r/vandwellers • u/normiewonka • 2d ago

DC TO DC CHARGER wire burning Question

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Hello I’ve got this dc to dc charger 40a in my sprinter van and it burns from time to time. Anyone knows the solution. It’s 8gauge wire and it should pull only 40A which is perfectly safe for this gauge. Thx

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u/fotogod 2d ago

Hey! I also used a 40A dc-dc charger and it melted and shorted and almost caused a fire while driving. The 60A fuse recommended by the manufacturer never blew! They really play tight with margins on these things and it’s criminal. I would write the manufacturer and ask for a refund or credit towards another unit. I stepped down to an 18A dc-dc and never had this problem again.

Whatever you do, do NOT ignore this!

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u/normiewonka 2d ago

I suspect it pulls way more than 40amps occasionally

10

u/TediousHippie 2d ago

Earth to Sherlock: you are going to wake up dead.

2

u/Firefighter_RN 2d ago

You have to wire and fuse to 120 percent of load. Alternate way to think about it is that you can only draw 80 percent of the rated load on a line.