What size transformer? and other daft questions from the UK!

[Reyllock]

Better late than never. I would have posted this sooner (as promised), but I had to respond to a possible structure fire. Ended up being smoldering ash in the fireplace clean out...which did not have any access from below in the basement.

Anyways, I took some photos of the breaker panel and put labels on the breakers (hard to photo the actual ones). I've also included the 12V fuse layout, so you can get an idea of what it might look like. For what you want to do, based on my breaker set-up, you'll need to disconnect the GFCI, and BEDROOM circuits from the 120V panel and run them over to your 240V panel. According to my owner's manual, the GFCI breaker controls the bathroom (where the GFCI outlet is) along with the kitchen and exterior outlets. They way it's jerry-rigged, the basement outlet for the central vacuum (or TV) might be on that, too. I'm not sure, but the one marked SLIDE-OUT might be for all slide outlets (other than the bedroom). None of the breakers are dedicated to the refridgerator, so you're going to have to do some circuit tracing to figure it out.

For the breakers, from left to right, the MAIN is a double 50A. The ten circuits labelled are: 20, 15, 20, 15, 20, 15, 20, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15 Amp breakers, in that order.

In my fuse panel, there are more fuses than labels, so I don't know what the last two are for, or if they're even connected to anything. One might be for the electric awning, but I don't know what the other might be for. Maybe the Fantastic Fan?

Although HL won't/can't give you a wiring schematic, perhaps if you contact them they can give you some idea of how they wired it. I still think it's bogus that they don't have a wiring diagram for these rigs.

I'm sure you know this, but our 240V connections are different. The four prongs (just like on the trailer plug) are two 120V hots, a neutral and a ground. The trailer is not using a true 240V input, since the two hot lines are separated to be individual 120V supply lines to the neutral. With your three-wire system, you've got 240V between the single hot and neutral lines.

I hope this helps, but it's not as informative as I thought it was.

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Very many thanks John, the breaker pics are great, at least I can make a start on my own wiring diagram and the relevant ampage for breakers I will need for the 240v panel. As you said I will still need trace a couple of circuits, but I enjoy a bit of problem solving!! lol

I will try HL again for a circuit diagram, but don't hold up much hope, to be honest as there's so much going on 'behind the panels' I wonder if there is an official one??

The 240v 'shoreline' shouldn't be a problem, as I will wire that directly into the 240v panel through a 30/50amp MCB, hopefully I should be able to use the US 'shoreline' plug and cable and rewire it accordingly and just feed direct to the transformer, and subsequently the 110v panel from the transformer.
As the 110v sockets are probably on a couple of ring mains, I may have to do a little rewiring so I leave a complete 110 ring main for fitted 110v equipment, and maybe run a new separate 240v ring main, but that shouldn't be to much bother.

What ever happens I will record all the work, and keep a blog going, to let you all know how the sparks between tooth fillings is going

Best regards, and thank again

Kev

 

[JohnDar]

Good luck with it, Kev. HL might not give you a circuit diagram, but maybe they have some idea of what they "usually" connect where. Once you get your rig and open up the basement walls, you may see why they don't have a diagram .

Our lone experience with the UK was back in 1981. We spent a couple of days in London before and after a two-week bus tour of Western Europe. Somehow, when I was stationed in Germany (single young buck, I was) back 68 - 71, I never made it there. Always seemed to get stuck in Amsterdam on the way up

 

[LarryD]

Here is a dumb question, the Big Horn has 50 amp service, right? Well that means it is already 240V service thru the shore power cord, and the 50 amp main breaker is a double pole breaker. Now everything beyond that is 120V circuits on one hot leg or the other. As I think about this, I assume UK 240V is really single phase, so a single hot leg at 240V. So, I guess the 110V hot leg from the transformer needs to be wired to both legs of the 50 amp double pole breaker to keep all circuits powered up. But the outlet circuits that Kev is going to convert to 240V style sockets need to be removed and wired to a UK 240V panel that also supplies 240V to the input of the transformer.

 

[Willym]

Kevin,

On my old sob forum, (titaniumrvowners.com) there are a couple of UK guys who imported Titaniums and converted them. They don't give their email addresses but one is called Alan Thomas from Harwich, Essex. You may be able to contact him after a telephone directory search. Unfortunately, the other is just known as "Chris".

 

[slownsy]

I have a 26E31 Titanium in Australia but they were build for hear has the microwave surround sound stereo DVD player V light and V lights 400W converter, air con and in Australia they install a transformer extra power points, fridge, TV,hot water unit and stove. I know they had weiring diagrams for them for dealers to work on them as mine shoved me as he had to install my heater, but as thy are not all the same and I think they don't want Os to work on them they say they don't have them. Good luck and if you get it all to work I am wherry interested to find out how as I am planing on going to the States buying a new Fifth Wheeler travel for 12 Mont's or more and then maybe bring back hear.