Sunday 2 January was Rest Day. We were able to relax after our trip to Christchurch the previous day. It was good to have time to rest up and digest it all.
Monday was back to work although things were slow to pick up and we only worked 4 hours. We weren’t complaining. Tuesday was a late start as well – mid morning.
By Wednesday the cherries were starting to roll and there were apricots and plums as well. We worked a full day, our first for a while. After work I got started on getting behind our meter panel, removing the door and getting the panel hinged down. I worked out that there was a fuse on the wiring from the solar controller to the batteries so checking it seemed like a good idea. It was in a rubber housing with a lid that was supposed to hinge up – except it wasn’t keen on hinging up. There were a couple of other similar fuses which opened easily. I got more suspicious of the solar one and attacked it with more determination. After much effort I succeeded in prising it open. It hadn’t blown so much as self-destructed. It had sort of melted/imploded. It was easy to see why there was no amps getting to the batteries. It was readable as a 25amp fuse. It wasn’t big enough to cope with a 32amp controller but it should have just blown. Why it melted is a mystery. Whether the controller will burst back into life when the fuse is replaced is the question. The controller is definitely well under specification for the power generated by our panels but should be capable of protecting itself until we can get a bigger one fitted. Meantime the thing is trying to sort out and get to an auto electrician in Alexandra who knows about motorhomes at this time of year.
Thursday was another delayed start but we both worked almost full days. Wyn made a trip into the supermarket and it was BBQ chops for tea.