Hooked Upto My House & Tripped The Fuse In My Home - Help! (1 Viewer)

CraigandJaffy

Free Member
Jul 1, 2014
2
1
Funster No
32,216
MH
Peugeot Compass Classic
Exp
Newbie
Hello Folks

Please could somebody help. We are total newbies and this is my first post, we only registered yesterday!! I have just purchased a motorhome privately last weekend a Peugeot Compass Classic 2004. Got home, parked up on the drive...excited, the leisure battery appears dead (hope not), no problem I thought I will hook up to our house (hopefully this will also charge the Leisure Battery???)using the correct adaptors, all good I thought. I switched the control panel switch onto AUX and the gauge indicated we have lift off, lights seemed to work but this is were it all goes pear shaped. The wife switched on the fridge and we tripped the system. Initially we thought it was just inside the MH but a more thorough inspection learned that we had tripped the fuse in the house!!!

Is this normal? I don't think it is, what am I doing wrong and what should I be doing??

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated as we are new to this and got very little advise from the couple we bought the MH off as they were very elderly.

Please help?
 

TheBig1

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 27, 2011
17,509
42,755
Dorset
Funster No
19,048
MH
A class
Exp
many many years! since I was a kid
it's not normal and may well indicate the 240v element in the fridge has failed. this is not uncommon and often leads to tripping out the supply socket. turn the fridge off and reset the trip in the house. if it still trips again, get the van safety checked before using an electrical hookup again. if it all works but trips only with the fridge, then that will obviously need to be repaired

surely if you just bought the van, you checked all appliances were working before paying?
 

Rob e Lee

Free Member
Apr 16, 2012
452
575
Surrey
Funster No
20,598
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
Since 2011
Hello Folks

Please could somebody help. We are total newbies and this is my first post, we only registered yesterday!! I have just purchased a motorhome privately last weekend a Peugeot Compass Classic 2004. Got home, parked up on the drive...excited, the leisure battery appears dead (hope not), no problem I thought I will hook up to our house (hopefully this will also charge the Leisure Battery???)using the correct adaptors, all good I thought. I switched the control panel switch onto AUX and the gauge indicated we have lift off, lights seemed to work but this is were it all goes pear shaped. The wife switched on the fridge and we tripped the system. Initially we thought it was just inside the MH but a more thorough inspection learned that we had tripped the fuse in the house!!!

Is this normal? I don't think it is, what am I doing wrong and what should I be doing??

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated as we are new to this and got very little advise from the couple we bought the MH off as they were very elderly.

Please help?

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Gorse Hill

Free Member
Feb 2, 2013
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Stretford
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Burnster Ixeo IT 734
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2000
As the big one said switch off /unplug the fridge and everything else in the van (assuming it was the RCD) that tripped and not the MCB turn each appliance on one at a time to see which one causes the RCD to trip. If the MCB has tripped this would indicate a dead short/overload again use the same process as above to establish which appliance is faulty again one at a time but switch off the previous appliance if it did not trip MCB if all work on there own possible overload of circuit when a number of appliance on together
What rating MCB do u have on the consumer unit
 

Rob e Lee

Free Member
Apr 16, 2012
452
575
Surrey
Funster No
20,598
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
Since 2011
When you say it has tripped house fuse, do you mean RCD? (assuming you have one fitted) If it is the RCD that has tripped then it could be as simple as 'nuisance tripping'. Fridges and the like are notorious for causing this to happen. If this is the case then try to hook up to a circiut that is non RCD protected and see how you get on.

Rob
 

SUGGY

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 23, 2011
1,311
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scunthorpe
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18,995
MH
C Class
Exp
2010
Your house RCD could be reading dampness in the fridge area , maybe condensation from the fridge not being used , try using the fridge on gas for an hour then put it back on mains , or run the engine and put the fridge on to 12 volt setting ( battery ) ,

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movan

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 2, 2009
21,492
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Moving around
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Burstner
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Hi Craig and Jaffy, It will take several months before things get sorted ... there will be lots of things that seem to happen when you first start motorhoming... Everyone is here to help... let us know how you go on with your electrics please.

It would be difficult to check everything before buying .. there is so much that your head must be buzzing.... Spend a weekend in the van asap, even if it is on your drive .. that's the best way to check everything so you can get back to where you bought it to have things sorted. Look forward to meeting you both. :)
 

SUGGY

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 23, 2011
1,311
2,201
scunthorpe
Funster No
18,995
MH
C Class
Exp
2010
As Joy says , spend the weekend on your drive , we did with ours and it is our 3rd van .....:cooler:
 
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CraigandJaffy

Free Member
Jul 1, 2014
2
1
Funster No
32,216
MH
Peugeot Compass Classic
Exp
Newbie
Thanks for all your advice and comments - it's really nice to know we are not so alone! We are away on our first weekend soon, but wanted to run through everything first so we didn't give the game away as obvious newbies!

We have done several checks and think (hope) the problem is our RCD at home being ultra sensitive to the fridge as everything else works without a problem and we can switch the fridge on 12v when the engine is running.
Will be back for more advice soon, no doubt.

Thanks again!

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TheBig1

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 27, 2011
17,509
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Dorset
Funster No
19,048
MH
A class
Exp
many many years! since I was a kid
the 12v and 240v elements are separate parts on the fridge it can work faultlessly on one and not at all on the other. these are not fridges like you will find in a house, as they work on heat exchange not on a compressor. the elements heat up and this causes the fridge to cool down. sounds very strange, but true

anyway, its a very common fault for elements to fail and go short circuit, so trip the electric. not massively expensive for the replacement element, but the labour can be expensive if you cant do it yourself, which is the case for the average motorhome owner
 

cruiser

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 12, 2012
4,209
4,929
northampton
Funster No
22,870
MH
coach built elddis 400
Exp
since 1978
we hope this does not put you of.good luck.and welcome to the house of fun.and please keep asking more questions.
 

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