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Post Info TOPIC: Changing batteries in you van or motorhome..


Guru

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Changing batteries in you van or motorhome..


I had a case today where someone changed the battery in his van..

He said he carefully made a list if every wire that went to each terminal and thought he put them back the same way..

He mistakenly put one of the wires that should have gone to the Neg terminal to the Pos terminal resulting in a wiring melt down..

Now it isnt rocket science to change a battery ..

BUT PLEASE..

if you do just tie all the wires from each terminal together with a zip tie ..

or..

Spray them with a different coloured paint



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oldbobsbus@gmail.com

 

www.graftoncountrymusic.com.au



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Makes you wonder.

Came across this the other day in Wikipedia, very apt.

The DunningKruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude.

 



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Cheers,

Santa.

Moonta, Copper Coast, South Aust.



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Ohhh, I like that. How many people suffer from this and could we start something by accusing someone of suffering from it?

One thing funnier than watching some people back a boat or a caravan is giving them some advice. Boaties in particular suffer from The DunningKruger Effect.

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Guru

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Ha, sometimes spend an entertaining hour or so on a long weekend at the Port Hughes boat ramp, unbelievably crowded, some of the launch/retrieval attempts are hilarious, talk about road rage, have even seen fisticuffs.biggrin



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Cheers,

Santa.

Moonta, Copper Coast, South Aust.



Guru

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Bob - this sort of thing can also be avoided or at least not cause damage if all cables are fused at or as close as possible to the battery. Also if you always use red or brown for positive you can't go wrong...in theory at least!

Regards

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Denis

Ex balloon chaser and mercury measurer.

Toowoomba.



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hako wrote:

Bob - this sort of thing can also be avoided or at least not cause damage if all cables are fused at or as close as possible to the battery. Also if you always use red or brown for positive you can't go wrong...in theory at least!

Regards


 As some of you know I am away at a CM festival and word soon gets around that I am here and peeps come and ask me to have a look at whatever....

This morning I got asked to look at a solar set up that had been installed by a professional..

The first thing I noticed he had put the 1500/3000w PSW inverter on a shelf where it couldn't get any air circulation and I asked if it gave any problems...yep after it had been running for 10 mins it got hot and the fan cut in then the whole thing cut out and the buzzer went of..

Next he had put a fuse inline on the +ive lead from the regulator to the battery using BLACK wire without even putting a red marker on it..

So poor workmanship isn't limited to the unskilled..



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www.graftoncountrymusic.com.au



Guru

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My field is open [bare] mains 415 .. We ALWAYS flash or touch wire even after lamping out !!!
On my old bus I have multy colour sprayed on cables and battery..
Red heat shrink on positive cables..

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Whats out there


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My Earth leads or negative leads are Red, Green, Black, White, Yellow, And this is all in the same length of wire,

So if I want to fix any thing, I have to trace the wire back to wherever it came from,

I am slowly converting it to Red is Positive and Black is Negative,

It can be difficult, as the wiring is built in and you cant get at it,

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Cheers, Brian,


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Buy some RED heat shrink and put on end of cable..Cover the rest of cable so its not confusing ..

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Whats out there


Guru

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And don't be like a particular "qualified" auto elec that i have worked with and automatically assume that the OEM installed black wire in a harness is negative. Some of the colour codes in modern vehicles is absolutely astounding, with a wide variety of shades and hues being used. It's very hard to tell the difference between some of them too, especially in poor light. Light blues and greens, pale browns, oranges and yellows. Also don't go probing around willy nilly with a test light because replacing a body control module on a modern vehicle can be very expensive if you probe the wrong ones (another "qualified" auto elec did this to the bosses car). Somedays at work can be very entertaining :)

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Guru

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As an electrician I have seen many people try to do their own electrical work, often resulting in disaster. A few weeks ago the coffee lady who visits our current caravan park asked me to fix her machine. The plug top on the machine had 15mm of bare wire (no insulation at all) within the plug, with the movement of connecting and disconnecting the active (which was on the neutral terminal) shorted to earth blowing the RCD and the circuit breaker to the parks sewage pump. Think of the consequences of that. To cut a long story short all the breakers were reset, plug replaced and all is sweet. LESSON 1... Please dont stuff around with electrical stuff, it is DEADLY and can cause fires, burns to humans and DEATH!!!! Get someone who knows what they are doing.

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P B Crockart EX RAAF Electrician,

Aircraft Avionics tech. Senior high school teacher.

Live long and Prosper



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The above seems NO maintenance.. Or wasn't aware how dangerous it was..
Back to connecting 12V at battery.. If EVERYTHING is turned off there should be NO load or or sparks when connecting or more the point no glow on test lamps..


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Whats out there


Senior Member

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Come on Phil, we all know that every Aussie, Kiwi or Brit is an expert electrician, plumber bricky chippy plasterer and anything else you can think of.

                             ex Firie

                                             John



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Johnnz


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Too right John you don't know that you cant fix it till you try and it doesn't work, give everything a go, that's what Aussies do.

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Dave


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Goes back to convict days... !! Lol...

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Whats out there


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New Zealand, which uses the exact same wiring standards as us, allows DIY wiring without the world coming to an end. The New Zealand government even publishes pamphlets providing help to home owners!
Here is an extract from one such pamphlet:
What are the main electrical repairs you can do yourself at your home?
For a full list of the electrical repairs you can do on your home, please refer to Regulation 64 of the Electricity Safety Regulations 2010.

