Battery Battery Charger

Young & Keen · Sep 30, 2013

Question for anyone who can help.... Can you tell me what can happen if a cable is oversized? I have been supplied with a battery charger with a 10mm twin+earth cable coming from it with no plug attached. It is single phase and the cable is too big for any type of commando plug to be attached and it will not fit in the isolators already installed. The biggest problem I have is there is no indication of what current it will be drawing and I cannot find out until I speak to the supplier tomorrow. Meanwhile it caused me to ponder this question, can anyone help?

JD6400 · Sep 30, 2013

The obvious ones are , it will cost you more for the cable and as you have already found ! Making it off will be at best a pain and at worst not possible . As for volt drop and the like , (unless I am missing something ) it will only make for better results ?

DPG · Sep 30, 2013

I don't think fitting t&e into any type of removable plug/socket is a good idea. Can't you change the cable to something suitable? Daz

JD6400 · Sep 30, 2013

DPG said:
I don't think fitting t&e into any type of removable plug/socket is a good idea. Can't you change the cable to something suitable? Daz

Good point ! I had overlooked that part .:rolleyes2:

telectrix · Sep 30, 2013

OR HARD WIRE IT INTO A ISOLATOR/40aMCB

Flanders · Sep 30, 2013

You will need to find out what current the charger is pulling before you decide what plug or isolator you use and as stated Twin and earth is not the best cable to be used especially if you are moving the charger about and its in an environment where it can easily get damaged , Find out the max current of the charger and get some SY cable to suit

Young & Keen · Sep 30, 2013

Thanks to you all. I've had all sorts of suggestions thrown at me today such as can't we just cut a few strands out? Can't we use a big connector block and bring a smaller cable out of it? Some might find it funny!!

As I thought, SY will do. The breaker in the charger also has 6mm incoming and outgoing so I'll just put a 40A MCb in the board and stick the ammeter on it to then decide whether or not to downsize!