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Topic: Sockets/Fridge not working.

DaveLobes

via mobile 27/5/2019 at 5:32pm
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Hello, new to the caravan scene. Have a Compass Vantage 400/2. It's on a pitch for the summer and we've been going down weekly with no problems since easter. Went down on Saturday and the sockets and fridge wouldn't work off hook-up. Lights and waterpump working fine off leisure battery. I used extension lead to a different hook-up to see was it just the one closest to us but no joy. I then used a different lead to rule out our lead..still no joy. I checked the 15Amp fuse in by where the lead goes into and it was fine and nothings tripping so bot sure what it is. Any advice/explanation would be much appreciated. Not going back down for a few days but having an idea what's wrong beforehand would be great. Thanks, Dave.

Colin21

27/5/2019 at 6:17pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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Very unlikely to be a fuse, much more likely to be a trip switch. Fuses are generally in the 12 volt side. I would check the consumer unit, as it's probably there that the problem lies.

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Colin

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Rainbowsend

via mobile 27/5/2019 at 11:40pm
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Presumably it won't be charging your battery either if the the electricity isn't working. As Colin says, a trip switch is the most likely cause.

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Jean

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The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you finish the work.

Grampian91

27/5/2019 at 11:55pm
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Is there power at the campsites post?

Checked the 15A fuse? Glass fuse? That will be the 12v side not the mains.

The mains will have a trip switch/breakers like a modern home.

DaveLobes

via mobile 28/5/2019 at 4:47pm
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Thanks for replies. OK so it's not fuses but as I said it's not trip switch either. Nothing tripping in caravan or hookup. at colin21..what else could be wrong with the consumer unit if it's not tripping? Thanks.

Colin21

28/5/2019 at 5:15pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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There's nothing much that can go wrong with a consumer unit really unless a cable has pulled out but that's very unlikely. What can happen though with some consumer units is that the main switch on it can trip but not appear to have done so. (Depends on the make and model) To reset it you have to switch it off and back on again. Worth trying anyway if you haven't already done so.

If it has definitely not tripped you will have to go deeper, but I wouldn't recommend doing this yourself unless you are confident and competent working with mains voltages as it can be very dangerous. You would need to remove the cover/casing of the consumer unit to expose the live terminals and check with a multimeter that you have mains voltage coming in. If you are not happy doing that I would recommend you find a local electrician who can do it for you.

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Colin

navver

28/5/2019 at 7:30pm
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Sounds like either:
1. breaker tripped in your consumer unit or
2. a wiring fault.

For a breaker tripped it has an RCD in it. This can be verified if it has a small button on it labelled "Push to Test".
Give it a push and if it clicks then it had power and has tripped just as it should.
To reset, simply move the breaker switch back up again. Then repeat the push to test and if it clicks again you have power in the van.
However, if there is a wiring fault or a faulty piece of equipment connected it will trip as soon as you make it live. This will stop the breaker switching on again when you lift it. You will feel it click as you lift it.

If this happens, unplug everything inside the van and switch off as much as possible. Then reset the breaker. If it stays in and the push to test works OK then you have cleared the fault by disconnecting it.

Then start switching things on and plugging things in one at a time. If it trips when you plug a certain piece of kit in that will be faulty.

vtrjames

31/5/2019 at 8:14am
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Quote: Originally posted by DaveLobes on 27/5/2019
Hello, new to the caravan scene. Have a Compass Vantage 400/2. It's on a pitch for the summer and we've been going down weekly with no problems since easter. Went down on Saturday and the sockets and fridge wouldn't work off hook-up. Lights and waterpump working fine off leisure battery. I used extension lead to a different hook-up to see was it just the one closest to us but no joy. I then used a different lead to rule out our lead..still no joy. I checked the 15Amp fuse in by where the lead goes into and it was fine and nothings tripping so bot sure what it is. Any advice/explanation would be much appreciated. Not going back down for a few days but having an idea what's wrong beforehand would be great. Thanks, Dave.

