Fridge on battery problem and engine not charging leisure batteries.

[jezport]

Be careful which wiring diagram you look at for the EBL as the fridge plugs look the same on many but are wired differently. I dont mean after the EBL I mean they connections differ inside.

 

[Lenny HB]

That is an odd one, do you have a 20 amp fuse by the starter battery?

Just a thought, do you have a B2B?
What I'm thinking is the fridge has been wired to be powered by the leisure battery when the engine is running and it is relying on the B2B to supply enough power for battery charging and running the fridge.

 

[Peavy]

I was going to ask I understand you have a booster (as Lenny HB says). Maybe it's malfunctioning, as problems look related to D+ issues. Other option could be the EBL malfunctioning?

 

[autorouter]

However, everything still works fine with the fuse not functioning (20 amp AES fuse on ebl removed also)

It does beg the question - why did Burstner fit a fridge fuse to the leisure battery if it is designed not to use the leisure battery? The manual clearly states it is the fridge fuse but the fridge has never functioned unless the engine is running. Maybe I should have taken this one out before.

If the fuse holder is damaged, you can get a replacement. They are individual fuse holders of the type that clip together to make a fuse block if you want. They look as if they might be this type.

https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/standard-blade-fuse-holder-with-cover.html

You could extract the terminals from the holder, and insert them into the new fuse holder. However that might not be a good idea, maybe the reason it's getting hot and melting is that the contacts are not very good. If there's enough spare wire you could cut off the the existing terminals and fit new ones.

Also you could look at why the fuse plastic has melted but the fuse has not blown. That depends on the melting point of the plastic used in the manufacture of the fuse. Higher quality fuses will have better plastic, either the type that doesn't melt but just goes brown and smells funny, or with a much higher melting point that won't get soft when it's hot. I don't know how you tell, apart from going to a reputable supplier and probably paying more.

But as Lenny HB has said, I think there is more to this than just a melted fuse.

 

[Lenny HB]

apart from going to a reputable supplier and probably paying more.

Always best to use Littlefuse or MTA fuses a known quality.

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[TheBig1]

This says to me the main feed from the alternator/van battery is failed. D+ signal turns fridge to 12v and the leisure battery back feeds the circuit, partially through the 20a fuse which will overload

 

[IRHP]

I will look at that later. From memory though, selecting 12 volt when the engine is not running just results in a red flashing error light on the fridge. I never thought running it off the leisure battery was a possibility.

There is a warning on my Nordelectrica block about inserting a fuse in the AES slot but my Thetford 3 way Fridge still needs a D+ from the alternator to run off 12v so inserting the fuse makes no difference. If the engine is off it won't run on 12v.

 

[VXman]

That is an odd one, do you have a 20 amp fuse by the starter battery?

Just a thought, do you have a B2B?
What I'm thinking is the fridge has been wired to be powered by the leisure battery when the engine is running and it is relying on the B2B to supply enough power for battery charging and running the fridge.

Yes there is a 20 amp by the starter battery which is also labelled as the fridge fuse.

 

[VXman]

That is an odd one, do you have a 20 amp fuse by the starter battery?

Just a thought, do you have a B2B?
What I'm thinking is the fridge has been wired to be powered by the leisure battery when the engine is running and it is relying on the B2B to supply enough power for battery charging and running the fridge.

No B2B just the original EBL 119 set up as at was from new.

 

[autorouter]

So if you remove the 20A fuse, the one that melted, exactly what stops working and what carries on working?

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[VXman]

So if you remove the 20A fuse, the one that melted, exactly what stops working and what carries on working?

Sorry, missed this question. Nothing that I can tell. It operates exactly the same without the 20amp fuse by the leisure ( that's the one that melted) and without the 20amp ebl one.

 

[VXman]

Monitoring it as we travel through France back home I have noticed some new stuff. It has settled into a pattern of being ok when setting off in the morning (or after a reasonable break) but about 30 mins or so the leisure battery voltage dives and eventually the fridge flashes errors which will disappear when switched over to gas.

Monitoring the voltage on my Victron app I notice that after switching the fridge to gas the leisure battery is still not charging. It sits at whatever is the current voltage level and recieved some charge from the Solar but does not revert to the usual 14.6 Alternator charge.

Turning the engine off and restarting seems to clear this and charging goes back to 14.6.

I'm wondering if it's the ebl leisure charger that is at fault, although why the fridge would be affected when it should be taking it's power from the starter battery/alternator I don't know.

 

[VXman]

Still investigating this issue. I put a multimeter on the 20 amp fuse (which has melted in place and still gets hot when the engine is running and the fridge is on 12V).

With engine running and fridge off it is registering a wavering 0.02/3 volts so virtually nothing. When I turn the fridge on it registers 54 volts! This cannot be right?

 

[VXman]

Just thought I'd update this thread with what is hopefully the conclusion.

Over the winter I replaced the fridge 20 amp fuse holder by the leisure battery with a midi fuse and holder.

Just been out for a few days for the first time since November and all seems ok. Fridge is working nicely on battery when driving.

So I guess it was just a case of dodgy spade fuse connection causing it to get warm, melt and the fridge going into error due to a lack of power getting through.