AT ALL TIMES. So you must have something wrong. I have all the 12 volt loads for my van connected through the load terminals of my MPPT controller (not directly from battery terminals!) and provides power 24 hours a day.....at least while the battery has power!!!

Yes, correct. Most if not all MPPT controllers switch the negative line on the load terminals which is pretty useless on a common earth system. So mine is wired to switch a relay (the load out negative is only connected to the relay coil) which then switches the power.
I've figured out how to switch based on the clock so that's progress!

 

[Drover]

I think mine I can set it to be on on/off at certain times, if not the Epever then one of the others I have does but van works from the load terminal well they connect to a Buss Point which is fed by the Epever load terminal...... I don't like numerous connections on battery, one set feeding a Buss bar terminal means no mistakes when disconnecting batteries...

Luckily in the early years they had the battery charger in a cupboard inside van along with the water pump and Breaksafe, mongrel tight spot so I remodelled the whole system so everything was together in boot, this meant I had hot wires from battery in the cupboard for the charger so I hooked up the Breaksafe along with a simple rocker switch so I give it a charge every so often and as it happens it hangs off the load now ...... its also I handy tap in for other things .. when the battery died I should have just set it up to power from the van battery entirely but too awkward to get at so just replaced the battery, $30 from Bunnings...

 

[jazzeddie1234]

It's been a while since I invented anything so here goes..


The thetford vents lets water in on windy days and it sits on the fridge floor shelf until it soaks through (yes I painted and sealed the floor) or I mop it up. Really annoying.

So here is mk1 of my 3d printed, removable weather shield. The official shield is just a flat sheet with a couple of slots and very restrictive whereas this should catch any water but have full airflow.

Going to try something for the top vent but the fridge motor will make it a bit more challenging

 

[Drover]

The Dometic vents must be smaller slats as mine only gets rain in on windy days that are like a Force 9, even then just a spray.. My fly screen may keep some out as well .................... looking online the Thetford certainly look to have larger slots .... Certainly a lot of room at the back of yours, I think that tray would do the job, when I have got heaps of water in mine from some floodways its just drained out where my fridge drain goes out from as I never sealed the hose exit ..

Dometic....

............................................ Thetford....

 

[Hitting the road]

Fortunately I haven't ever noticed an appreciable amount of rain water blow in to through the fridge vents in mine either...but then have never taken a vent off after a rain storm to look. But when I do take the lower vent off to clean no sign of water entry, just undisturbed dust. Dometic vents plus the fly wire inside as well...has definitely been in some cyclonic rain and wind directly on the fridge side with no water issues...

 

[jazzeddie1234]

from some floodways its just drained out

Yeah I might look at a drain hose ending flush with the fridge shelf just in case. I have a couple of existing holes I can use to feed outside

 

[Drover]

There was a time that Dometic changed their vents to larger slots but they let water in, they might have used the Thetford ones when they bought them out but Im sure they are back to the old style now........................................

We have had some rain so i can check my latest maintenance has worked............

 

[jazzeddie1234]

Doing my annual check of the van and a few vents are disintegrating in the sun. Spent some time on google enjoying the overpriced options but ended up making my own. This one is the test version. Tomorrow it will be printed with ABS. Fun fact: jayco only cut a tiny hole for the range hood (much smaller than the vent cover) so it never worked that great

 

[BaldEd]

Ha. So some one else has noted the small (half-sized) wall vent hole for the rangehood. My 2016 16-51-3 Jayco has that hole displaced 50mm to one side of the fan exit ducting at the rear of the rangehood! Means the displaced air has to turn 90 degrees twice in about 100mm to exit the caravan!!