Fridge setting off sparks

[Truman]

Is that accurate ?......12 or 24

My fault. Its just a compressor type fridge. 12 or 24

 

[Truman]

I tested the metal housing and got the same -8Ω
To others:
I hard wire a circuit to the batteries for the fridge. The batteries are 24v

 

[B and C]

Pull the 24V plug from the fridge and reconnect the cable to the battery. If no sparks, read the voltage at the plug. I think HDR asked you to do this a few post back. You are jumping steps.

 

[Truman]

Sure sounds like there is a 12 volt short to negative. Is the sparking at the fuse block? That would be the cord is damaged.
Have you looked closely at the 12 volt plug on the fridge? The short could be right where the 12 volt plug connects.  When on 120 volt the fridge converts the ac to dc. I guess there is noting wrong with control board or compressor. You have checked for correct polarity?

It sparks at the battery terminals

 

[B and C]

Is the fridge disconnected when the cables spark at the battery? If not, disconnect the fridge and then connect the cable to the battery.

 

[Truman]

Pull the 24V plug from the fridge and reconnect the cable to the battery.  If no sparks, read the voltage at the plug.  I think HDR asked you to do this a few post back.  You are jumping steps.

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Theres no 24v plug[/font]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]There is an 110 plug[/font]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]And there is a 2[/font][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]4v hard wire circuit[/font]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The 24v circuit is frying[/font]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The 110 works fine[/font]

 

[Truman]

Is the fridge disconnected when the cables spark at the battery?  If not, disconnect the fridge and then connect the cable to the battery.

Yes while disconnected

 

[B and C]

Disconnect the 24v cables at the fridge even if it is not a plug (sparks fly everywhere and it melts the connector). Then connect those cables to the battery again.

Be sure the 120v cable is unplugged and/or the inverter is off.

 

[wayne49]

How are you getting 24V?
Two 12V hooked up in series?

That would have the first battery's (+) hooked to the second battery's (-), the load would be connected to second battery's (+), and THE ONE AND ONLY NEGATIVE (aka GROUND) to the load would be connected to the first battery's (-).

24V LOAD (-) ----- [(-) Battery 1 (+)] ----- [(-) Battery 2 (+)] ----- (+) 24V LOAD

Any Ground connected to the second battery's (-) will short the first battery to ground.

If you need a 12V feed as well as 24V, take it off of the first battery's (+) using the common ground (-) of the first battery.

 

[Truman]

I have a 24v to 12v converter

I have 2 batteries in series

 

[Truman]

Disconnect the 24v cables at the fridge even if it is not a plug (sparks fly everywhere and it melts the connector).  Then connect those cables to the battery again.

Be sure the 120v cable is unplugged and/or the inverter is off.

 Did this and still got sparks

 

[Truman]

Matter fact if I just touch the fridge cable to the positive sparks fly. I wonder if its touching metal somewhere. That one actually runs underneath the outtside of the van

 

[Truman]

But something else is going on because I've had those disconnected and today when my solar topped up the batteries and controller shut down

 

[bullfrog]

Now you are beginning to find problems, you may have more than one as sometimes a problem causes another. Disconnect or cover the solar panel, disconnect the battery, disconnect the wires going to your refrigerator and use your ohm meter to check both wires for shorts to ground or to each other. You may need to use a wire to extend your leads. Crawl underneath and run your hand over the entire length of each wire to make sure nothing has rubbed or melted if the ohm meter indicates no resistance between the wires or ground.

 

[highdesertranger]

the wire for the refrigerator is bad. it is either shorted to ground somewhere or shorted internally. fix one thing at a time. highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

 Did this and still got sparks

Ding, Ding, Ding.  We have a winner.  The positive cable is shorted to ground (maybe to the ground cable that runs with it?).  Check the length of the positive cable for any pinch points where it goes around a metal corner.  Did you use grommets to run the cable through the floor?  Does it run close to the exhaust system?