question

emmakrieg avatar image
emmakrieg asked

Breaker tripping

image.jpgOur breaker after MPPT keeps tripping. It is rated to 60A. Any ideas why??? This is our 3rd one

MPPT Controllers
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2 Answers
JohnC avatar image
JohnC answered ·

Hi @emmakrieg

That looks like a thermal breaker, and the cheap ones can be really nasty. I've tried them and found they get hot if they can't dissipate their own heat down the connecting wires, so then they trip almost regardless of current.

Yours appears to have a full plastic cable enclosure, which won't help with that. You could try it with that removed to see if it helps. But frankly, I replaced mine with fuses and isolators. I repurposed them as isolators in other places where they're rated 5x bigger than the load.

Spurious trips annoy me greatly, how tolerant are you? :)


4 comments
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emmakrieg avatar image emmakrieg commented ·

We can’t have it tripping as we sometimes go away and leave the van with a fridge full of food for a couple days at a time- has happened before where it tripped and left us with a fridge full of off food

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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ emmakrieg commented ·

The possible added cost of replacement batteries might also add strength to the 'ditch it' option..

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emmakrieg avatar image emmakrieg JohnC ♦ commented ·

Is there a breaker you can recommend? We are in Australia

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Matthias Lange - DE avatar image Matthias Lange - DE ♦ emmakrieg commented ·

I would recommend you to use ATO, APX or Midi fuses.

The fuse should be as close as possible to the battery.

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ess-and-solar-solutions avatar image
ess-and-solar-solutions answered ·

H @emmakrieg Depending on the manufacturer, some of these devices have been known to be unreliable. Also, it is be worth double checking the mppt connections and ensure clean tight fitting connections.

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