The work you can do includes:

Replacing switches; socket outlets, lamp holders, ceiling roses, water heater switches, thermostats and elements.
Repairing light fittings.
Moving, repairing or replacing flexible cords that are permanently connected to outlets or ceiling roses.
Disconnecting and reconnecting permanently wired appliances.
Moving switches, sockets and lighting outlets, but only if they are wired with tough plastic-sheathed cables.
Installing, extending, or altering any cables, except the main cables that come from the street to your switchboard.
Fitting plugs, cord extension sockets or appliance connectors to a flexible cord.
Replacing fuse wires and fuse cartridges.

Regards

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Denis

Ex balloon chaser and mercury measurer.

Toowoomba.



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That dont apply in OZ, 240 volt is by all Qualified licenced Electricians,

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Cheers, Brian,


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Maybe that's why our population is larger than NZs biggrin



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Guru

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Mr B2 wrote:


That dont apply in OZ, 240 volt is by all Qualified licenced Electricians,


 Are New Zealanders smarter than us Australians?



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Cheers Peter and Sue

"If I agree with you we'll both be wrong"

No, I'm not busy, I did it right the first time.

Self-powered wheelie walker, soon a power chair (ex. Nomad)



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Ontos45 wrote:
Mr B2 wrote:


That dont apply in OZ, 240 volt is by all Qualified licenced Electricians,


 Are New Zealanders smarter than us Australians?



 Obviously, that's why more of them come here to live, than us going there. smile

Although I have heard that the average IQ of both countries decreases every time a Kiwi moves here. biggrin



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Guru

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hako wrote:

New Zealand, which uses the exact same wiring standards as us, allows DIY wiring without the world coming to an end. The New Zealand government even publishes pamphlets providing help to home owners!
Here is an extract from one such pamphlet:
What are the main electrical repairs you can do yourself at your home?
For a full list of the electrical repairs you can do on your home, please refer to Regulation 64 of the Electricity Safety Regulations 2010.

The work you can do includes:

Replacing switches; socket outlets, lamp holders, ceiling roses, water heater switches, thermostats and elements.
Repairing light fittings.
Moving, repairing or replacing flexible cords that are permanently connected to outlets or ceiling roses.
Disconnecting and reconnecting permanently wired appliances.
Moving switches, sockets and lighting outlets, but only if they are wired with tough plastic-sheathed cables.
Installing, extending, or altering any cables, except the main cables that come from the street to your switchboard.
Fitting plugs, cord extension sockets or appliance connectors to a flexible cord.
Replacing fuse wires and fuse cartridges.

Regards


 Yep NZ's might be smarter than us[Aust] but Then I have to wonder what their Insurance Policy's are Like..

- I wonder if they have some form of Protection for any issue that cause a Fire after it has been worked on..

 

Here.. If you do any work on electrics of your own house[If your Not an electrician] I think Most insurance companies will null and void your insurance policy because the work was not done by an electrician..

 

NZ must have some regulations that covers the general population..

I know that we are not covered..

 

Juergen



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IF I say something Dumb.. Just Smack me..

 

I'm full of Knowledge.. I don't profess to know EVERYTHING, but I'm constantly Learning new thing's..

 

Let's see what mischief I can get up to..

J



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TMK the work still gets inspected before livening up ?

I wouldn't be too keen to suggest its better here.. Atleast once a week I would find a revers polarity on a NEW house..

Consumer mains wired the wrong way !!!



-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Tuesday 4th of February 2014 10:00:25 PM

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Whats out there


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brian wrote:

 Obviously, that's why more of them come here to live, than us going there. smile

Although I have heard that the average IQ of both countries decreases every time a Kiwi moves here. biggrin


 Thats not nice Brian..nono

I have met one smart Kiwi just when he was on his way home..biggrinbiggrin



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www.graftoncountrymusic.com.au



Guru

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He's got it wrong Muldoon [Ex P.M] said way back for every Kiwi going to Aust the IQ goes up in both countries..

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Whats out there


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You have your version and I have mine. Lol

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Bloody convicts LOL..

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Whats out there


Guru

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Aus-Kiwi wrote:

Bloody convicts LOL..


 We even had our fares paid for us..biggrinbiggrinbiggrinbiggrin



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www.graftoncountrymusic.com.au



Guru

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oldbobsbus wrote:
Aus-Kiwi wrote:

Bloody convicts LOL..


 We even had our fares paid for us..biggrinbiggrinbiggrinbiggrin


I would be happy to pay for you to go back again. smile 

Reminds me of the story about the pom who wanted to go back.

The return fare was 200 quid but he found himself 1 quid short.

He approached an Aussie in the street and explained that he was homesick and wanted to go back to mother England but needed a quid for the fare.

The Aussie handed him a twenty and told him to take nineteen of his mates with him.



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Guru

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We us to say the same .. Pom going back home but can you take two Dutchies with you..
In the dairy industry many Dutchies from Holland came over in the 60's / 70's..
We've done ok in both NZ and Aust..
The west island is bigger than the north island we came from..Lol..

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Member

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I had a sparky do some wiring on my coach. He went to replace a 240v power point with a standard house one. When I queried about double pole, he had never heard of it. Quickly got another electrician.
John

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