Hi All, I am hope someone might be able to shed some light on an electrical issue I have just noticed in my Troll 530 60th. I went to plug my small electric heater in yesterday and notice no power in the front bay socket. I then tried all the others, and no power there either. Also the fridge is not working, which I also runs off the 240v. All the 12v stuff appears to be working fine - lights, battery being charged, fridge light on 12v, pump for taps. My EHU cable is fine and the outside its plugged into is fine. I have attached 2 photo’s of the blue electrics box and the trips sited inside the wardrobe. Could it be a fuse blown in the blue electrics controller panel ???? All the trips are turned on and appear in the correct position. Any thoughts on what the issue could be would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Robbie

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The 12V fuses on the blue Schaudt CSV409 have no bearing on the 230V distribution to the mains sockets.

You can test if 230V is getting to the consumer unit (the box with the trip switches) by pressing the blue oval test button on the RCD breaker.
If mains is present then the RCD should trip off.

If it doesn't trip off then mains isn't getting to the caravan.

If it does trip off then there's a possibility an MCB is faulty - those NBS breakers are notoriously unreliable.

You have a 10Amp and a 16Amp breaker fitted, the 10Amp will supply the sockets, the 16Amp will be for the Truma Ultraheat - does this work?

Evening John. Thank you for explaining all that. I will investigate in the morning. Best regards, Robbie

Hi,
I noticed that there only seems to be one white connector plugged in under the distribution box; there are 2 sockets under there so you could swap it’s position to see if it is the 16A mcb at fault.
The other end of the white cable feeds a multi-block connector beneath the blue box and the wardrobe base, behind the heater. Make sure all of these are engaged properly.
I hope I’ve attached a photo of a cable with the connectors shown; note the little retaining clip which will need to be released for removal.

Thanks Mr Gadget, I’ve seen that cable in there. Will check in the morning. Much appreciated.

Another thing to check is that the cap on the EHU cable plug is horizontal and pushed fully into the socket on the side of the van.
This acts as a safety clip and has to be lifted to enable the plug to be removed from the socket.

If the cap is pushed upwards against the external flap of the socket the pins on the socket may not be making a secure connection to the plug, hence possibly your lack of mains power.

A simple thing but something you can see surprisingly often on campsites.

Alan

Thanks Alan, well I demounted the EHU cable and re mounted it and bingo the sockets sprung to life. I did your suggested tests too with the blue button on the consumer unit and it did indeed trip the RCD’s - but just the left hand paint. I guess thats correct as assume the other 2 pairs are for the 12v ?? That just leaves the problem of the fridge no working, but guess thats a separate issue now as know the electric is getting to it. Thanks again. Robbie

Yes, just the left hand RCD should trip when the test button is pressed.

The 10 Amp MCB should feed all 230V sockets, the CSV 409's battery charger and the 230V fridge element.
The 16 Amp MCB should only feed the Ultraheat.

Is Mr Gadget correct in his observation that only one output cable is connected to the lower right hand side of the consumer unit?

The 12volt DC system is fed from the row of fused spade connectors along the bottom of the blue CSV 409 unit at the back of the wardrobe. The spade fuses used are the same as those used in your car.

Also along this bottom edge are connectors for a solar panel system, a switch that sets the right charge state for the battery if fitted, and fused feeds for lights and fridge amongst other things.

Alan

Yes John, just checked and there is one white cable coming from the bottom right of the consumer unit. There is also another connection point just behind it so I guess another cable cold be added ? Many thanks again, Robbie

Hi Robbie, so the one output cable from the consumer unit is feeding all 230V sockets and appliances, including the Ultraheat - this is potentially dangerous as that single cable just isn't man enough to carry all 230V loads.

As I mentioned in previous posts the Ultraheat should be connected to the spare connection point on the consumer unit - this will safely spread the load across both MCBs and along two cables.

I would imagine the Ultraheat's 230V cable (usually orange) is plugged intoto the multiblock underneath the wardrobe floor and you should be able to disconnect it from there and reconnect it to the consumer unit's spare socket.

You'll need to ensure the cables at the consumer unit are connected so that the existing white cable is switched by the 10 Amp MCB and the Ultraheat is switched by the 16 Amp MCB. If they are the other way round it's just a simple matter of swapping the plugs.

Hi JohnE, is there a reason why the 2kW Ultraheat needs a 16A breaker but multiple 13A sockets are OK on a 10A breaker? On the first sight that sounds back to front. George

Quote: GeorgeWM wrote in post #12

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...is there a reason why the 2kW Ultraheat needs a 16A breaker but multiple 13A sockets are OK on a 10A breaker?

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Thank you.