OOPS!!!

Hi All,

I thinks I did it!!!, I switched off the generator last night and forgot to switch off the battery charger first, now the fridge/freezer don't wanna work anymore

Normally you would connect a battery charger to the battery post but silly me connected it to the earthing/common terminal and the on/off switch which supplies power after the battery, in other words I've connected the battery charger straight onto the wire that feeds the fridge/freezer

what's happened is the fr/fr reads -5 on the digital readout but it aint,it was totally defrosted so what I have had to do is switch the compressor to on always to get it all working again, when you use that switch it bypasses the temperature controls

What I want to know especially if Strikey's around if this is the only fix I can make do with for now, bloody Waeco!!!!!

Out there doin it,
Ron Sherri and Yoda

....in other words I've connected the battery charger straight onto the wire that feeds the fridge/freezer

Ya lost me, how could that hurt anything when the generator is not running.???  

I switched off the generator last night and forgot to switch off the battery charger first,

Hi Narrawa,

I understand my dribble, catch up!!! The 110LWaeco fr/fr was working but now it's stuck on -5 according to the digital readout but inside the fr/fr it was at +3, this all came about at around the same time I switched off the generator that was hooked up to the 40A battery charger

I usually switch off the battery charger first then the generator and havn't had a problem doing it that way, but got it the wrong way round once and have paid the price , or so it seems

The problem seems to be that I havn't hooked the battery charger up to the battery terminals, what I did do was to hook it up to the output from the battery which is the direct link to the fr/fr

So to answer your question the generator was running and by switching off the generator or not unlike running out of fuel whilst hooked directly to the fr/fr I think I caused a spike which blew the electronics in the fr/fr(my theory)

So to reiterate I'm having to run our fr/fr by the emergency switch(slide) which bypasses the temperature controls and will have to be operated manually on and off to keep it working

My twin battery setup has an Anderson plug which is for the regulator via the solar panel which I didn't think was a good place to attach the battery charger so I used the output wires which is the main feed to the van which operates thru a heavy duty switch and the common earth which is attached to the steelwork

What I think I need to do is have another Anderson plug which connects straight to the battery terminals and connect the battery charger to this, that is if my theory that the generator spiked the fr/fr is correct

I'm hoping for a simple fix to get the fr/fr operating again as I don't know where to start looking for the fault

Cheers,

Ron,Sherri and Yoda(foot warmer...9deg.)

not an expert by any means but on the electronic box if you can get to it on waekos have a look , you should find the small indicator lights . a 3 quick flash then a break ,same again means a healthy unit , low battery & the one that signals an unhealthy unit ,[ being the electronic box only I mean ] is a red light each 1 second , that's usually the way it goes on units that boss a danfoss compressor , no doubt there will be further help from others ,but that was my experience .
at the worst I reckon you've damaged the the small box , probly 3 hungy , albo.

Hey Ron and Sherri, how are you guys goin?
Ron I think it could be a coincidence mate, whether ya connect the charger before or after the switch it is still in the same circuit
You will have to get a new temp control, otherwise the only way is what you are doing now, use bypass or sometimes called fast freeze switch
I'm no expert on these, as I do commercial/industrial refrigeration, but it sounds like the controller has sh----t itself
the only other thing you can try is disconnect the power source for a few minutes and then on again, it may reset, this happens sometimes where it freezes up like a computer
Goldstrijk

Hi All,

Albo, that's the funny thing about this is that the red flashing light is not happening at all, the digital readout is stuck on -5 but goes to -6 on and off and that's it, but thank goodness the emergency compressor switch thingy is working

Hi Pete,

Sherri says to say high!!


Where doin okay, there is life after running a caravan park, things are a bit slow this season as we've been out for four weeks and only picked up 22.5 gr
we are doin the run from Nannine to Meeka(left side of road)and boy is this place flogged

As for the battery charger they say that if you connect to the battery it will absorb any spiking if it occurs, trouble is I'm in the feed line direct to the fridge

Thanks for the help Pete, I will try switching off and on and see what happens

At the moment we are running on the emergency switch, on for an hour and off for an hour, it's going from 0deg to -10 deg in that time frame as we are running a thermometer in the bottom of the freezer side to keep a check on it

Cheers,

Ron, sherri and yoda

there is a unit you can get off flea bay called a STC1000 its a digital temp controller and very accurate, wire it into the power supply for the fridge and run the thermo couple inside the fridge. i have had a few fridgies and sparkies swear by them as a replacement for the original controllers. you heard of or used them Narrawa, goldstrijk?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/All-purpose-Temperature-Controller-STC-1000-Whit-sensor-/141060914821?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d7e2be85&_uhb=1

I purchased one for my still, very good with temp range from -50c to 99c

geeeeez Martin, what r u doin with the still????
Is there free tastings ??? hahaha
There are a huge range of digital controllers out there, just gotta get the right dimensions to replace and then programme!
They all do the same job some are more complicated than others, but for a fridge ya just need the basic
the STC1000 sounds like the go mate!

would you believe fuel additive for the car Goldstrjk, ???   household cleaner anyone?  
lol,  Jase and Bluedog and a few others has sampled the produce,       always have a bot or two with me for "sampling" must be the 1/8 Irish in me.

I was told the STC's and similar good controllers save a heap of battery power as the inbuilt controllers are not to accurate but haven't tried it to see for myself.

As for the battery charger they say that if you connect to the battery it will absorb any spiking if it occurs, trouble is I'm in the feed line direct to the fridge

The battery is still in the system Ron whether you take the feed from the battery it self, or interrupt the wires from the battery to the load.  

