FIRE! 50 - 80amp breaker upgrade. Beware

[bdcolvin]

Better yet, a lesson to not replace any fuse or breaker with a higher capacity without considering the circuit (wiring and devices) it is -- or I should say WAS -- protecting.

[fez111]

....Mine actually pulled slightly more when retracting the landing gear, than when extending it. I would have thought it would be just the opposite if there was any difference.....you know, overcoming gravity vs. lifting against gravity.

Hi. I believe our 'Level-Up' systems are designed like the large hydraulic door on our pole barn/hangar. There are restrictors built into the cylinders so the system can't free-fall should one of the hoses blow...it will be a controlled fall.

I've noticed that the hydraulic pump raises our Solitude faster than it pulls the jacks up when there is no load on them because of the restrictors.

[tigerGUY1955]

Very lucky. I hope you bought a Texas lottery ticket.

[savagkd]

Grand design, from what I've read, conferred with Lippert and someone decided that in order to eliminate the nuisance tripping, an 80A breaker would be used. They even warranteed the replacement breaker for those that were having issues with the 50A breaker. Since the hydraulic pump motor is not running continuously.....just for short periods of time, maybe they figured that the original 6ga wire would be sufficient.....but that wasn't acceptable to me, so I upgraded to satisfy my own comfort level.

This was the information I based my decision not to upsize the wire on. Lesson learned.

Thank you all for keeping this conversation going. I'm sure there are many out there still using the 80A breaker with 6 gage. In hindsight searching on this forum, I see several pictures of the 80A breaker with the old 6 gage still in use. Hopefully, others can learn from my mistake and prevent their own fires, check their extinguishers, and maybe even add more extinguishers in locations that are always accessible.

[jlk111]

McDugals was correct. Fire extinguishers mounted in vehicles need to be periodically turned upside-down and often shaken or tapped. Any DRY CHEMICAL/POWDER extinguisher that is subjected to vibration will begin to 'pack' the agent. If ignored for long enough it can pack solidly enough that you only get the compressed gas and don't get any agent. When you turn it over you should feel the agent slump to the bottom. Depending on the size of the extinguisher and the amount it has packed you can even feel the difference in whether it's slumping evenly or in packed 'chunks'. If you notice any 'chunkiness' you need to repeat the process until it feels like it's slumping smoothly.

How often they need to be turned depends on how much you drive, if you run an onboard generator or any other equipment that causes vibrations. A good rule of thumb is once a year at least.

We'll turn the ones located on our fire apparatus at least once a year and the trucks that get used more we'll do a couple of times a year.

On our annual fire extinguisher inspection the tech turns the extinguisher upside down and hits it pretty hard with a plastic mallet to dislodge any powder, then shakes it for about 30 seconds to be certain the powder is loose inside. These are wall mounted inside a building. I never thought about the constant vibrating packing the powder. Very good point

[McDugals]

On our annual fire extinguisher inspection the tech turns the extinguisher upside down and hits it pretty hard with a plastic mallet to dislodge any powder, then shakes it for about 30 seconds to be certain the powder is loose inside. These are wall mounted inside a building. I never thought about the constant vibrating packing the powder. Very good point

I also have rolled them on a table on occasion. Sometimes that powder is really packed in there. Fire extinguisher powder is so fine, when filling them the powder actually flows like a liquid. Manipulation with a rubber mallet is sometimes needed.