Power tripped out Carthago

[pauljanita]

Have blown the plug sockets in the van. Lights and fridge working on EHU but no sockets. All the fuses and breaker units seem to be OK.
But one breaker only works when the inverter is on, as do the plug sockets.
Any idea what the problem could be please?

 

[Pausim]

Try tuning the breakers off and back on. Sometimes they need to turned completely off to re engage the resetting mechanism.

 

[pauljanita]

Have tried that, still no luck. Also the control panel inside the van has now turned itself off completely?

 

[Pausim]

I think CBE panels/DS units have a low voltage shut down. Have you checked your battery voltages?

 

[Pausim]

How are your mains supply and inverter separated? If the sockets are live with the inverter on but not with mains perhaps worth checking whatever device you have for keeping them separate.

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[pauljanita]

Do you know where the inverter is? I’m looking all over the van but locate it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Sounds like your system is set up to swap the power sockets over from the inverter to the mains input when on EHU. The relay is not switching over therefore the sockets are still connected to the inverter. Could be a loose connection, a faulty relay, the relay could be fused separately. Just a case of tracing the wiring and find out what is going on.

 

[Pausim]

Do you know where the inverter is? I’m looking all over the van but locate it.

No idea, people fit them in lots of different places. Was your inverter installed by a dealer?

 

[Lenny HB]

Where the inverter is - normally if fitted by someone with some brains it will be near the batteries to keep the 12v cable runs short, often in Carthagos in the double near the batteries.

 

[autorouter]

Have blown the plug sockets in the van. Lights and fridge working on EHU but no sockets. All the fuses and breaker units seem to be OK.

Start at the beginning. Have you checked you are still getting mains power from the EHU supply socket? The lights and fridge could be working from the battery.

Has the system always worked well , but has suddenly developed a fault? Or are you doing something new and something has gone wrong?

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[pauljanita]

Yes, we are. We’re getting the ehu symbol Lot up on the Aldi heating unit.

 

[Minxy]

Where the inverter is - normally if fitted by someone with some brains it will be near the batteries to keep the 12v cable runs short, often in Carthagos in the double near the batteries.

By double you mean the large centre floor locker accessed internally?

 

[Lenny HB]

By double you mean the large centre floor locker accessed internally?

Ones I have seen access via a locker door, my mates inverter is under the floor in the centre at the front a foot or two from the batteries (E-Line).

 

[autorouter]

I'd agree with Lenny HB that it's related to the changeover relay that switches from mains to inverter automatically. This relay will probably be located either inside the Consumer Unit (the box with all the mains fuses/breakers) or in a separate box just near it. Most electrical problems in devices subject to vibration and damp are loose/bad connections rather than failed components.

 

[denisejoe]

Is your fridge and lights working on 12v or 240v as the light in the fridge is 12v and so are your lights unless you have 240v lights on the breaker there will be a master on off and some for each circuit check all

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[Lenny HB]

I'd agree with Lenny HB that it's related to the changeover relay that switches from mains to inverter automatically. This relay will probably be located either inside the Consumer Unit (the box with all the mains fuses/breakers) or in a separate box just near it. Most electrical problems in devices subject to vibration and damp are loose/bad connections rather than failed components.

Some inverters like the Waco have the relay built in.

 

[pauljanita]

Thanks for all your help. We have now managed to find the inverter under the floor and it has a reset button. The plug sockets are now all working correctly.

However, the control panel now works, but only if we remove the SOS fuse from the fuse box, pic below. But as soon as we replace the fuse, which hasn’t blown, the control panel does not work. It seems strange that by removing the fuse, the unit works! Any ideas what this fuse is for?

 

[Lenny HB]

SOS fuse is a by-pass to power systems in an emergency, it's not supposed to be there in normal operation.

Info from CBE website:

Although CBE products are built to the highest quality standards, these components too might be sensitive, e.g. to electric shock or external disturbances. In the rare event of a failure to the control panel or distribution module, a drawback of modern systems is that more often than not almost nothing is working, not even basic users such as the heater, water pump and lights.
On the contrary, thanks to the DS470 built-in SOS function, end customers just need to insert a fuse in the fuse casing, to provide direct power for the heater, water pump and lights. This allows end customers to ensure that their vehicle will complete its journey before being brought in for servicing. In terms of accessories

 

[pauljanita]

Update....our control panel is now working. After discussions with Carthago in Germany, we realised that the 3amp fuse did not belong in the SOS slot! Now just waiting to get going over to France!

Thanks all for your input, it’s been very much appreciate.

 

[Drum Major]

This why I love this forum so many helpful funsters

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