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Old 02-28-2014, 09:45 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by perryg114 View Post
I don't understand why stranded wire is necessary. The Romex in there is only going to be running at 1/2 the amps that it is rated for at 220V. Does the wire in the trailer really have to be replaced? It is hidden, who is going to know? I do like the idea of a transformer.

Perry
Hi Perry, the inspector will take off the socket to check the wire inside, and if he finds this is not multi-stranded, he will fail our application, then we will be back to square 1.

We even bought a 5000w transformer, thinking to use it to add 240v and use that to supply the original 110v switch board. I then learn that the transformer needs to be an 'isolated' type... I will ask again to see if this is allowed, and if this works by some remote chance, it'll be an ideal situation for us.
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Old 02-28-2014, 09:48 PM   #22
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Is there any possibility your codes would allow you to simply add a 220 to 120 volt transformer to the input side of the original wiring system? That would be the least expensive and easiest solution to the issue from the electrical standpoint. The transformer would need to have a 30 amp 120 volt secondary. They are not inexpensive, but they are available and certainly would be easier than a complete re wiring. I would check with your codes people.
Hi Idroba, we bought a 5000w step down/up transformer, do you know if this one will work? Could you please advise what you mean by a '30amp 120v secondary'? thanks!
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Old 02-28-2014, 10:55 PM   #23
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The transformer you show does not look like a 5000 watt one, more like a 500 watt unit. The transformer you need has two windings the secondary one (the output) able to provide 120 volts at 30 amps, or 3600 watts. The primary (input) would be approximately 15 amps at 240 volts. It will be heavy, probably about 60 pounds or so. Cost here in the states would probably be $500 +. If you search the solar equipment sites you will probably find them as they are used here in the other direction, to change 120 volt power from a solar inverter to run a 240 volt well pump. They work in both directions, up or down conversion.

Some simple transformers use windings which are connected together and taped part way. Those are not what you want (often called autotransformers). You want two completely isolated windings to satisfy any electrical code issues.

Essentially it is a 2:1 transformer, that is it has two turns of wire on one side, one turn on the other. That allows the voltage to halve and the current to double. Since you use 50 cycle power, things like motors will run at slightly slower speeds and clocks may not keep time, depending on how they are built. Most things in the trailer should run OK on 50 cycle power, although I am not sure about the switching power supply in the converter/charger, and microwave.
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Old 03-01-2014, 12:57 AM   #24
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The transformer you show does not look like a 5000 watt one, more like a 500 watt unit. The transformer you need has two windings the secondary one (the output) able to provide 120 volts at 30 amps, or 3600 watts. The primary (input) would be approximately 15 amps at 240 volts. It will be heavy, probably about 60 pounds or so. Cost here in the states would probably be $500 +. If you search the solar equipment sites you will probably find them as they are used here in the other direction, to change 120 volt power from a solar inverter to run a 240 volt well pump. They work in both directions, up or down conversion.

Some simple transformers use windings which are connected together and taped part way. Those are not what you want (often called autotransformers). You want two completely isolated windings to satisfy any electrical code issues.

Essentially it is a 2:1 transformer, that is it has two turns of wire on one side, one turn on the other. That allows the voltage to halve and the current to double. Since you use 50 cycle power, things like motors will run at slightly slower speeds and clocks may not keep time, depending on how they are built. Most things in the trailer should run OK on 50 cycle power, although I am not sure about the switching power supply in the converter/charger, and microwave.
Hi idroba, thanks for that. The transformer we got is 50lbs, and is very heavy, it is also step up or down, and is certainly rated at 5000w as described on eBay. We only paid $125 plus shipping for it, and not $500+, so it might not be the isolation type you described. We are hoping to use it to convert 240v to 110v as power supply to the Airstream. We never use the air con, and it's noisy, and there is no microwave in the van, just a gas oven. At the end of the day, we might not worry about obtaining an electric certificate, or worry about it further down the track.

We love our Flying Cloud, and she could very well be the very first one here in New Zealand!!
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Old 03-01-2014, 07:46 AM   #25
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Maybe you can find someone sympathetic to your cause and will listen to reason. It is not often the case but I hope you find a solution. Take a look at the converter and get the make, model, and serial number and find a manual for it online. You might get lucky and find a switch that changes the operation to 220V. I expect the owners manual is with the trailer documentation. I would email or call Dometic about the fridge. Maybe you can find a rep in Australia since they have the same power system. If you can get the 12V systems working, you will at least have most of the stuff working.


