Mercedes

[T1 Terry]

Shitte Wayne, I'm lucky to remember my name each morning and I've had a lot a sleeps since we bought the diesel heater Margaret looked it up and came up with Discount Goods Plaza on evil bay, no idea where Brian bought his but it is the same product. Just need to check what comes in the bundled deal, some have better stuff that suits what you need than others. It was a 5kW unit, we also bought extra of the flexible air hose from some other supplier so we could mount the hot air outlet closer to where we stand after a shower Later we might extend the run with a Y piece to bring the warm air up front to deliver the warm air direct, although it warms the whole Hino up quite well with the one outlet positioned to blow the warm air up the hallway.
If the big bus project ever gets completed, we will install 2 of them, one to heat the bedroom and shower area and one to heat up front and the living area.

T1 Terry

[Grandad]

A further question regarding cable size if I may.

My neighbour is happy to accept your suggestion of 6G cable for his install. We've now been able to measure the run needed and 2.5 mtrs is pretty close, so 5 mtrs return.
However..... the supplied cable (Which seems horribly small) is connected to a plug to connect to the heater.

Am I correct in assuming its ok to cut the smaller wire a few inches from the plug and solder the new 6G stuff to it?
Quite frankly, I don't see an alternative. There's no way on this earth the larger cable will connect to the plug anyway.

Anything I should be aware of as I'll be the one doing the soldering no doubt.

IMG_20200702_134211.jpg

[T1 Terry]

A further question regarding cable size if I may.

My neighbour is happy to accept your suggestion of 6G cable for his install. We've now been able to measure the run needed and 2.5 mtrs is pretty close, so 5 mtrs return.
However..... the supplied cable (Which seems horribly small) is connected to a plug to connect to the heater.

Am I correct in assuming its ok to cut the smaller wire a few inches from the plug and solder the new 6G stuff to it?
Quite frankly, I don't see an alternative. There's no way on this earth the larger cable will connect to the plug anyway.

Anything I should be aware of as I'll be the one doing the soldering no doubt.

IMG_20200702_134211.jpg

As long as the small gauge cable is short and at the load end and not the supply end, the voltage drop is not much. It is the length of the run that causes the voltage drop and if the small cable was at the start of the run, the voltage is already lowered at the start of the cable run so the end voltage is even worse.
Often wonder about manufacturers that use under size cable in appliances, I guess it saves a few cents, but it causes all sorts of issues. Sometimes the cable that powers the control part is rather small and there is another connection point where the bigger cable connects so a relay switches the high current through the bigger cable direct to the load .... can you see any other cable connection points?

T1 Terry

[Grandad]

.... can you see any other cable connection points?

No, only the one photographed. Actually, the whole exercise turned out to be a waste of time anyway.

I copy and pasted your answers and sent them to him. We discussed it all at depth. I have the 6 gauge stuff running up through the roof of my caravan for the solar so I showed him how big it was. He asked where to get it from so I sent him a link to Jaycar. It's currently about $15 per mtr. He needs about 3 1/2 metres. That didn't seem to phase him.
I hadn't heard back regarding joining into the plug but he said he'd just ask the autolec.
The day came to take the van to the Autolec and when he returned I asked how he went.

"No problem. All sorted. The guy soldered the wires together for us. We're good to go"

Show me?
It was just 6mm auto cable.
What the ????

"Oh, that was the biggest he had"

Seriously? What was the point? I feel like I've wasted your time. Certainly wasted mine.

At least I learnt something I may use in the future. I will be buying a diesel heater at some point.

Jim

[T1 Terry]

The number of times I've seen 6mm auto cable installed when 6B&S or 6 gauge cable was specified it makes me wonder what it is they are teaching auto sparkies these days. It would only take them a few minutes to put the figures through an on line calculator, even if they couldn't remember the basic formula they had drummed into them at TAFE (well if they still do that of course) and they would know that 6mm auto cable (4.35mmsq) cable was not going to carry the required current without serious voltage drop.
Back when Brian (Homeless) owned the Mazda 3500 and was having trouble with his compressor fridge and we told him to get it rewired with 6 B&S cable (13.5mm sq) he had to argue with the auto sparkie to get that size wire installed. Apparently the sparkie told him he didn't need cable that big, Brian told him either he installed the cable he asked for or he would go else where, the reply was, "well if you like to waste your money, who am I to argue, I'm just the expert here" When Brian got the old cable out of the bin where the sparkie had thrown it, sure enough, it was 6mm auto cable ...... The fridge still works well all these yrs later so it appears the 6 B&S cable did fix the problem ........

T1 Terry