Wiring issue 12v vitrifrigo

[rv+three]

Heya first post
And totally rookie to MH - we bought our LMC at the beginning of the month
Deep cleaned it yesterday - and pulled out our vitrifrigo a little too far to clean behind.
The blue (+) spade connector snapped with the spade connector staying on the back and just exposed wire.
Bought replacement crimp on and tried to reconnect and it’s still not working?
Trying to organise a hab check but everyone booked up for 6+ weeks
Any suggestions from those of you with more experience.
The 12v runs from solar and the control panel is showing plenty of ampage.
I couldn’t find a circuit breaker and no other damage tracing the wiring back to the control panel.

 

[monzer]

Maybe a silly question but was it definitely working on electric before? I'm not sure of your exact fridge but most will be able to be ran off 3 sources - your 12v battery supply, mains power for when you are plugged in and gas. Is it working if you try and use it on gas?

Sorry, not much help but I'm sure someone will be along later with better ideas.

 

[monzer]

P.S Welcome to fun

 

[EuroTrotters]

Your Vitrifrigo fridge is 12v

Are you sure it’s set to run off solar only ?.

Usually they are wired from the battery with the solar charging the battery.

Can you send a photo of the wiring ?

Where are you based ?

 

[rv+three]

Hey sorry yep it’s run off a voltmeter off the battery and the solar keys the battery charged.
Based south coast. I’m going to try the fuse and have bought more cable just in case.
Definitely not wired into the mains- only connections were a blue and brown pvc low voltage connections on spade.
Only just replaced the regulator for gas set up (gas appliances all cut off and removed except the boiler vent and heater- but not tried connecting yet )

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[phase3begins]

Might be worth trying these folk

Service - Vitrifrigo

Learn more about Vitrifrigo and our international sales network. Contact us for information about our products or to receive a quote.

www.vitrifrigo.com

 

[rv+three]

Your Vitrifrigo fridge is 12v

Are you sure it’s set to run off solar only ?.

Usually they are wired from the battery with the solar charging the battery.

Can you send a photo of the wiring ?

Where are you based ?

Right, so visited the van today with fuse ready to change on the voltmeter and am completely stumped as the fridge circuit is connected to nothing?

(See female spade next to circuit switch on voltmeter)
There’s two also female spades unconnected both were covered in tape

So I traced back the wiring on the fridge

It feeds into a junction box

Which goes into the cabin lights (below)

But I can’t see a return into the voltmeter?
What should I do- I was thinking just running a new + /- wires to the fridge ?
TIA!

 

[tonyidle]

From your pic you need two 12v supplies: one from the starter battery when the engine is running and one that is permanently from the leisure battery. It appears to be perfectly conventional wiring for a LPG / 12v fridge. You will need the engine running to test it. Do you have a model number for the fridge?

 

[rv+three]

From your pic you need two 12v supplies: one from the starter battery when the engine is running and one that is permanently from the leisure battery. It appears to be perfectly conventional wiring for a LPG / 12v fridge. You will need the engine running to test it. Do you have a model number for the fridge?

Hey is the vitrifrigo 610 - it fairly new (replace in may by previous owners)

it was running just fine before I pulled it out
and definitely not wired in to the gas.
I haven’t tried with the engine running yet, but the other circuits on the voltmeter are still live and working.
should I run the van and give it another go?
My main concern is that the switch on the voltmeter has nothing connected on the back? Does this make sense with what your saying.
Apologies for all the questions still a total newb!

 

[tonyidle]

Do you have a pic of the rear of the switch panel (voltmeter panel)?

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[rv+three]

Do you have a pic of the rear of the switch panel (voltmeter panel)?

Heya it’s the middle circuit-

 

[rv+three]

View attachment 537375
Heya it’s the middle circuit-

I can’t get my head around why nothings connected to it

 

[EuroTrotters]

Should have 12v to the fridge, have you checked with a voltmeter?

Also, its just a 12v that unit, no 240v and no gas. Its a 12v compressor refrigerator

Have the thermostat wires become detached?

 

[rv+three]

Should have 12v to the fridge, have you checked with a voltmeter?

Also, its just a 12v that unit, no 240v and no gas. Its a 12v compressor refrigerator

Have the thermostat wires become detached?

hey it’s definitely a compressor on 12v - it’s a 35

I don’t think the thermo wires are detached -

Should have 12v to the fridge, have you checked with a voltmeter?

Also, its just a 12v that unit, no 240v and no gas. Its a 12v compressor refrigerator

Have the thermostat wires become detached?

hey it’s definitely a compressor on 12v - it’s a danfoss bd 35

I don’t think the thermo wires are detached as the light isn’t on for fridge either.
Model is c50i

 

[EuroTrotters]

hey it’s definitely a compressor on 12v - it’s a 35

I don’t think the thermo wires are detached -

hey it’s definitely a compressor on 12v - it’s a danfoss bd 35

I don’t think the thermo wires are detached as the light isn’t on for fridge either.
Model is c50i

Hi, yes I know the type of fridge I repair them .

