Home› Battery/Electrical & Solar
Options

Circuit Breakers (and Fuses) Mislabelled

ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,427
edited November 2016 in Battery/Electrical & Solar
Recent posts have prompted me to poke and prod the T@B's innards in an effort to understand how all the parts fit together. In doing so, I noticed that the AC circuits attached to the individual breakers did not quite match up with the information on the sticker inside the panel. The mix up was among the three 20A circuits (air conditioner, Alde, and fridge), so it makes no difference electrically. However, if you were working on the wiring with the camper attached to shore power you might be in for an, um, enlightening surprise if you muckled onto a circuit that you thought you had disconnected.

I'm not suggesting this applies to everyone's T@B, just that it pays to take a look around once in a while!
2015 T@B S

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+

Comments

  • Options
    RZRBUGRZRBUG Member Posts: 890
    Good information, Scott.  Of course, I always disconnect from shore power and disconnect the battery before doing any electrical work in the T@B for just that reason.  Better safe than sorry.

    Larry & Booger - 2013 T@B, 2012 GMC Sierra

    Happy Trails Y'all

    States Visited Map

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    NomadNomad Member Posts: 7,209
    What, you don't want to look like Albert Einstein? Whimps ;-)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    RatkityRatkity Member Posts: 3,770
    PXLated said:
    What, you don't want to look like Albert Einstein? Whimps ;-)
    You crack me up! LOL
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    NomadNomad Member Posts: 7,209
    ;-)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,427
    RZRBUG said:
    Good information, Scott.  Of course, I always disconnect from shore power and disconnect the battery before doing any electrical work in the T@B for just that reason.  Better safe than sorry.
    Agreed! I do the same, though I like pretend that I'm livin' on the edge...
    2015 T@B S

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    NomadNomad Member Posts: 7,209
    We had an electrician in my hometown that would leave everything live. He'd wet his finger tips and run them down the copper strips in the big circuit box to see where the problem was. This was on big commercial boxes. My dad would just stand there in amazement that he'd barely flinched. Crazy!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    wizard1880wizard1880 Member Posts: 442
    What, you actually have labels on your breakers?  Lucky you!  Either they missed ours or the early 2014 models didn't have them!
    T@@bulous
    2014 T@B CS Maxx
    TV: 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 V6 TDI (diesel)
    Martha Lake, WA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,427
    Mine is 2015 M@x S. The breakers themselves aren't labeled, but there is a small sticker on the inside of the panal door that says which "position" serves which circuit. However, judging by where the wires coming off the breakers actually go, the order of positions is not the same as the order of circuits.   
    2015 T@B S

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    Michigan_MikeMichigan_Mike Member Posts: 2,861
    edited December 2015
    PXLated said:
    We had an electrician in my hometown that would leave everything live. He'd wet his finger tips and run them down the copper strips in the big circuit box to see where the problem was. This was on big commercial boxes. My dad would just stand there in amazement that he'd barely flinched. Crazy!
    A lot of times you "can" feel heat build-up on a circuit breaker in a panel that is going bad.  Our service workers would look for heat build up in this manner in a customer's electric panel and we used the 3M laser heat guns out on the line to locate and repair bad splices on electrical circuits.  Bad connections/splices/contacts create a lot of work and eventually will fail.  
    Mike - Elmira, Mi / 2019 T@B 400 / 2021 Chevy Silverado LTZ
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    PXLated said:
    We had an electrician in my hometown that would leave everything live. He'd wet his finger tips and run them down the copper strips in the big circuit box to see where the problem was. This was on big commercial boxes. My dad would just stand there in amazement that he'd barely flinched. Crazy!
    In my early career I was an electronic technician. Some of the old timers would test for electricity by laying the back of their hand on the suspect connections. The theory was, if the circuit were live the electricity would contract the muscles in their hand and fingers, thus pulling their hand safely away. I always used a circuit tester, myself.
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,427
    For those who may not be following the recent thread on Alde problems...

    This weekend I discovered that not only are my 120V AC circuit breakers mislabelled, but so are the 12V DC fuses in the converter block. In both cases, the fridge and the Alde circuits were juxtaposed. Yours may differ.

    This is a frustrating oversight that potentially turns simple troubleshooting into a major electrical investigation. I'm glad I'm learning this stuff in my yard instead of in camp when I trying to fix something on the fly.
    2015 T@B S

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,427
    And while I was at it, I made another useful discovery...

    Although it's not stated on the label, the 15A 120V AC breaker that protects the cabin receptacles (slot #2 in my panel) also controls power to the converter. If it's tripped or off, none of your 12V devices will work from shore power.
    2015 T@B S

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    AldebaranJillAldebaranJill Member Posts: 451
    A link to my attempt at wiring diagram:
    http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/3922/2013-t-b-wiring-diagram-including-trimetric-battery-meter-shunt-and-noco-genius-battery-charger#latest

    Your results may vary :-)
    2013 MAXX T@B towed by a 2015 Volvo S60 5 CYL AWD Sedan
    Seattle, WA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,427
    AldebaranJill said:
    A link to my attempt at wiring diagram:
    http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/3922/2013-t-b-wiring-diagram-including-trimetric-battery-meter-shunt-and-noco-genius-battery-charger#latest

    Your results may vary :-)
    Yup. I don't have a diagram on paper, but mine is a bit different from both yours and Rick's.

    BTW, I'll bet a nickel that the yellow wire pointing to the question mark in your diagram is the 12V line to your fridge (assuming you have a 3-way or 2-way model).
    2015 T@B S

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    AldebaranJillAldebaranJill Member Posts: 451
    ScottG said:

    BTW, I'll bet a nickel that the yellow wire pointing to the question mark in your diagram is the 12V line to your fridge (assuming you have a 3-way or 2-way model).
    I tried a "what turns off if I pull the fuse" test, and the fridge on 12 only went off when I pulled F6, which doesn't make sense to me. But I'll make a note to retest your nickel theory :-)
    2013 MAXX T@B towed by a 2015 Volvo S60 5 CYL AWD Sedan
    Seattle, WA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,427
    I agree it doesn't make sense, since F6 should be the main line to/from the battery (which is exactly what your diagram shows).

    Were you running off the battery when you did your fuse-pulling test? If so, yanking that fuse would effectively disconnect power to your fridge--as well as everything else.

    My suggestion was based weakly on the fact that I didn't see a fridge on your diagram, and that a yellow wire is typically used to provide 12V+ power to the fridge. Of course, we know your T@B is anything but typical!  :-)

    Regardless, I would expect the 12V fridge circuit to be protected by more than a 10A fuse, so I guess the mystery deepens...
    2015 T@B S

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    RatkityRatkity Member Posts: 3,770
    Not only are some T@Bs not typical, some T@B owners are too! Muhahahahaha. :blush: It's not the flamingos now... it's pink bunnies.
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    NomadNomad Member Posts: 7,209
    Aren't you getting sick of that old meme yet Ratkity - It's like a broken record.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    RatkityRatkity Member Posts: 3,770
    Nope! Never PXL. Not until I find another suitable replacement.
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
Sign In or Register to comment.