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Old 03-01-2014, 08:25 AM   #26
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Hi idroba, thanks for that. The transformer we got is 50lbs, and is very heavy, it is also step up or down, and is certainly rated at 5000w as described on eBay. We only paid $125 plus shipping for it, and not $500+, so it might not be the isolation type you described. We are hoping to use it to convert 240v to 110v as power supply to the Airstream. We never use the air con, and it's noisy, and there is no microwave in the van, just a gas oven. At the end of the day, we might not worry about obtaining an electric certificate, or worry about it further down the track.

We love our Flying Cloud, and she could very well be the very first one here in New Zealand!!
I was judging it from the size of the outlet on the cover, and the plug and cord set in the photo. The cord set and plug shown alone would only be good for 15 amps max at 120 volts or 1800 watts so a transformer rated at 5000 watts seemed unlikely to me. All of the commercial ones I am familiar with are far more than you paid, but who knows what comes on the market. In addition, the ebay ad could have been a mis post. Unless you can find some markings on it, we really don't know.

There is nothing wrong with trying it as far as I can see, especially if you don't have or use a microwave or AC unit. The photo shows fuses, and most likely they would blow first, if the current flow is exceeded.

You can test it easily to see if it is an isolation transformer by putting one lead of an ohmeter on either terminal of the input and the other on either terminal of the output the output (not the ground terminals though). If it shows a high resistance, you have an isolation transformer, if it shows a low resistance it has internal connections from one side to the other and is most likely an autotransformer.
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Old 03-01-2014, 03:14 PM   #27
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I was judging it from the size of the outlet on the cover, and the plug and cord set in the photo. The cord set and plug shown alone would only be good for 15 amps max at 120 volts or 1800 watts so a transformer rated at 5000 watts seemed unlikely to me. All of the commercial ones I am familiar with are far more than you paid, but who knows what comes on the market. In addition, the ebay ad could have been a mis post. Unless you can find some markings on it, we really don't know.

There is nothing wrong with trying it as far as I can see, especially if you don't have or use a microwave or AC unit. The photo shows fuses, and most likely they would blow first, if the current flow is exceeded.

You can test it easily to see if it is an isolation transformer by putting one lead of an ohmeter on either terminal of the input and the other on either terminal of the output the output (not the ground terminals though). If it shows a high resistance, you have an isolation transformer, if it shows a low resistance it has internal connections from one side to the other and is most likely an autotransformer.
Thanks idroba, I tested mine with an ohm meter, and is getting a reading of 02.5-03.0 (it fluctuates) , I suppose this is an autotransformer and not the isolation type? I read the packaging and it says 5000w, so I suppose it's designed to run at that wattage.

At the end of the day, we might just not worry about obtaining a certificate, and do a simple 240v hook up, so we can charge the batt and run a couple of sockets in the van, we are wanting to leave everything else in original factory condition. Afterall, we are not missing a lot by doing this, just the ceiling Air Con which we never use.

On another hand, if we were to do it properly to obtain a elec cert, then we need be prepared to strip the furnishing out and rip out everything 110v and retro-fit everything to meet the regulation, in which will be costly! We simply want to enjoy our van and not to stress about it

So far, we have not had any issue running a campsite lead-to-house cable through the window, and that runs our oil heater at night and charges our cell phones.

The photo I showed previously was from ebay where I purchased from, but one I received is actually bigger with 2 x outlets, and looks more like this one, it's 50LBS and quite heavy, I thought it was cheap for just $125:

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Old 03-01-2014, 05:53 PM   #28
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That test you made confirms that it is not an isolation transformer with two completely separate windings. And yes, the one in your second photo looks more like it could be a 5000 watt rated unit.

I don't know enough about your electrical system in NZ to say if an autotransformer type voltage converter is safe or not. I would have no problems with an isolated set of windings but when one side (leg) is connected to the other, I get a bit nervous when we are dealing with the total RV electrical system, not just a single appliance.