If you were closer I could help better

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[tonyidle]

Just to recap: is there power available on the blue / brown pair that are connected to the fridge? If the fridge was working until you pulled it out and broke the connection then it will work once the connection is re-made unless the wire touched earth or an earth wire as it came out of the terminal. It's now reconnected. How are you testing for available power?

 

[tonyidle]

The junction box isn't fed from the light: it's a common point supplying power to a number of services one of which is possible the fridge. If you look at the rear of the switch panel the red and black wires that loop from switch to switch are the power feed (and an earth merely serving the switch LED telltale). The non-looped wire leaving each switch serves the appliance related to that switch.

 

[rv+three]

Hey!
So - I was back at the van today -
I went to have a look at the solar panel controller (perfect suitor)
And noticed it’s not hooked up to the leisure battery
The vans been parked a while on pitch- with ehu. Battery only 110
I’ll be borrowing a friends circuit tester today -
Think Im probably looking at having to rewiring the van up though!

Thanks for all the replies - I do really appreciate it!
Hannah

 

[autorouter]

I can’t get my head around why nothings connected to it

As tonyidle says, the positive supply to the fridge comes from the switch on the voltmeter panel. However the fridge negative is not connected on the voltmeter panel. I can't see where exactly it goes, but it probably goes straight to the junction box or a common negative point.

One thing to note, that might be confusing. It has been wired with two different colour codes. German colour code has brown for negative, and blue for positive (or sometimes even black for positive). UK colour code is black for negative and red for positive. If you look at the pic of the light fitting you can see this in action.

 

[autorouter]

I went to have a look at the solar panel controller (perfect suitor)
And noticed it’s not hooked up to the leisure battery

Before you start any rewiring of the solar, try measuring the battery voltage when the sun is shining and the solar ought to be charging. If the battery voltage is 13V or more, the solar is working. If it's 12.7 or less then it probably isn't working.

There are 3 wires to the solar controller: the solar panel positive and negative, and also one wire to the battery positive. It's possible that somewhere in the wiring the battery negative is already connected to the solar panel negative, and this is enough to make it work. Unlikely, but worth checking just in case.

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[rv+three]

thanks that’s actually really helping me understand.
I’m probably being jolly dense but shouldn’t there be a positive connection going out of the voltmeter to the fridge- or the junction box- specifically connected to the fridge switch?

 

[rv+three]

Before you start any rewiring of the solar, try measuring the battery voltage when the sun is shining and the solar ought to be charging. If the battery voltage is 13V or more, the solar is working. If it's 12.7 or less then it probably isn't working.

There are 3 wires to the solar controller: the solar panel positive and negative, and also one wire to the battery positive. It's possible that somewhere in the wiring the battery negative is already connected to the solar panel negative, and this is enough to make it work. Unlikely, but worth checking just in case.

On looking properly it is connected to the battery - and the battery is charging

 

[autorouter]

I can't read the labels on the switches on the voltmeter panel - is the centre one the 'fridge'? I know nothing about your make of motorhome, but If it's going nowhere, is it possible there was once a 3-way fridge fitted (12V, 240V, gas) and it's been replaced by a 12V compressor fridge? These compressor fridges powered by solar are more popular now that solar is much cheaper. Or if there's another switch on the fridge, maybe someone decided it's easier to wire direct to the fridge, and not use the switch on the voltmeter panel.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Our Vitrifrigo 12v compressor fridge is wired independently of the main control panel so it can be powered when the control panel is switched off. The fridge is powered directly from the leisure battery. Don't know if that helps the OP.

 

[autorouter]

I’ll be borrowing a friends circuit tester today -

I think I'd be getting my own multimeter, and learning how to use it. A cheap multimeter from a DIY store will be less than a tenner.

Measuring volts is easy and safe for 12V circuits. You should also learn about measuring resistance, and a very useful test for 'continuity'.

Wires typically have a very low resistance, too low for the meter to measure. On most meters you can switch on a buzzer that beeps when you touch the probes on metal - for example two ends of a wire. You can use this to identify which wire goes where, if you can get at both ends. This procedure is called 'buzzing out' a set of wires. The wires need to be unpowered when you do this, ie disconnected from any battery.

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[tonyidle]

Measuring volts is easy

No it isn't unless you fully understand the concept of meter sensitivity.

 

[Richard n Ann]

No it isn't unless you fully understand the concept of meter sensitivity.

I think I'd class moving a selector knob to 20vdc pretty easy. And an Autoranging meter even easier. But If you can't do that probably best not attempt any repairs

 

[mitzimad]

No it isn't unless you fully understand the concept of meter sensitivity.

ive no idea of meter sensitivity is but ive successfully used one for work for 50 years lets not too deep with problem solving

 

[rv+three]

As an update (thanks everyone - it has been really helpful!) the wires going into fridge are no longer live so I obvious did more damage than I thought when moving it out.
I’ve now wired it back in again and it’s working! (With a bit of extra room on the cable so I can clean!

 

[monzer]

As an update (thanks everyone - it has been really helpful!) the wires going into fridge are no longer live so I obvious did more damage than I thought when moving it out.
I’ve now wired it back in again and it’s working! (With a bit of extra room on the cable so I can clean!

You've got it fixed and potentially started another electrical argument on the forum. What more can you ask for!

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