Possible fire hazard - Printable Version

Possible fire hazard - Printable Version

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Possible fire hazard - rheavn - 10-06-2015

A while back Russ White posted a warning about the insulation on the 4/0 cable going from a positive battery post to the inverter fuse holder that was degrading & causing a potential fire hazard.

Russ' warning caused me to inspect mine since his & my coach are only 1 apart. Mine too was starting to degrade, but on a much lesser level than on Russ' coach. Mine continued to degrade until the inner stranded copper wire was clearly visible which was clearly a potential fire hazard. None of the other battery cables exhibited this degrading.

On my coach the 4/0 cable runs from the positive house battery post, out the back of the battery compartment, runs through the center of the coach and ends up in the inverter compartment and bolts up to one end of the inverter fuse. The old cable is tie wrapped and sealed in so I cut out as much as I could. I ran a new cable from the inverter compartment, through the plumbing compartment and into the battery compartment.

All is now working well and a fire hazard has been removed. Thanks Russ!

I would suggest that every one monitor the condition of the cable from the inverter fuse to the positive battery connection. For those with a '97, '98 or '99 I would suggest a very close inspection. It is my opinion, we know what that is worth, that this may be the result of some bad 4/0 cabling that Newell unknowingly purchased that is degrading in a very unusual manner. I have had several battery experts inspect the old cabling and none have seen this type of degrading without chemical interaction or extreme conditions not present in our coaches. While my cable was degrading in the battery compartment, it was degrading just as bad in the center coach run and the inverter compartment.

Please don't ignore a fire hazard.................................

RE: Possible fire hazard - pairodice - 10-06-2015

i bet there is more than just that one cable - wouldn't the generator cables be the same size?

RE: Possible fire hazard - rheavn - 10-07-2015

Adrian,
I will take your bet.

Since I have been to the school of "not all Newells are the same", I will refer to my coach. There is only one 4/0 battery cable in my coach--it runs from the top battery bank positive post to the inverter fuse in the inverter compartment. All other battery cables, including the genset cables are 3/0 on my coach. Only the 4/0 cable showed the signs of insulation cracking and degrading. All of the 3/0 cabling were in good shape except one that had some corrosion--it was replaced.

NOW is the time for, especially folks who own coaches in our year range, to verify that they do not have degrading insulation which exposes the wire itself and could cause a fire if shorted out. When I checked my coach I inspected all of the battery cables and would encourage every one to do the same. Cost is only time to do the inspection. If you find that your coach's battery cables are configured different than mine, don't be surprised--"no two Newells are the same--JUST CHECK.

My cost was some time & $106.60. Most of my time was spent planning the project. I ran some 1/4" tubing through the route that is was routing the cabling and this allowed me to easily measure how much cabling I needed to buy.

RE: Possible fire hazard - smagown - 10-07-2015

Thanks Steve and Russ for the heads up!
I will inspect mine now.

RE: Possible fire hazard - MARKGMC3 - 10-07-2015

STEVE,

MY COACH IS ONLY 4 BEHIND U & I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FIVE YEARS AGO, THAT SAME CABLE WAS IN VERY BAD

CONDITION.......HAD IT REPLACED AS SOON AS COULD SEE THE COPPER.

MARK

RE: Possible fire hazard - rheavn - 10-07-2015

Mark,
Glad you caught it. That is now 3 coaches very close together. That is why I believe this is a problem with the cable Newell used.

Does this problem affect 3 coaches, 30 coaches or 300??????

RE: Possible fire hazard - MrE - 10-07-2015

I did some Google research on this:
1. Nehring is an American company and all it's products are made in the USA.
2. Neoprene is less susceptible to deterioration.
Couldn't find any information of defective wiring from Nehring, but obviously Newell bought a batch that didn't hold up. Can't blame Newell on this one, just bad luck.

RE: Possible fire hazard - Richard - 10-07-2015

Thanks for the heads up. I went to inspect mine. I have 3/0 cabling, and I saw no degradation.

RE: Possible fire hazard - smagown - 10-09-2015

Mine is 3/0 and is ok.

RE: Possible fire hazard - bikestuff - 10-15-2015

My coach is 2003 and had the 4/0 wire...but a different manufacturer (Essex). Cable looks fine by visual inspection.

Thanks Steve for the heads up!

bill