Waeco - plug fuse
Submitted: Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 08:25
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17815
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Earvin Johnson
Hi all,
I was heading off to a friends house for a BBQ on Saturday afternoon so in the morning I placed the obligatory beer in the fridge, turned the fridge on, hit the turbo button and left them to chill.
When it was time to head off I went to place the meat in with the beer and found the fridge not to be working and the beer still warm.
After a couple of quick checks I found that the 8Amp cermamic fuse in the 12v plug had blown. So it was off to the local servo to find a replacement. The fuse was replaced easily enough but I arrived at the BBQ with warm beer, not ideal.
I am thinking that the fact that it was quite a hot day, the beer was hot when I put it in, the car was parked in full sun, and I used the Turbo function to cool it down quicker resulted in large Amp draw greater than the fuse could handle. Is this a reasonable assumption?
Anyway I thought this may be useful information for others to ensure they carry these fuses as spares when they head away from civilisation. I know that from now on they will be part of my kit.
Cheers
Reply By: Utemad - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 08:38
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 08:38
I would't have thought that the fuse would blow under these conditions. The fuse should be rated sufficiently to allow for operation under any conditions.
We have started our Engel 80L combo when the digital temp readout has said 35+ degrees without issue.
Maybe the manual could answer this. Maybe you aren't supposed to press the turbo button til it has cooled a little?
AnswerID:
84384
Follow Up By: cokeaddict - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 09:17
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 09:17
No,
You did everything correctly. Fuse can blow at any time weather its a waeco or a engel, thats why we should always carry spares. the TURBO button IS for a boosted cool down function. I would suggest you try it again in the comming days and see if it happens again. If it does then you can call Waeco for a check up. Your lucky really, you expierenced it while still at home. Most people using fridges dont carry spare fuses for them. After reading your post, I am going to open
mine up today and see what the fuse looks like, then i am going to get me a few spares.
Cheers Angelo
FollowupID:
343179
Reply By: Nudenut - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 09:24
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 09:24
dont know about waeco but Engel use a special Thermal fuse. these can open circuit due to plug getting too hot....and remain open.
But a fuse can rupture at any time due to any weakness in the "link" ( the small thin strip of wire which is meant to open circuit - blow)....very similar to a incandecent lamp (globe)
As every one above says ...carry spares.
AnswerID:
84393
Reply By: Member - Collyn R (WA) - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 13:55
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 13:55
Fuse blowing can be caused by a poor electrical connection between the fuse and the fuse holder - and sometimes in the crimped cable lugs (if applicable).
This generates heat that is thermally conducted to the fuse - thus causing it to blow at a lower than usual current.
The these glass or ceramic type fuses and fuseholders are known for the abaove problem. It is advisable to replace them with blade type fuses and holders.
Collyn Rivers
AnswerID:
84428
Reply By: floyd - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 16:01
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 16:01
My Waeco CFC 50 suffered from poor plug contact in the socket which resulted in plug heat which caused the fuse to blow. I just got rid of the waeco end plug and hard wired it in (keeping the fuse inline). this solved it for me.
Also make sure that their is nothing else wrong with the fridge as blown fuses may indicate another fault .
AnswerID:
84448
Follow Up By: beatit - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 17:23
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 17:23
Did the same thing for exactly the same reason - couldn't be sure that all was OK with the fridge plug on a bumpy road. Bought an extra cable then cut off the plug the planted in a fuse box and neutral bus bar which I use to power all in car electrics. Keep the original cable to run the fridge of the transformer.
Kind regards
FollowupID:
343223
Follow Up By: Earvin Johnson - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 18:00
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 18:00
Good idea fella's. Since the fridge permanently sits in the hilux I think I will look at hard wiring it in, and whilst I am at it, do the same for the GPS.
Cheers
FollowupID:
343226
Follow Up By: Member - PatC - Tuesday, Nov 16, 2004 at 13:24
Tuesday, Nov 16, 2004 at 13:24
Same problem... solved it by putting an Engel plug on the Weaco lead and the female Engel plug in the car.
FollowupID:
343303
Reply By: Brew69(SA) - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 19:51
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 19:51
Don't ever bother changing another fuse.......change to a hella plug or similar. Only prob is u will need to make up an adaptor cord for 240v usage. After doing a couple of these fuses i don't take the chance anymore. I have the hella plug and the waeco fridge thermo with alarm set for high and low temps. Carry spare fuses and stick with original plug if u want.......but when u stop on that hot arvo and want a beer and your beer is warm again.....think of the brewman sipping on his cold beer cos he has a hella plug connection :)
AnswerID:
84486
Follow Up By: AndrewW - Tuesday, Nov 16, 2004 at 16:18
Tuesday, Nov 16, 2004 at 16:18
Agree with the brewman.
The Waeco combo plug is crap, and let me down numerous times until I ditched it.
I have replaced the entire wire, using only the existing plug that goes into the fridge, as I found the wire was faulty too.
So, touch wood, it all seems to be working as intended. Hella plugs are the go, except I notice that if the plug is wiggled in the socket, it causes the fridge to cut out sometimes still. I will have to investigate further, but I like the idea of hard wiring a lead into the car, and will probably go this route in the near future.
Good luck
FollowupID:
343323
Reply By: Member Eric - Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 22:45
Monday, Nov 15, 2004 at 22:45
This happens because the spring steel inside that pushes the fuse looses its tention , you need to strech it so it sits hard up against the fuse . Very common problem
AnswerID:
84502