Herdwick Willy Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Is there such a thing as a circuit breaker that would go between the motor home and the site supply,and at the same time deal with variations in the amps available, i,3 5 8 10. The reasons for the question is some years ago in Spain we unintentionally upset a site owner, by blowing the circuit twice.I had turned the heating system down to its lowest setting,IE 2.7 amps but had not reckoned with something else taking the draw over the 3 amp site supply. My fault entirely. Managing to do this twice the site owner was quite rightly not amused.So dear Friends once again can you come to the aid of the village idiot. I have only been a camper vanner for 47 years so am still learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 It would be possible to install multiple circuit breakers of different ratings in parallel, to allow you to set a maximum current draw to match the EHU rating by switching on only one at a time but I think that would be a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Alternatively you could make up an in line fused link with a fuse for 2.5 amps for your EHU power line to prevent you tripping the EHU's 3 amp MCB. There are also doubtless fancier electrical control devices you could choose to install in order to set a maximum current draw but they would probably be disproportionately expensive. Using any electrically powered heating system (as distinct from a gas heater with an electrical distribution fan) is a bit ambitious on a 3 amp supply so I suggest you abandon doing that anyway. Even if you use an electrical heater of under 750 watts rating, it would only take another small increase in current draw (eg because your automatic battery charger kicked in) to exceed 3 amps and trip the EHU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Or you could just use gas for hot water and heating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herdwick Willy Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 Many thanks both,keep it simple is usually the best way. Happy New Year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 If your heating alone was taking 2.7A from a supply rated at 3.0A you had only 0.3A to play with. That is just 70 Watts. I assume you weren't expecting to use lighting, or your fridge, as well as heating and the habitation battery charger? :-) Electric kettle? :-) Maybe the odd charger? :-) Simplest solution, and by far the cheapest, as already suggested, is to run your heating on gas when the site supply is below 6A (possibly10A, depending on how much the heating actually draws.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 This device claims to regulate demand so that a campsite’s low-amperage circuit-breaker is not tripped. http://www.camparo.nl/index.php?action=extra&extra=A_uitleg_watt_controller&lang=EN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Derek Uzzell - 2017-01-02 1:30 PMThis device claims to regulate demand so that a campsite’s low-amperage circuit-breaker is not tripped.http://www.camparo.nl/index.php?action=extra&extra=A_uitleg_watt_controller&lang=EN How you find these things on the internet never ceases to amaze me Derek! This is a plug-in device, designed to limit current draw from the device's socket, rather than be fitted into a motorhome's mains feed point. Although the device could be plugged into the EHU post socket (if this socket is of the Schuko type, otherwise with a suitable adapter) and have the MH's EHU plugged into it, it's not really designed to cope with being outdoors. It costs 120€ so it isn't cheap either. But it does limit current draw and I suspect from the info on the website that it incorporates some sort of load-spreading circuitry, to allow you to draw slightly more than the nominal current limit, for example by waiting a bit longer for your low wattage coffee machine to heat up - but clearly it can only do this within quite modest limits and whether there would be any practical advantage from this capacity would have to be tested. It would take quite a bit of rewiring to use this device to limit the current draw by your MH's built-in heater. Mine has a switch which allows you to limit current draw to 900 watts (which would work on a 4 amps supply) but that's barely enough to heat water never mind heating up the MH. I think I would find it simpler, certainly as far as heating and hot water is concerned, to switch to gas when on any campsite with only 3 or 4 amps available. If you are careful about not switching too much else on you could probably run even the bigger sized 600 watt Remoska cooker from a 3 amp supply (without bothering with this gadget) but the wife's hair drier wouldn't work on a 3 amp supply and probably not on 4 amps, with or without one of these Dutch gadgets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 StuartO - 2017-01-02 2:50 PM How you find these things on the internet never ceases to amaze me Derek! It’s come up before http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/search/query.asp?action=search&searchforumid=all&keywords=camparo&author=derek+uzzell&days=&Submit=Search (I notice you commented in the January 2015 thread. ;-) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 You could get an Electrician to install a 'manual' fuse box rated at 13A in the cable between the Van external socket and the existing RCD unit. See example photo. You could then populate the fuse holder with 3a, 5a, 10a, 13a, etc fuses which would 'pop' give or take somewhere near the fuse rating. These units are designed to have the fuses swapped by the end user, so should be safe, but don't expect the 'failure' point to be exactly 3amps, etc. However, it should be fairly close. This might restrict you to a max 13a supply unless you also fitted a switching system that bypassed the new fuse box? RS Components sell these at £2.90 each so although quite a crude solution, it is cheap and simple. A more sophisticated option is a Victron Multiplus Energy Inverter/Charger that you can set at a certain value to match the site Bollard and if you draw more than that, it uses the 12v batteries to make up the shortfall. So for example, if you set the Victron at 3amps, the same as the site Bollard, but accidentally use 3.9amps, the Victron will use the 12v batteries to generate the 'missing' 0.9 amps. At night when all 3 amps is available for charging, you set the Victron to recharge the batteries. Not cheap at about £700'ish, but is a more sophisticated option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herdwick Willy Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Fantastic, this forum never fails to surprise.Many thanks to you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I should maybe have pointed out that if you install the Victron unit mentioned above, it handles all 230v coming into the vehicle, not just a short fall. If the Site loses 230v power, then the Victron will use battery 12v power to create 230v and switch that into the supply so fast the TV won't even flicker, but it does sound an alarm to show mains power has been interrupted. When 230v power on the site returns, the Victron will automatically and seamlessly switch back to the Site supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.