A couple weeks ago I pulled into an electric site with a low battery. The 55 amp WFCO is putting out the max while the air is running to cool us off. Franks booster is keeping voltage at 115 inside the trailer. After about an hour I notice the battery ammeter at zero and discover the 15 amp circuit breaker that feeds the 55 amp converter has tripped. The breaker was rather hot but you could hold your finger on it and not get burned or anything. I reset the breaker and within a few minutes it tripped again. I let is cool for a time and reset again and it held for close to an hour befor it warmed up and tripped. Next morning I reset it again and it got warm again but the amps started to taper and it held fine and fully charged the battery.
So what do I do? The connections are clean and tight. WFCO says the 55 pulls up to 12 amps. I am certain nothing else was on that circuit even though it does serve several other outlets. It might feed the fridge but I am pretty sure I had that on propane since voltage was low.
I want to add a separate 20 amp breaker for the converter but the wire that feeds the converter is 14 but unbundled so I am a bit leary to do that. Maybe the breaker is just weak? Does the heat play into it and help trip the breaker?
I don't have a clamp on ammeter to check actual amps, maybe that is the best place to start?
Yes 2oldman I did a search but it seems like the issues are with air conditioners and surge current.
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50 amps at 14 volts is 700 watts. That would only be 7.5 - 8 amps input to put out 700 watts.
It would be fairly simple to install a #12 wire to a new receptacle, then hook that up to a 20 amp circuit breaker, solving that problem.
If you are in a campground, and can plug the charger into a 20 amp power cord, then into a 20 amp GFI at the RV park, that will also solve your problem. I think that even a 14 gauge extension cord will supply enough power for the charger, as I think you will find it's load is less than 1,200 watts - 10 or 11 amps at normal voltages to make up to 60 amps at 14 volts or even 15 volts output.
When you get home or someplace with a clamp on meter, check the 15 amp CB to see if there are any additional loads on that breaker. You might be suprised with something like the refrigerator or water heater?
Fred.
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IF the breaker is getting hot this means there is a high resistance connection .... If it is THAT BREAKER that is the hottest (the one next to it is warm and 2 or 3 away it's normal) then the high resistance is in or on THAT breaker if the whole box is hot it might be elsewhere.
There are TWO suspects
#1 is a joke I like to make "We RVers often have a few screws loose"
In this case the screw that holds the wire to the breaker
With the rig UNPLUGED and the main power plug where you can see it, and the GENERATOR (if any) OFF. open the box and check the screw. If it's loose, tighten
#2 is the breaker itself.. If there is nothing wrong with the screw then LOOSEN it, detach the wire and take the breaker to either an electrical store, hardware store (This includes Lowes and Home Depot) or an RV store (Camping World, ______ RV) and get a replacement. The breaker normally just tips out the Whichever end does not have a screw pulls forward and the breaker comes out
You may plug in so the AC runs while running to the store... Just be sure to UNPLUG before you replace the breaker... Unless.. Of course... You like working on hot electrical lines
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
I have been told that breakers have a kind of a cumulative function-near or slightly over full load for a while and it accumulates heat and finally trips, or way over full load it heats up fast and trips immediately. I also understand they get weaker and more sensitive with age, so it might be worthwhile replacing it.
Since the trailer is a 2006 I take it this is a new problem that's just cropped up. So if you've loosened and re tighten all the connections (what looks and feels tight might have corrosion built up under it that loosening and re tightening will move/break up) and the breaker still trips then the first thing we do replace the breaker. If that doesn't fix the problem I get my trusty electrician friend to bring his clamp on ammeter over and check the actual draw on the breaker.
My water heater electric element is on the same breaker as the converter. Check and see if there is a pig tail on the converter breaker with a wire cap and something else hooked to it. This pig tail comes on the WFCO converter and is sometimes used due to lack of available breakers.
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If the wire to the breaker is tight, another possibility is the connection between the breaker & the buss is bad. With the power off, pull the breaker, check the back of it for corrosion or signs of overheating - if it is bad replace it otherwise, try reseating it.
If the voltage input was low, the current draw to the converter would have been a bit higher than normal. The maximum continuous load on a 15 amp breaker is 12 amps anyway, so you may have just been on the edge. All the suggestions are good, but you were using a lot of power all at once, that just may be how much you can do at once.
Brian
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teb1272 wrote: I have been told that breakers have a kind of a cumulative function-near or slightly over full load for a while and it accumulates heat and finally trips, or way over full load it heats up fast and trips immediately. I also understand they get weaker and more sensitive with age, so it might be worthwhile replacing it.
I read this also but I cannot seem to find info on the breaker type that I have or a breaker type that might only have the manetic trip vs both magnetic and thermal trip mechanism.
I believe this is the breaker: Square D SQD HOMT1520
It says Type: HOM is that Heat Or Magnetic?
Is there another type that would not trip as easy in this circumstance?
Is any breaker fine for RV use as long as the rating is correct and it fits the slot?
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