Westy circuit breaker source?

[kshbaja]

Is the circuit breaker a common circuit breaker that can be found in an electrical supply store? Is GW the only source? $20 seems a bit excessive.

[Lanval]

More info would be helpful here ~ Van year/model, and what you intend to do with the circuit breaker. Most anything that can be done with a Vanagon (westy or otherwise) has been done, so if you explain what you want to do in detail, you're likely to get an answer in detail.


As an example, I installed an aux battery with a 6 circuit fuse box to run everything behind the seats on the aux when isolated. Is this what you're after? Are you re-doing the 120v circuit at the foot of the bed? If so, why even bother? How often do you use 120v? I replaced mine (GW version) and have yet to solder it in, or use it.


Best,

Lanval

[kshbaja]

Sorry about that. I was referring to the stock circuit breaker of a 1986 Westy. It sits just forward of the rear bench seat on the driver side. Full stock electrical configuration. I just want to replace it as the button on mine is snapped off.

[Lanval]

I just paid Go Westy. Still, I don't see how a 120v circuit breaker in a van is any different from a house... I can't recall if the rating is marked on the old one. I'm sure the manual says, or somewhere in the manuals (OEM or Aftermarket) it should indicate what the breaker trips at. Once you're there, I guess you could go to any home supply place and try to replace it.

Electrical experts care to comment?

Best,

Lanval

[terryg]

I'm guessing that the circuit breaker is there due to some RV electrical code applied to Westies. 120v breakers make sense in RV because there are multiple circuits so you would not have the whole RV to loose power because the coffee pot shorted out. But the Westy only has one circuit, so if anything happens all power is lost anyway. The other silly part is that if you plug into a campsite or the plug on the side of your garage, they are both already protected with circuit breakers so you really don't even need one. There might be some scenario where the Westy circuit breaker would be useful, but it would entail a van load of 120v appliances and/or some poorly thought out added wiring/extension cords. I'ld take it out and spend $3 on wire nuts and a pretty blank plate to cover the hole.

[82WestyMan]

[bucko]

Go to Home Depot, Lowes, or any good hardware store. Buy a GFI (ground fault interrupt) and new cover. GFI's are used in 110/120V home applications where water and electricity are an issue (bathroom, kitchen, outside outlets). Much, much better protection than the breaker that came stock.

They are found where the electrical outlets, boxes, and such are located at these hardware stores.

terryg wrote:
... I'd take it out and spend $3 on wire nuts and a pretty blank plate to cover the hole.

I would not recommend this...no protection to you if you use an electrical hookup at a campground. You cannot count on the campground hookups being "up to code".
_________________
Current VW drives: 1984 Westfalia

Past VW drives: 1967 Beetle, 1973 Beetle, 1977 Bus, 1971 Military Type 181

[Captain Pike]

[hiram6]

[PDXWesty]

**READ** **READ** **READ** **READ** **READ** **READ**

A GFCI outlet is NOT a circuit breaker. I repeat: IT IS NOT A CIRCUIT BREAKER. It does not protect against current overload. It protects against ground fault and short circuits only. The circuit breaker is there ahead of the outlet to protect the wiring from melting if you plug in a greater load than the wiring can handle. You run the risk of fire if you don't have a circuit breaker ahead of ANY type of outlet. A GFCI will not trip on current overload. If you plugged in a 15 amp load or greater (1800 watts) to the outlet without the breaker, you could melt the wires and start a fire.

**Please do NOT remove the breaker and just wire a GFCI outlet. You will lose all protection to the circuit.**

If you want, you can add a GFCI outlet to protect against shorts, but you still need the breaker ahead of it.

[dpdunrite]

kshbaja

Check grainger wholesale and supply the only thing differant is the one from CARLING TECHNOLOGIES is rated at 32vdc where as the one in the slot is rated at 50vdc

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4VA78

http://www.carlingtech.com/products/index.asp

You mite be able to talk to carlingtons tech support to verify that this will work. For $2.77 this mite be worth the call and easy fix.

good luck

dp
_________________
"Fritz" 88 vanagon westfalia 2.1 wbx
"Frank" 89 Kawsaki Mule 450cc twin
"Tony" 00 B21 Kubota
"Niles" 85 xj6 Jaguar Sauveriegn
"Al" 07 Cheverolet Silverado Z71 LT crewcab
"Soney" 78 18' Sunrunner runabout
"Kelly" Wife
"Kirby" Black Lab
"Bear" Black cat

[bucko]

[Dogpilot]

You can still achieve the dual use on the outlet. I made my duplex outlet into two simplex units. You can achieve this with virtually any 110 socket. THere are two tabs on either side, the connect the upper to lower socket. If you break this tab (which it is designed to do, by bending) then the two are separate circuits. So I wired the lower one to the normal shore power circuit, and the upper one is wired to my hidden inverter.

Yes GFI's are cool for shocks and such, but no circuit protection. A breaker is a breaker. That said, there are ratings for voltage, current and rate of trip. Some trip on a surge of load, some wait a bit. So if you get one of equal load rating, voltage and trip rate you would be fine. The big problem is form factor, most are designed for mounting on rails now. So you are kind of paying for uniqueness again.

_________________
Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[PDXWesty]

Just use a circuit breaker....they're cheap.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servle...sNum=14180

(reading)
GFCI is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit whenever it detects that the electric current is not balanced between the phase ("hot") conductor and the neutral conductor. Such an imbalance is sometimes caused by current leakage through the body of a person who is grounded and accidentally touching the energized part of the circuit

GFI's are designed to prevent electrocution by detecting the leakage current, which can be far smaller (typically 5–30 milliamperes) than the currents needed to operate conventional circuit breakers or fuses (several amperes). GFIs are intended to operate within 25–40 milliseconds, before electric shock can drive the heart into ventricular fibrillation, the most common cause of death through electric shock.

In the United States, the National Electrical Code, requires GFCI devices intended to protect people to interrupt the circuit if the leakage current exceeds a range of 4–6 mA of current (the trip setting is typically 5 mA) within 25 milliseconds. GFCI devices which protect equipment (not people) are allowed to trip as high as 30 mA of current. In Europe, the commonly used RCDs have trip currents of 10–300 mA.

Residual current detection is complementary to over-current detection. Residual current detection cannot provide protection for overload or short-circuit currents.

So...It measures the current in the two wires to make sure they are equal. It does not protect against short circuit or overload.

[Captain Pike]

Keep the standard pulg, replace the breaker with a GFI breaker. Ground fault AND over current protection.
_________________
LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
.....................All Current.......................

[Vanagon Nut]

Hi all.

Anyone found a suitable 15 Amp breaker at their local hardware or home depot type store?

Thanks

Neil.
_________________
1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA

1988 West DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[shagginwagon83]

Perfect timing. I am also in the market for a new circuit breaker as I'm relocating mine to be hidden in my Westy.

My research has showed Blue Seas makes circuit breakers. I don't know if they make it, but I would love to have a remote control circuit breaker.

Edit:
I found one. Its a 20amp model.

Home depot has a 15amp model.
_________________
Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[crazyvwvanman]

Maybe this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DH35VZQ/ref=twister_B01LYLZ9U4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Vanagon Nut]

[Vanagon Nut]