Thread: Waeco Wiring

I can't answer the technical questions but one tip I can give you about Waecos (I have a 60l) is that make sure you run a big enough power cable from the battery so you don't get voltage drop and make sure that the connections are solid. Any movement of the connection will cause it to read "Error" and then the fridge she no work too good.

I ended up using a marine fitting to connect the fride lead to which locks in. If you are doing any rough country work this is a great idea.

Nothing like getting to the end of day's driving to find that the lead had come loose and the fride has not been working.

Hope this helps a little

The max amperage that any cable can carry varies from brand to brand and type to type but most of the better brands have it on the tag on the reel.

As far as fusing goes, you want to fuse it to the max that the waeco will draw so you dont spike the electronics in it.

OR

You could run a fuse for max amps at the battery for what the cable can carry and then fuse the waeco accordingly (which it already is internally anyway as part of the plug).

I think im running a 15amp fuse in my feed to the waeco and it doesnt blow but im pretty sure they are rated to draw more than that but I cant find my book at the moment.

Someone like Drivesafe knows alot more about electrickery than I so hopefully one of them will pipe up.

Fromreading around I am starting to think 15 amps might be too big!

I can't find the book at the Mo.

I've got a Waeco CF80 and from memory the fuse in the plug is 8 amps. However I found that sometimes that would blow when you first plugged it in. Which, considering they use those crap euro fuses, wasn't too flash.

I cut my plug off and now use one of those Clipsal T plugs. Looks like a normal 240v plug but has two pins in a T configuration.
I've also got 10sq mm wiring to it with a 20 amp fuse at the battery. This is due to it also having a socket for my inverter.

I've been running a Waeco for about 5 years and my only comment would be that the Narva type plugs won't cut the mustard in the long term. They collect dirt, the resistance goes up and you end up burning out/melting the male part on the end of the fridge lead.

I eventually gave up and went down the Anderson Plug route (courtesy of Mr Drivesafe ). Haven't looked back since. I also installed a 10A blade fuse just upstream from the plug on the fridge lead. As has been stated, go heavy with the wire and also run the earth back to the batt for long term success.

Having said all that ........ very noice job ..

Cheers

Originally Posted by mrapocalypse

Fromreading around I am starting to think 15 amps might be too big!

I can't find the book at the Mo.

The cable can never really be "too big" from a performance point of view. It's just what is practical and affordable that limits the size. The longer the cable run, the thicker you should try to make it. The fuse or circuit breaker in line is your safety mechanism.

you should always fit a fuse at the power source ie battery end and that fuse should be the same amperage as the cable. For example if you are using a 20 amp cable, then the fuse will be 20 amps. This fuse is there in case there is a short in the cable anywhere and will stop a fire starting when the cable gets hot and starts melting the plastic sheathing.

Any appliance you run off the main cable will or should have its own fuse that is protection for that appliance ie fridge or whatever you run.

hope that makes sense

Sorry boys that should read 15 amps is too SMALL. I have read pretty much conclusively that as FAT a wire as you can manage to your fridge. WHich is why fusing is a bit more important.

Thanks for replies too.

Ian