Is there really a fuse in the Neutral? That's a definite No-No! Fuses can blow on their own, with no faults or overload, due to age, vibration or sheer bad luck. If that happens to your Neutral fuse but the Live fuse is intact then your equipment stops working but your wiring is still live! Dangerous if you whip a cover off something to have a look at why it's not running. Or you might have a solid link in the Neutral side, which means you have no fuse protection if you flip it over because of a reverse polarity supply. Also very Dangerous!
Protection in both Live and Neutral conductors, Double Pole, MUST disconnect both conductors for a fault in either one. Fuses do not do this, so either link them out and fit a suitable device elsewhere, or change the lot to something suitable and chuck the old stuff over Snottys fence
We decided to remove an electric wall mounted radiator when we bought the house many years ago a new build. I removed the fuse from the wall spur switch and carried on removing the radiator. I got a shock off it which was not nice but I guess I was lucky, I'm still here. The 'electrician ' had put the fuse in the neutral wire so as you say, the unit was still live. I quickly learned, ALWAYS turn off the power at the main switch.
Yes, there really is. I always thought it was one fuse per circuit - it's only now I've found that it's one fuse for live, one for neutral. All wiring appears to be original, so I don't think this is a PO bodge job - unless anyone else has experience of a Westy Helsinki hook-up? The plan currently is to keep this in place and use the consumer unit. I may "do the right thing" and change the hook up connection to a proper blue 16A job in future
Years ago I managed to get a belt off a light fitting that was switched off - I also learnt "always turn off at the breaker"... and also make sure everyone in the house is aware you are working on electrics so someone doesn't come and flip it on behind you!
My westfalia Berlin has the same original setup with 2 big fuses look like something out of an old valve radio! Must get around to upgrading too at some stage but like you will try and keep my original hook up inlet on outside of van ( I just like original where possible )
A further thought - I'm wiring in a charger for the batteries as part of this excerise. The consumer unit has 2 x circuit breakers, and the plan was to use one for the fridge (on its own socket) and the other for the single mains socket in the van. Is it safe/allowed/sensible to wire the charger into the consumer unit alongside either the socket or fridge - i.e two live wires coming out of one breaker? The breakers are 6A and 16A, as mentioned previously in this thread - would the 6A be sufficient to run the fridge and charger, leaving the 16A free for the single socket - or (as I suspect) would the current draw likely be too high? Should the charger go into the 16A "Circuit"?
Do yourself a favour and connect anything via plug and socket. Don’t wire directly into the breaker. In fact I’ve no idea why you would do that tbh! It’s easier to do it correctly! so… 6 amp breaker feeds single socket for fridge. Larger breaker feeds other sockets. Charger plugs into that circuit! I only have one circuit supplying sockets outlets and my fridge and charger are plugged into that, as is my heater.
I sometimes look to provide advice and sometimes do provide it and then regret it as you give it based on 40 years in the trade and 30 years plus of camper ownership but someone doesn’t want to do it like that for some reason known only to them. It’s so much easier to do it right than not, and half the time if you need to ask the question then probably you shouldn’t be doing the job! (Not aimed at anyone specifically but if the cap fits….). Gas installs are the same. People always seem to want to argue that their half baked idea of how to do it is correct.
Yes, you if you consider it to be a 'fixed' circuit ie permanently wired and to be permanently charging whilst you are hooked-up, but otherwise just put a 13A plugtop on it and plug it in whenever you need it. Christ, I'm beginning to sound like one of the Regs police..........
I get that - it just seemed to my uneducated mind, a bit of overkill to install a socket and then plug the charger into that as a permanent fixture - rather than just wiring directly in. Thinking it through though, I think this would make more sense, easier to change the charger if needed too.
Bang on there. Think you would find it easier. Plus you can actually switch or unplug the charger at source when you don’t want it on. Plus, plus…. It’s the right way to do it!
Is it done that way by terminating in a socket so you dont loose the fuse in the appliance plug? Obviously on a house install it terminates with sockets but the lights in a house are wired directly to the breaker. I’m just curious that’s all.
Further to what Dicky has said One question I ask people when they are trying to bodge van electrics is would you do it that way in your house most would say no. So why would you do it in a camper that’s a higher risk
You got me thinking about ours, so I've just had a look. There is a socket off the consumer unit that the ctek plugs in to so I must have listened to you all those years ago.
I didn't, mine has it's own breaker and wired directly. I don't recall this advice before TBH. If I'm plugged in I want the charger working and another pointless socket has been avoided. Where's the downside?
Thanks, this is why I was asking previously about "potentially" connecting it up with the socket circuit; but off the same breaker. I am now planning on fitting it's own dedicated socket, but I cant really see the difference between having it's own dedicated breaker, and being wired in with the sockets (it would be plugged into the socket circuit anyway?)