Without question, the cord through the window will work...Grin.
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Old 03-31-2014, 02:34 AM   #29
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Successfully rewired to 240V and certified

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Originally Posted by airstreamz View Post
Hi everyone, I am new to this forum, and have recently got our dream Airstream here in New Zealand. It's a 2010 Flying Cloud and we are loving it!

In order to meet the New Zealand electrical regulations, we are looking to convert the voltage to 240v. I have heard that the 110v cable rating in the Airstream is not robust enough for 240v, and need to be replaced? The cable rating for NZ needs to be 450 vac, does anyone know what the cable rating is used for late model Airstreams?

Has anyone successfully converted a 110v Airstream to 240v? This sounds like a very big project, and with much dismantling of panels required.

We are still in the planing process, and would love to gather as much info as possible, and we look forward to your feedback.

Thanks in advance.
Hi Airstreamz,

We’ve just done an electrical refit and had our beloved 2006 16’ CCD (Lil’ Al) issued with a New Zealand Warrant of Electrical Fitness. For US and other none-Kiwi readers: this is the official NZ certification of compliance with our national standards for 240V electrical installations in motorhomes and caravans. It’s a legal requirement if you want to hook up to a 240V supply at any campground.

Our criteria in undertaking this project were:
1. To avoid any unsightly trunking and minimize changes to the appearance of the trailer;
2. To achieve warrant of fitness standard (this is different to getting a 240V supply in the trailer, which can be achieved, as others have already pointed out, via an extension lead through an open window).

I think the three keys to success for us were:
1. To find a friend (Matthew) to help us. Matthew is trained in avionics and is therefore used to refitting high and low voltage electrical systems in confined spaces made of aluminum (and working to exceedingly high standards!);
2. To find a friendly local electrical inspector (Paul) who was qualified to certify our trailer and was willing to offer us advice about what he needed us to do as we went along;
3. To take our time and accept that it would cost a few dollars.

So here’s what we did for the refit:
1. We replaced the external hook-up connection with a certified NZ one. This required removal of some of the plywood paneling in the trunk and also cutting away a section of the internal aluminum skin to gain access to the back of the fitting. This damage to the aluminum is not visible as it is covered by the plywood paneling. However, we were able to find a unit that had the same footprint, and even the same screw positions, as the original one. So externally, no cutting or drilling was necessary.
2. We replaced the original Power Centre with a 240V, 30A OZcharge smart charger, a 5-way 240V distribution board (fully enclosed, sealed with fire caulk and fitted with circuit breakers), and a series of 12V circuit breakers to replace the 12V fuses on the original Power Centre. All this fitted neatly within the footprint of the original Power Centre (under the foot of the bed in our 2006 16’ model) with plenty of space to spare.
3. We installed new 2.5mm, 3-core stranded cable (flex) for the entire 240V system. This is mostly enclosed within conduit and secured with P-clips. It is all hidden behind paneling and cabinetry or run within the cavity between the two layers of aluminum. For example, the route from the external hook-up to the OZcharge smart charger runs between the aluminum skins beneath the trunk door. The only visible trunking is a section of aluminum profile along the wall/floor joint beneath the dinette table to provide a 240V supply to the outlet there. We just couldn’t work out another way of doing it. Everywhere else, the new cabling is hidden.
4. An additional requirement was to fit black, heat shrink sleeving over the blue (neutral) wire of the 3-core cable where it terminated at outlets or the distribution board.
5. We installed 6 new NZ-style 240V power outlets. The locations are irrelevant as they are very Airstream model-specific but suffice it to say that the cut-outs for the original US-style outlets accommodate NZ-style outlets very neatly.
6. Where we couldn’t get 240V flex to original 110V outlet positions, we fitted blanking plates.
7. Where we fitted 240V outlets directly into aluminum, we double earth bonded these. In other words, in addition to the earth wire already connected via the 3-core flex cable, we attached a further earth wire directly from the socket to the adjacent aluminum using star washers, a bolt and double nuts. We were able to do this invisibly.
8. We earth bonded the 240V system to the aluminum shell and separately to the steel chassis using 6mm multi-strand earth cable (and star washers, bolts and double nuts).
9. We removed all the original 110V outlets, including those for the inverter, which in our trailer was for 110V only and not a multi-voltage inverter.
10. We removed the inverter too (weight saved).
11. We removed as much of the solid copper core 110V cabling as we could. We were required to render it unusable so as a minimum we chopped it back as far as we could reach with wire cutters. Much of it was inaccessible, bonded to the inside surface of the outer skin, or just plain stuck. We had no success at all with trying to chase in the new flex by splicing it to the original cabling and pulling.
12. We had the Dometic fridge converted to 240V, which involved changing the electrical heating element but did not affect any of the 12V control circuit. We had this done by a refrigeration engineer but you could probably swap out the element yourself.
13. We removed and discarded the original TV (we don’t watch TV anyway so why lug redundant weight around?).
14. We gave up on converting the air-conditioning unit for three reasons. Firstly, because we had a quote of 1500 New Zealand dollars to replace the compressor with a 240V unit. Secondly, because we couldn’t figure out how to invisibly get 240V flex to the unit. And thirdly, because you don’t generally need aircon where we use the trailer. In time I expect we’ll replace the aircon unit with a roof vent (and save another 40kg or so of redundant weight).
15. Apart from installing an array of 12V circuit breakers, we didn’t need to do anything with the 12V system i.e. lighting, fan, cook top extractor, pump, furnace and water heater controls.
16. We had to provide mechanical support to the shore line so that the mechanical load was not borne by the electrical connection. To do this, we attached a small, stainless steel D-ring to the outside of the trailer a few inches from the hook-up point and attached a clip to the shoreline that hooks over the D-ring. This looks very unobtrusive whereas a hook on the outside of the trailer would look nasty I think.
17. I took the trailer for two inspections. For the first inspection, I didn’t replace any of the paneling or cabinetry that we had removed for the refit so that Paul (the inspector) could inspect the routes and fastening of the 240V cabling. For the first inspection, I left the trailer with Paul and he did a thorough check and test and then told me in detail what further work was needed. Once I had completed this further work and completely refitted all the panels and cabinets, Matthew and I returned with the trailer. Paul quizzed Matthew and me on our work, completed a further inspection and test, and then certified the installation. Yay! I understand the future inspections (due every four years) will have a much lighter touch!

