Anderson plug? (Dodgy)

gatkins · Oct 20, 2020

I like many presumed the Anderson plugs were of a stated quality capable of ~50 amp.
Certainly I can see the quality in the brass contacts of the Anderson plugs on my caravan.
Sadly I cannot see the same quality in the “Narva” Anderson plugs fitted to my egg recently.
So here I am at Denham in WA and have just discovered the refrigerator Anderson plug contacts have welded themselves together 😟
Plugs have now been separated, a little damage and heat distortion. What I discovered is the Narva Anderson plug is a flimsy metal contact and not the expected solid brass contacts. I am so angry at the installer at this point... quality is required, cheap fittings undermine good work and potentially causing me to choose between refrigeration or brakes for my trip. Making a run for home to get this fixed.
( will add pics soon )

the Narva plug on the egg

the Anderson plug on the van

Brendanm · Oct 20, 2020

Should probably change the title. An "Anderson style plug" is not an "Anderson plug". Narva are pretty hit and miss.

Odessa · Oct 20, 2020

Narva have been ****e 😊 for years since the very beginning when they started out.

They started out as a cheapo mob .... bloody hell ??? back in the day cant remember 25 or so years ago ..... or this is when i noticed this cheapo ****e 😊 compared to what i was buying for muscle car stuff O/S which we didnt have here.

Narva is not a premium product only their branding is ........ Sadly .......

Need quality check out marine shops i guess

gatkins · Oct 21, 2020

some good news... I managed to resolve this issue whilst on the road out of necessity.
when installed the copper contacts (all 4 of them) were forced into the plug housing upside down thereby failing to lock into place. When the caravan was plugged in this has forced the copper contacts back partially out of the plug housing. The thin connector I could see is actually the spring that should have been covered by the connector. So all that was completing the circuits was the fine stainless spring 😟
I was able to pull each wire / connector back out of the plug housing, twist them around 180° and re insert locking into place correctly. Feeling more confident for the trip home.

Crispy3 · Oct 21, 2020

Good luck with powering the caravan on the return Grant. I was in Denham in July and it’s a nice spot. Did the run to Mandurah in one day.

I have never had good experience with Narva products. They feel lightweight build and cheap and notoriously bad connections with 7 pin round plug. With my caravan connector I have a unreliable pin for the pin that does the electronic braking. Fortunately with the Redarc, the dial is illuminated when power is on to the unit. I’ve had to stop on occasion to wiggle the plug to ‘make’ the circuit work and then it is ok but next time plugged in, it’s not again. May have to replace the connector on the car side. Will have a look around for another style.

Pete.

gatkins · Oct 21, 2020

Pete, thanks I had an uneasy feeling on the last haul to Denham, was not sure if the caravan brakes and stability control were fully functional, heavy cross winds making life uncomfortable and on occasions tested the manual activate for the redarc brakes.
I now know they were likely operating of the battery pack which was probably not getting much charge from the car.
Brake Battery is showing low charge so will be taking it easy hoping that my fix is able to rectify that too.

Enigmatic · Oct 21, 2020

I had the same problem with my connections. I replaced the 12 pin Narva with 'Trailer Vision' from RTM stores or online and also the Anderson 'style' with 'genuine' Anderson plugs on both the car and the van. Also put 'Trailer Vision' covers on the Anderson plugs. Has made a huge difference. No crud gets into the Andersons, and the 12 pin is like chalk and cheese. The Trailer Vision plugs are solid, well built, and connect really firmly.

Enigmatic · Oct 22, 2020

Previous post amended.

Crispy3 · Oct 22, 2020

Enigmatic said:
Previous post amended.

Thanks, I will take a look at them.

Pete.

gatkins · Oct 22, 2020

@Enigmatic thank you for the suggestions, my van already has genuine Anderson plugs but will be getting new ones now as they are a little scorched 🔥
@Crispy3 ... a small hiccup at the beginning when the fridge would only work on one of the circuits, but resolved by switching circuits, Oddly they both worked after switching circuits. (Damaged plugs I guess)
On this trip from Denham to Geraldton I was confident that the brakes were working and the stability control.

Anderson plug? (Dodgy)

gatkins

Brendanm

Odessa

gatkins

Crispy3

gatkins

Enigmatic

Enigmatic

Crispy3

gatkins

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