240v electrics keep tripping

[Bob_374396485]

The 240v main fuse in the caravan trips when i have the heating or water on any settings after about 5 to 10 mins. The heating is Truma Ultraheat and the water is Truma. They work fine on gas. Caravan is a Elddis Avante Club 624 any help ?

Bob (new to all this)

 

[Mikey1]

Do you know what size/rating is your Breaker is or fuse as you say?

Try just using one at a time to try and isolate which is at fault.

What setting do you have the Ultraheat on as 2kw is around 8-9 amps.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Bob

I had this problem with the Truma Water heater. My dealer found one of the water pipes was leaking onto the electrical joint causing the tripping out . A new pipe and joints cured the problem.

I don't know why your Ultraheat is also causing a trip. Sorry.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Bob_374396485]

Thanks for the response the breaker is 16amp and it trips out on any setting (500,1000,2000,).I have tried them one at a time but it still trips.There are no water leaks

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Bob,

I had this problem about 2 years ago on my then Bailey Senator Wyoming. It turned out the trip switch, i think they are called MCB's, was faulty.

It should have tripped at 10 amps but was tripping at about 3 amps. Not very good considering it was Christmas at Troutbeck c.C. site and was -5c outside. Ran on mains plus gas for rest of holiday.

Rang my dealer Golden Castle Caravans at Staverton Airport site, took caravan straight to them from Troutbeck and they fitted a new switch. Excellent service as always.

On the following years model of my caravan Bailey changed the rating of the switch from 10amps to 15 amps so my dealer fitted a 15 amp switch.

Your dealer will know if there have been any changes to your Eldiss.

Hope this helps.

Hamer

 

[xtrailman]

Bob

If you have two 10amp cbs, in the fuse box, swop them over.

If the cb still trips, there is a fault in the wiring or elements.

I would go for the heater first, perhaps the element.

Find the 13a socket adjacent the heater and pull the plug, see if it still trips.

If the cb is faulty, i would try your local electrical shop rather than the dealer. Usually cheaper.

 

[Mikey1]

Hi Bob

It does sound like your trip if faulty.We are talking about the main breaker?

With all normal items running in the van the charger,fridge etc i think this is around 2 amp.If it tripped with just the heater at 500w this is only 2 1/2 amp.

You could try isolating the fridge and charger as wel,then switch the water heater and heater on again one by one.

If you have a electric fan heater use a 240v socket in the van and see if this trips it?These are high wattage or try a kettle these are around 3 amp.

 

[xtrailman]

Bob

I missed the 16amp cb reply from you.

16amp should allow both the heater and fire to run at the same time,allowing 10amp for the 2kw fire and 3amp for the water heater.

It may be possible for you to test the cicuits via a 5amp cb, seperately. Use the fire on 1kw max.

Do not put the 15amp breaker in the 5amp position.

I dont recommend relacing a 10amp braker with a 15amp either,

the cb rating must always be rated lower than the cable rating.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Ray,

My upgrade from 10amp to 15 amp was recomended and o.k. by Bailey. No further problems occured.Bob's dealer should know whether it is possible or not on his caravan,and if his caravan is still under warrenty it shouldn't cost him anything. As you say the cb rating must always be rated lower than the cable rating, and this is why my dealer contacted Bailey for their approval.

At the time my MCB failed others were failing as well,it turned out a faulty batch had been produced.

Hamer

 

[xtrailman]

Hamer

Im not suggesting your dealer was/is in the wrong.

Just saying that i dont recommened it.

My 2004 bailey has a 10amp cb, with no problems, and why should they be,given that the majority of site "posts" cbs are 10amp.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Hamer

Im not suggesting your dealer was/is in the wrong.

Just saying that i dont recommened it.

My 2004 bailey has a 10amp cb, with no problems, and why should they be,given that the majority of site "posts" cbs are 10amp.

Ray,

I must admit to not knowing much about mains electrics which is why with caravans i rely entirely on my dealer. My Wyoming was a 2004 model.

However one thing in your reply confuses me and perhaps you could please expplain.

You say the "majority of site posts cbs are 10amp".

I only use Caravan Club sites which allow you to use upto 16 amps which is very usefull at this time of year, as i use Chatsworth c.C. site quite a lot and am going in a few days for 2 weeks.

Are Caravan Club sites therefore different to non club sites?

