Explosive revelations about shoddy caravan wiring

As reports of lithium battery fires rage though the media, the question for caravanners is, how relevant is fire risk for lithium powered RVs?

When some types of lithium batteries ignite -- whether the cause of the fire is related to the battery or not -- it’s often an intense fire, and hard to put out.

Daniel Blackford, a licensed electrician from West Australian-based Outech Offgrid that specialises in RV power system installations, has done many videos on his lithium battery fit-outs while outlining some of the potential dangers and shortcomings along the way...

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Blackford told caravancampingsales that while lithium batteries are very safe, and considered extra low voltage in the RV application, how they are wired is potentially a fire risk.

“The instances of lithium iron phosphate catching fire are extremely low," he explained.

"They vent if they have a cell problem. It takes a lot for them to catch on fire. As soon as you talk about high current, high power -- it’s high voltage that ultimately kills you, but it is the high current [in an overloaded circuit] that causes fires.

“Common things we see in this industry are installations that are done in a way that causes damage to them by mechanical influences such as rock strike, or rough roads or off-roading causing movement and wear though a cable," he said.

"Even cables underneath a caravan, if not properly clipped, can wear due to vibration. Beyond that, it’s a lack of cable protection. If you’ve overloaded a circuit, the cable insulation can heat up and melt, resulting in internal wires touching and shorting," he said.

"If you don’t have adequate circuit protection, this can cause a fire. The other issue is where the wire gauge chosen is insufficient for the job.”

The other issue he sees is factory installations where extra low voltage and high voltage wires aren’t separated sufficiently.

“There’s a bird’s nest of wiring, 12 volt and others. There has to be segregation of wiring systems and we don’t see that often in caravans," he said.

“For example, if your 'van is bouncing down the road, potentially an extra low voltage cable might wear through a 240v cable that then livens up the whole installation, and it becomes dangerous to the operator.”

Ensuring that a lithium set-up installed by the caravan manufacturer, is up to the job and safe is not an easy task for any buyer, he claimed, particularly when the wiring is often well-hidden or inaccessible.

“That’s really difficult to do. We can clearly tell from a crimp on a cable how well it has been done. Sometimes it is not the caravan manufacturer that's the issue – it can be a pre-assembled board that a third party has done, and it’s poorly crimped and wiring is undersized for the job.”

He said the installer should be asking the buyer questions about what they plan to do with a lithium system so that it works best for their needs.

“Buying an upgraded electrical package from a manufacturer is not really the answer; the caravan manufacturer still wants to make a dollar and isn’t really asking what the specific buyer wants to do with the system (how long they plan to run air-conditioning, for example) in the first place.”

Buyers should also ask the caravan retailer questions about the type of lithium battery components used, how they're installed and whether it all complies with the latest regulations, as it pays not to cut corners on quality.

“If you know you’re getting quality equipment to start off with, you're a long way in front," he said. "Components such as solar regulators, DC/DC chargers and especially the batteries.

"Quality batteries are one of the most important things you can put into a caravan. Lithium cells cost what they cost. If it’s a poor quality battery in the first place, it can be a fire risk. With lithium, don’t risk buying the cheapest you can find.”

So who should you trust to when it comes to power upgrades of your existing RV?

“That’s really difficult to answer. Look for the installer's qualifications and do social media research for previous installs,” he recommended.

Andrew Huett from Melbourne-based OzXCorp which is a front-runner in 48V lithium battery installations in Australian-made caravans, has been reported as saying that battery certification is an important element to any RV purchase or lithium upgrade.

He has also said a testing process should be done for the whole battery set-up, not just the lithium cells. This includes the important safety features of the battery management system and permanently active thermal/smoke detection.

Since late 2023, RV lithium battery installations in Australia have been required to adhere to AS/NZS 3001.2:2022. In effect, this means lithium batteries themselves must meet international certification standards for safe operation and can’t be installed in an RV’s living area without separation.

Also read: Hidden costs of RV water damage