Battery charger problem,any experts on here?

[RobWales]

Please excuse the double posting (motor boat forum also)

An after market charger has been fitted to my SS portofino (by previous owner) its a 3 output Shark msc 4012 made by Zetagi in Italy.

When I switch it on it causes not only the rcd on board to trip but also my pontoon supply rcd also!?

I have opened her up to take a look and I have found that the black output cable (earth?) is fused and its a 40A unit, the three red outputs are not fused.

I pulled the fuse only to find its burnt and blown!!!!

So would this cause my tripping problem?

And what might have caused this blown fuse in the first place?
Any help appreciated.

Thanks
Rob

PS Been on the manufacturer website but no techie info orther than sales info!

 

[Anthony]

The blown fuse is likly indicative of the fault not the cause of it.

If the RCD is tripping then there is likly an earth leakage, if the circuit breaker is tripping then its drawing to much current (e.g. short circuit).

Something mains powered and faulty is not to be played with, unless there are any obvious faults with the wiring etc then really it should be properley repaired.

Are all other system running normally? I presume you have isolated the battery charger as the fault by turning it off or diconnecting it from the mains supply and then everything else works ok?

 

[RobWales]

Anthony,
You are correct when switched off all else works ok!
Rob

 

[Playtime]

It might be a simple wiring problem - either reversed mains input leads or reversed output leads, coupled with connection of the mains and DC earths (not recommended in Europe). Maybe a visual inspection could check this?
If all looks OK, I suggest you disconnect all output connections, turn on the unit (after replacing the fuse etc.), and, if it doesn't blow anything, measure the output leads with a voltmeter. It should read around 14V.
If this 'no load' test blows the RCD, then the fault is most likely in the unit itself and it should be removed and sent back to the suppliers.
Hope this helps
Roger

 

[steve28]

if its anything like my charger which did the same thing then its going to need to visit a repair shop or go back for repair to the manufacturers.
either way could be expensive to fix.

 

[Anthony]

[ QUOTE ]
coupled with connection of the mains and DC earths (not recommended in Europe).

[/ QUOTE ]

A mains earth coupled to DC earth should not cause a fault, at most it will help detect one. As to whether or not they should be connected is a major debate from every corner, and doesnt tend to be geographical.

Anthony