Hamer

 

[Bob_374396485]

I have just put the heater on 2kw with nothing else on (fridge etc) and it worked for about 30mins and tripped off, its not been on for about 5 days so it was cold.I have tried a fan heater in one of the sockets and it tripped after about 35mins,The fuse is 16A RCD its not like a home one that just pull out the wires are screwed in to the top.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Bob,

From your last posting 23 Jan 2009 06:44 PM , I think there is a misunderstanding about what is happening. You refer to the 16A breaker, and the use of the word 'tripping' leads me suspect that what is actually tripping is the RCD. This is not a fuse, but a device that responds to a fault where some of the power is finding its way to earth. This needs to be sorted as it might impair the safety of anyone using the caravan on mains.

With the greatest respect, I do not think you have the knowledge or understanding of the systems to be able to fault-find and correct it.

To avoid any possible safety implications I strongly suggest you seek professional help and employ an electrician to sort it out for you.

 

[Bob_374396485]

Hi John L

You are correct in what you say i am just trying to get some advise and see what people think so i can get it fixed.Who is the best to fix it ? a dealer or a electrician

 

[Zafiral]

Bob

If your van is under warranty, I would take it back, if not it depends how close your dealer is and if they have an onsite trained electrician. Some don't and they have to get an external bloke in.

If you are paying and they are getting a bloke in anyway, save yourself the tow!!

 

[Bob_374396485]

Zafiral

Do you think it is worth changing the RCD to make sure it is not that, i am more than able

 

[xtrailman]

Ray,

I must admit to not knowing much about mains electrics which is why with caravans i rely entirely on my dealer. My Wyoming was a 2004 model.

However one thing in your reply confuses me and perhaps you could please expplain.

You say the "majority of site posts cbs are 10amp".

I only use Caravan Club sites which allow you to use upto 16 amps which is very usefull at this time of year, as i use Chatsworth c.C. site quite a lot and am going in a few days for 2 weeks.

Are Caravan Club sites therefore different to non club sites?

Hamer

Hammer

I must confess i havent used a CC site in 15 years, i am a member but only use the CL sites in the main, or private sites, all have fishing on site.

And yes mainly all have 10amp breakers on the post, i dont find it a problem, my wife knows the current consumtion of most of the appliances, and usually plays it more to the safe side.

The last time we used a 15amp supply was 10 years ago in the Lake district.

I wasnt aware CC sites were 15amp, strange i would'nt of though the club would have encouraged "excessive use"?

 

[xtrailman]

Hammer

I must confess i havent used a CC site in 15 years, i am a member but only use the CL sites in the main, or private sites, all have fishing on site.

And yes mainly all have 10amp breakers on the post, i dont find it a problem, my wife knows the current consumtion of most of the appliances, and usually plays it more to the safe side.

The last time we used a 15amp supply was 10 years ago in the Lake district.

I wasnt aware CC sites were 15amp, strange i would'nt of though the club would have encouraged "excessive use"?

So now the cb is a rcb? best call an electrician bob.

 

[dougdotcom]

Our caravan did the same as yours, in the end the neutral side of the rcd stoped working, we went to our electrical shop who sold use a replacment, ours has the wires in top and bottom and uses live and neutral through the rcd, i replaced this my self it was very easy and have had no more problems in two years. I beleve we paid

 

[Bob_374396485]

Doug

did yours have the live and neutral in the top and like link wires in the bottom ?

 

[Lee.C]

I remember we had a problem like this years ago on a new van and it was the wiring at the trip switch had not been tightened and we never had any problems after that.I'm sure you have checked this but if not it's worth a try.

 

[SteveW77]

I had a similar problem last year while I was touring in Germany. It was so bad that even turning on the wife hair dryer on the lowest setting blew the trip after about 5 minutes. I changed the mains lead to the power supply, made no difference,you name it, I tried it. In the end I took the main electric panel out and found all the plug in connectors were barely hanging in, despite the fact that they had all been cable tied to the back of the unit. I suppose 3000 miles of jumping and bumping about had pulled them out. Any way I pushed them all back, tightened the cable ties and every thing has been fine ever since.

Steve W

 

[dougdotcom]

hope this works its a photo of the fuse box bob

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/doug.com/VANFUSEBOX.jpg

 

[dougdotcom]

hope this works its a photo of the fuse box bob

]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/doug.com/VANFUSEBOX.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/doug.com/VANFUSEBOX.jpg[/quote
sorry u need to copy this link into your address bar.

 

[Bob_374396485]

Hello Doug

Thanks for the photo. The problem was the 16A RCD. I borrowed a 10A from a electrician and fitted that (so i must have some knowledge and understanding of the system to correct it), put the heating on 2kw and left it on,24hrs later and it was still going at full power. I got a new 16A RCD this morning (