Turn the fridge off for a period of time like goldstrijk said, some electronics take a long time to reset, others don't.

Having that fail, here's what id do.......pull the guts out of it and rummage through it like you know what your doing......the idea behind this is, on some  occasions, the item (in this case..fridge) is scared back into operation. Undo screws that look like an earthing point...pull wires from plugs and replace, often this type of self repair madness is responsible for many DIY repairs where the repairer can/doe's claim a victory. Simple R&R of plugs that have gone high resistance can cure these things, especially if moisture is involved. i know about these things.......i drowned my 4wd upto the steering column. Do you know how many plugs and wire connectors are under the dash of a vehicle.??...Im a feken expert with WD40/dashboard removal/all types of plugs/sockets and wire connectors and things iv never pulled apart before, let alone ever seen...i sh! you not!!.  
Also let it be known, that during this procedure, thumping/kicking/biting/swearing and calling your wife names can and often doe's help find the fault. Nothing wrong with losing your cool with such gadgetry and letting it know who's boss. Crying is not tolerated and no gadgetry should ever be allowed to have this type of win over man. If your eyes are starting the lube up, nose dribbling a tad and you feel your fighting a losing battle....smash the feken thing, tell no one and move on.    

Martin,  that one in your link looks flash, if they were able to run off 12v id have one .....just because...well mostly because im a hoarder of sh!t i'll probably never use. I have three boxes now that i carry on my truck that are full of things iv not seen since i was a boy. However, on the odd accession, they are used on someone else's break downs and i get a refresher as to what i have in stock. 

i am the same Narrawa, a large toolbox full of all soughs of tools, duct tape and anything i think i may need, a large electrical box with most connectors, shrink wrap solder gear etc and including my MUT111 diagnostic unit with laptop interface for fault codes and limp modes experienced with a lot of 4by diesels, never know when you need it is my motto, reset a code or two and got home a few times now.
BTW
they do have a 12v version
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12V-LCD-Digital-Temperature-Controller-Relay-Temp-w-Sensor-Thermostat-/161228922459?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item2589fe1e5b&_uhb=1#shpCntId

might get one myself for the caravan fridge, or just in.   

Nice going Martin    a new 12v gadget was just what i was looking for.  


Went into Bunnings again today to look for pipe to mount my satellite dish on the A frame of the van...came out with a dirty big jug of cable ties ranging from small to the biggest. $ 11...bargain....oh...and a cheap $19 weather station with remote sender for temp and humidity... no pipe for me dish tho.  

geez owen hope there not the cheap chinese ones that snap most of the time u tighten them..

good luck

regards
oneday

Ray, they probably are no good cheap sh!t rubbish from China......but there's a 1000 of them, and they were only $11  

Also, they come in many colors, and work well when used for plastic welding.  

Did i mention they were only $11?.  

Hi All,

Thanks for all the help, I might just let the missus flick the switch every hour on the hour for the rest of the trip!!!!,just kiddin, I wouldn't do that. I will see if I can get one of those Martin, probably save the massive bill from the fridgo's

Owen, 1000 cable ties that break = 0, you lose!!,nah, we got some and they do all right, I've actually got some heavy duty ones about 450mm longx 8mm wide, very handy for tyin up the missus!!!!

By the way I havn't swamped a car yet!!

Cheers,

Ron,Sherri and Yoda

Trailblaza fridge , reckon il croak before it does   

Sounds like you've been told right. A charger with no load will voltage spike the what ever electronics it's connected to if the load disappears quickly (battery gets unplugged while the charger was on - BAD MOVE!).

You may be able to reset the temp controller if you disconnect an internal battery inside the controller (like the Engel)

If you are a bit electronic savy, you could try to open up the controller and you might find a shorted out voltage varistor connected across the supply input on the controller circuit board (look for a flat 'burnt discoloured' skin tag type component) These which can often be cut open cct and proper voltage can return to the control board but with no spike protection any more until you can replace the damaged component so long as there is no other component damage.

Nuggie
I don't get it!
The gen set was turned off while everything was still connected, does that mean the charger holds a charge and lets it go (spike?)
My gen set has run out of fuel while all is still connected and nothing untoward happened
Not disagreeing with you mate, just trying to work out what happened to Ron's frudge haha

Nah Pete, the spike probably happened the other way round I think.

Dunno how you could possibly get a spike with no generator running to the charger. Unless maybe 2 batteries were connected in series at some stage.

Hi Nuggiedreamer,

Thanks for the input i'll give them a go as for work I spent most of my time working construction with sparkies, have you tried O'donnel Griffen, RMLee or any of them, I'm way out of touch as to who has contracts and who hasn't

Regards Ron

Thanks Ron, Spraying the resume everywhere, will be giving them all ago until I'm off the couch. Haven't been out of work this long ever. Easter/ANZAC day holidays don't help either and it seems electronic applications take forever to process and interviews harder to get with age these days.

Ron, why don't you call Waeco?

Robert

Hi Goldnomad,

I ordered a new temp reg from ebay, should arrive home by the time we get back and the missus is doin the hourly thing and all seemed fine until yesty, but i'll start a new topic on that one shortly

Ron

Just for info, I found out the hard way that there are no Waeco repairers in Katherine NT. Now have to detour to Darwin to get it fixed. Next time I won't buy a Caravan with a WAECO fridge.

But the antique TRAILBLAZER just keeps on going.

Regards Roger