The end result of all this work is very pleasing. We have a modern, efficient smart charger to drive the original 12V system and care for the battery. We have a discretely installed, NZ-compliant 240V system with 6 outlets. We have a small, blue sticker in the windshield that says we’re legal. And my wife can use her hair dryer in the trailer! Yay!

Apologies for such a long-winded reply but perhaps this will help other Kiwis get their Airstreams refitted to meet NZ regs.

Best wishes for your rewire adventure!

Cheers, KiwiAS.
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Old 03-31-2014, 07:12 AM   #30
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Great job, glad you got it all sorted out.

Perry
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Old 03-31-2014, 10:24 AM   #31
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I am glad you got it worked out, but what a hassle all for the sake of rules without a reason.

The solid core copper wire in my trailer was no worse for the wear after 40 years of hard service, in fact I reused all of it in the refit of my trailer.
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Old 04-01-2014, 02:31 AM   #32
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Thank you KiwiAS for the very detailed descriptions of your conversion, I have much to learn and it's important to do this properly to meet the NZ regulation. You can now plan to head away and enjoy your Airstream for the autumn
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Old 10-02-2020, 04:19 PM   #33
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Hi airstreamz, I bought the 28' Airstream from Dunbar Slone. Did you convert your Airstream to 240v? Dunbar supplied us with the 240-120v step down transformer that he had on his site. It is really heavy & is working a treat. I would love to get mine converted & compliance issued as traveling the the transformer is close to impossible.
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Old 10-03-2020, 05:42 AM   #34
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Hi airstreamz, I bought the 28' Airstream from Dunbar Slone. Did you convert your Airstream to 240v? Dunbar supplied us with the 240-120v step down transformer that he had on his site. It is really heavy & is working a treat. I would love to get mine converted & compliance issued as traveling the the transformer is close to impossible.
Hi there, good to hear from the buyer who got Dunbar's 28ft. I got my 20ft converted to 240 successfully, it takes a lot of planning and patience. I had the same transformer, while it works well at home, it can not be used at a camp site, you must have a valid eWOF to legally plug in. Hey, why don't you come join us at the Airstream Club New Zealand FB group, we are happy to answer your questions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/airstreamclub
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