Morning,

Do you mean the 240v sockets? If so they won't work if you aren't on EHU. Is the fridge set to battery?

James

DaveLobes

via mobile 04/6/2019 at 7:26pm
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Hi everyone..thanks for replies. Was down the van and there was a slight crack in the 15Amp fuse in under caravans RCU that I had missed. I a had a spare one in the car and was sorted. Went out that night and when we got home was gone again. Checked the same fuse next day and was fine and nothing had tripped. Put fuse back in to go look further and came back on again. Must be a loose connection or something but was fine right up to when we were coming home. Meant to take few pics but forgot. Anyway, I'm not gonna go looking for trouble if it's staying on. Thanks for help.

Colin21

04/6/2019 at 8:08pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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Still seems unusual to me to find a fuse in the mains supply. It's normally trip switches in a consumer unit for mains, and fuses in the 12 volt system. Does the fuse look like original equipment, or could someone have done a "bodge" at some time in the caravan's life? If so, why? For safety's sake I think I would get it checked out.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin

DaveLobes

via mobile 04/6/2019 at 8:44pm
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Hey, I went looking to see could I screenshot something to post. It's actually the fuse was gone on my "zig" control panel which is in next to where my hookup is. Ive attached pic but its not the glass fuse in pic, theres a row of maybe 5 15A fuses underneath and it was one of those gone.Possibly it has been altered but the man that we bought off was an electrical engineer that did make a few changes but I'm sure they were for good reason and we'll thought out. I will take photos next time I'm down to show, would like ye're opinion on whether it is safe. Great info on this site..helped me with a few other things along the way so far. Cheers
https://www.google.com/search?q=zig+caravan+unit+exterior&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjRkpu5yNDiAhULh1wKHXk5DMYQ2-cCegQIABAC&oq=zig+caravan+unit+exterior&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-img.3...3981.10902..11185...1.0..0.201.1706.7j7j1......0....1.........35i39j0i8i30j33i10j30i10.u6jFp1dauK4&ei=E8f2XJG9FIuO8gL58rCwDA&bih=560&biw=360&client=ms-android-samsung&prmd=ismvn#imgrc=UbWFpoNKaMc-nM

Colin21

04/6/2019 at 9:22pm
Location: East Herts
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What concerns me is that the consumer unit may be faulty, and this is the reason for the fuses. The mains supply from the hook-up should come straight into the consumer unit and onto the RCD (Main trip switch). Inside the consumer unit the supply should go onto two (or more) miniature circuit breakers. One of those should supply the mains sockets. There shouldn't be any fuses in that circuit at all. I have a feeling that the RCD may have been bypassed.

Check the RCD is working as it should be by pressing the test button next to it with the EHU supply live. The RCD should trip. If it doesn't the consumer unit is not working properly and should be replaced. Fuses will not protect against electric shock, only against short circuits or overloads.

I am not a qualified electrical engineer, but before the law changed some years back I did hundreds of home rewires and much electrical installation work, so I have loads of experience.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin

DaveLobes

via mobile 04/6/2019 at 9:25pm
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Thanks for info Colin..will check it out next time and report back.👍

navver

05/6/2019 at 8:10pm
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Years ago when MCBs were in their infancy, they had what we call a very low short circuit capacity. In other words, if there was a short circuit current of maybe 2000 Amps, the MCB would explode instead of breaking it.

To overcome this we included what we called back up protection in the circuit before the MCB.

This was often a High Rupturing Capacity (HRC) fuse which could typically break 80,000Amps. The idea was, this would break the short circuit current before the MCB could explode. HRC fuses were cartridge fuses and definitely not the household rewireable types.

I wonder if that was what the guy was thinking of. I must admit, having seen a busbar subjected to 50,000Amps short circuit current which was literally a bomb going off, I was always very sceptical of the claims made for the performance of MCBs and their big brothers, MCCBs (Moulded Case Circuit Breakers).

must admitm

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