Goodonya for having a go at fixing the problem that shouldn’t be there to begin with. I’m about to do a similar job on my van to improve on the 12 pin plug setup. I’ve put a VSR in the circuit though so it will cut off when the engine isn’t running. Don’t want a flat vehicle battery.
We had same problem with older caravan and 3 way fridge. It cost me an AGM battery when were out in the middle of Woop Woop. Got home okay and decidedto re wire. Firstly I disconnected the 12 volt wiring from fridge terminal. Ran a new dedicated 12 volt hd cable from vehicle battery via low voltage voltage sensitive relay to terminate at rear with an Anderson plug. Installed a new 12 v hd cable with Anderson plug at the drawbar and then under the van inside black retic tubing and attached that to the chassis with cable ties. Where that line came into the van I connected the wiring to an hd terminal block with earth wire grounded to chassis. From there I ran one 40 amp fused wire to the dc to dc charger and the other went directly to the fridge terminal via a 40 amp fuse. No problem since. If we stop for a short rest or refuel, the l the VSR gives me peace of mind.
I always assumed this was the right way, but have asked around and apparently it's not. I figured that alternator would charge the batteries and you'd be sweet. I found that my can is wired correctly, but we left it plugged in to the car in Adelaide after crossing the Nullarbor and it drained the car battery! Off to the Toyota dealer the re set all the warning codes! Doh
Excellent video on what appears to be a common problem with caravan manufactures. May I add a comment on the Gas Safety of the installation of the fridge. The all manufacturers of three way fridges require that the combustion area of the fridge is completely isolated from the living area. This means that the fridge cabinet is required to be sealed and any carbon monoxide that is present as a result of combustion or any potential gas leak will not enter the interior of the caravan. Both gases are heavier than air and both are deadly. This is done with a sealing gasket on the front mounting flange of the fridge and by fully sealing the cabinet from the interior of the caravan. The only openings allowed are the external vents. The lower vent must be below or level with the bottom of the cabinet. Clearly the manufacturer of this caravan has not complied with this gas safety requirement as you were able to install the cable between the body and the cabinet. I am sure that you can rectify this without the caravan manufactures help. Refer to the fridge installation manual for more information if needed.
Great video thanks. Did you supply the blue plug via a VSR or relay controlled by your ignition so the fridge knows when your engine is running and does not drain your car battery while you are stopped and not disconnected your caravan. Thanks
Only thing I would say is that a relay should be set up in the car to cut the power feed to the fridge when the car is turned off. If you park up for some time, the fridge will drain the car battery with this set up.
I'm guessing this is a common setup. I have a different brand caravan and I think they've done the same, as the anderson plug on the van (I have a grey anderson as well as a 12 pin plug just like you) reads 12v when it's not connected to anything. I'm guessing the reason is that when you're on the move the anderson plug is supposed to charge the house battery as well as run the fridge - otherwise they'll need to run a 2nd anderson plug like you have here. I guess it's cheaper this way. Not sure if the large 12v pin on the 12 pin plug is used to run the fridge, however, so i coul be wrong.
After watching your video, the question I'm asking myself is why your caravan battery wasn't being kept topped up by the car via the grey Anderson plug connection? You did a very good job with what you did by the way! I'm an Electronics Technician by trade but I am new to caravans.
because the power was being all sucked up from the fridge instead of being sent to the battery management system. it would have seen a lower voltage and not begin the charging process. i have the same system but its been setup separately which his wasnt
This video is pretty gold at explaining why you want to wire your 3 way on separate anderson. There's actually 3 parts to the explanation. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wV-jaCHXWwc.html
We have the exact same caravan and had the same problem, our solution however was to upgrade the car bcdc to a 50amp charger and install a mini boost in the van to increase the amps going into the CV house batteries as the fridge pulls about 24amps. I’m not 100% certain it works all that well cause when we do long drive days our fridge temp will go up to about 7-9 degrees so less than ideal. With your modification does the fridge maintain a more constant temp when on 12v power?
Hi Terry. Yes, it's been spot on since I did the modification. We just travelled out to the Big Red Bash and back and the fridge ran flawlessly on gas when stopped and 12v while travelling and the "house" batteries stayed topped up at all times.
Apparently its a very common problem, and you have done a far better job than "professionals". I will forgive the use of that tool for crimping, as you backed it up with solder. The tool is a good wire stripper, but an inadequate crimping tool.. There are far better crimping tools out there, but as you would rarely need them its probably not worth the cost. At least you didnt use side cutters, botl cutters or a vice to "crimp" the connectors. I kid you not, I have seen those reccomended and demonstrated...😮😮
I'm guessing this is a common setup. I have a different brand caravan and I think they've done the same, as the anderson plug on the van (I have a grey anderson as well as a 12 pin plug just like you) reads 12v when it's not connected to anything. I'm guessing the reason is that when you're on the move the anderson plug is supposed to charge the house battery as well as run the fridge - otherwise they'll need to run a 2nd anderson plug like you have here. I guess it's cheaper this way. Not sure if the large 12v pin on the 12 pin plug is used to run the fridge, however, so i coul be wrong.
