# Blowing Fuse



## CdnOutback (Apr 16, 2010)

The 15 Amp inline fuse for the front jacks on my fifth wheel keeps blowing whenever I try to raise the unit. Any ideas to what could cause this? I checked the battery and it is fully charged. When I hit the button I do notice that the electric motor seems to twist. Is this normal or is the motor loose?

Any comments would be appreciated....

Len+


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

Well, the problem is definitely not the batteries. They have enough power in them to provide amps high enough to blow the 15 amp fuse. Fuses often blow when there is a surge of 18 - 20 amps or higher, or a constant load of 16 - 18 amps that heats up the wire inside the fuse. I suspect the motor is drawing too much power. It goes without saying that you should never increase the fuse size to 20, 25 or 30 amps....Some have done that and that's a prescription for a fire...Are we old enough (I am!) to remember Grampa putting a penny behind the screw-in fuse in the basement fuse box so the lights would come back on?









But you should check to make sure the ground wire is solidly attached (if the motor has a separate ground wire); check to make sure the grounds on the buss bar behind the power converter are tight. A loose ground can increase the resistance and cause more current draw.

But the motor seems suspect to me. The repair folks will pull it out, put it on a bench, connect an ammeter to watch the current draw, and connect 12vdc to it and see what happens. If the motor is supposed to draw maybe 12 amps to start, and 8a - 10a running, and draws 20a or something, there's the problem.


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## Outbacker47 (Jun 6, 2010)

Just wondering why you only have a 15 amp fuse. My fifth wheel had a 30 amp inline fuse that I blew on our last outing. I replaced the inline fuse with an inline breaker to eliminate having to keep and replace fuses.You might want to check to make sure you have the correct size fuse.


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## Patty (Mar 4, 2010)

I had a 20 amp fuse for my Ultra. When it died and I put in the Barker, the fuse kept blowing. After reading the destructions uh directions, I saw that it called for a 30 amp. After putting it in, it worked fine.


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## darinandsherry (Jun 20, 2010)

Let me know when you get to Tynehead Len and I can check the amp draw on that motor with my DC amprobe.

Darin


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