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Old 03-05-2016, 05:30 PM   #1
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Circuit Breaker Mod/Questions

I have been working on my new Wildcat 312BHX doing mods while in storage. The wiring in the front basement left something to be desired so I cleaned it up. I re-grounded the battery and put in a dedicated Blue Sea ground bus. So instead of multiple wires all stacked on the frame ground they are nicely separated and organized.

I also put in a Blue Sea fuse block for the positive distribution side. Now all incoming wires have independent dedicated fuses that I can label.

Question is: I currently have 2 6v volt batteries. I have the batteries grounded to frame like OEM. The positive goes from battery to the Blue Sea fuse block. This setup no longer uses the OEM shortstop circuit breakers. I'm wondering if I should insert a shortstop back into the wiring between the battery and the Blue Sea fuse block? No big deal to do so as I have the original shortstop breakers. Like an idiot when I took them off the got mixed up so I can't remember what amp breaker was originally there?

From factory battery went to one shortstop breaker then jumped to positive bus where all the others were hooked up. The OEM positive bus has mostly all 30 amp shortstop breakers. There is also one 50 amp which I believe went to the battery disconnect then continues to the converter. I think the original wiring had a 15 amp in between the battery and the positive bus.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.bluesea.com/products/502...its_with_Cover
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Old 03-06-2016, 05:29 PM   #2
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Well no responses???I was hoping one of the electric gurus would help me out....lol. I got to thinking that there is no way the 15 amp came off the battery. 5th wheel is 50 amps and the the slides and landing gear are protected at 30 amps alone. I put the 50 amp CB back inline from battery to positive fuse bus. If anyone has additional feedback feel free to let me know.
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Old 03-07-2016, 12:09 AM   #3
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Sounds like a great project. I would love to see a pic or two. One thing I usually do with more complex projects, especially where factory diagrams are unavailable is take a ton of before and after pictures. Once or twice, the before pics helped me get to "after" a little quicker and with higher confidence.

Congrats on a successful project.
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Old 03-07-2016, 09:09 AM   #4
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Sure I'll post some pics up. Project worked out well assuming everything works as planned when on shore power. Trailer is in storage so I'm working off battery. Nice thing is everything has been re-crimped and heat shrunk and all positive and grounds are isolated and fused. I can now label everything. I know what most are but there are several positive I have no clue where they go yet.
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Old 03-07-2016, 09:18 AM   #5
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The 50 amp I am pretty sure should go between the batteries and the converter. There should also be protection prior to your distribution panel (slide fuses etc).

This is for a 30 amp camper but you should get the drift.
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Old 03-07-2016, 09:35 AM   #6
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Thanks Herk! You were the one I was hoping would post. I have the 50 amp CB between my batteries and the new positive fuse block. All components are then individually fused at the block (slides, landing gear, converter, etc). On my new wildcat the converter wire goes to the battery disconnect and then continues to the distribution panel. My wiring looks spot on to your diagram with the exception of a CB further upstream. I have traced all the wires and there is no CB closer to the distribution panel.


The original CB the converter wire was hooked to was a 30 amp so that is what I fused it at on new fuse block. My follow up question is will my WFCO 9835 65 amp ever put out enough amps to blow the fuse while charging on shore power. Seeing as it was on a 30 amp to begin with I assume I should be fine.
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Old 03-07-2016, 10:32 AM   #7
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As Herk said, you did the right thing by putting the 50amp breaker on the feed to the fuse block. And I think he's right about needing one between the batteries and converter (depending on how you've wired it).

Technically the converter could put out enough current to trip the 50amp breaker, but practically, it probably never will. Your batteries would have to be pretty well drained and you'd have to be using some high drain device(s) for that to happen.
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Old 03-07-2016, 10:50 AM   #8
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Thanks Bama...

Just confusing because FR does not have anything past the original positive bus. OEM wiring had positive battery cable feeding the 50 amp CB. That CB then had jumper wire over to the positive bus. On the OEM positive bus there were 5 30 amp CB and those were all tied together with copper jumper plate. All the trailers positive wires including the converter wire connected here.

So in reality I have kept it mostly the same with the exception of cleaning up ALL the poor connections and better organizing everything to a central fuse block.
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Old 03-07-2016, 12:17 PM   #9
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Look again, very close to where the Umbilical comes into the trailer. I am pretty sure the umbilical is fused at both ends (Truck and Trailer) in case the umbilical is severed accidentally.

My 5th wheel has it located under the pin box and Travel Trailers usually have it under the frame next to the metal junction box.
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Old 03-07-2016, 12:52 PM   #10
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Herk I saw some of your other posts and checked that as well. No cb to be found on in box either.
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Old 03-07-2016, 02:41 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarjohnson View Post
Herk I saw some of your other posts and checked that as well. No cb to be found on in box either.
I gave up thinking there was some rhyme or reason to the wiring in our campers.

I would think there was some protection for an umbilical short somewhere close to the connections.

Oh, well. Metering the ends of wires for voltage or continuity should narrow it down some,
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