RE: GFI tripping
You can test the downstream receptacles by shutting off the power, pull the GFCI receptacle out of the box (or wall) and disconnect only the "load" wires (all three - black, white, & ground if it connects to the GFCI). If it holds with the output disconnected, the problem is downstream. If it still trips, you may have a ground/neutral fault - a bit more difficult to find.
RE: Immersion Blender --- Good Enough?
I use one for making sauces that have been cooked for quite a while before blending - it works great for that, however it doesn't work well if the material is in large pieces or too hard. I really think you need both...
RE: 30->20 amp adapter?
vermilye wrote:
The problem is identifying a "STANDARD WALL OUTLET."
A person can easily find out if a duplex outlet is wired as 120 or 240 volts. Plug a radio into the outlet. Turn the volume up loud enough to hear the radio where the home breaker box is located. Turn off breakers one at a time until the radio stops playing. If the breaker is a single breaker, the circuit is 120 volt. If the breaker is a double breaker, it is 240 volts.
Although code currently requires 2 pole breakers on all multiwired circuits (as of the 2008 code even those not on the same yoke) when they were first used they met code using single pole breakers as long as they were on different legs. Because of this, older homes may have multiwire receptacles on single pole breakers.
RE: 30->20 amp adapter?
The double plug adapter is the best option for current carrying abilities. It is safe to use as long as it is used as directed. It should be used with a STANDARD WALL OUTLET. With proper use neither it, nor the duplex outlet it plugs into, will get hot. The moderator mike’s, post warns of using the adapter in non standard outlets. Using the double plug adapter in a switched outlet, with the switch off, would lower its current carrying ability down to a standard dog bone adapter (15 amps). The double plug adapter is made for 120 volt circuits. Plugging the adapter into a 240 volt duplex outlet would not be very smart. However if it were done, the home breaker would trip immediately. For safety, the double adapter should never be plugged into extension cord/s on the 15 amp (prong) side. If an extension cord is needed, use a 30 amp extension on the socket side of the adapter. This keeps voltage drop to a minimum as well.The problem is identifying a "STANDARD WALL OUTLET." There is no physical difference between a multiwired (one leg to the top & one leg to the bottom with a common neutral) receptacle without pulling it from the box. Although multiwiring is not all that common, it is legal & is done. Before using one of these adapters, be sure to measure the voltage between the top & bottom narrow blade of a duplex receptacle (if switched, with the switch on). "0" volts is good, 240 volts is bad! By the way, if half the receptacle is switched, don't use the adapter - too many chances for problems...
RE: Picture posting thread...anyone into it?
vermilye wrote:
I made my annual trip to the Salmon River Falls today - the only waterfall in Oswego County. The falls wasn't all that wonderful, but I did get a couple of photos of the stream below it. Which crop of this do you prefer?
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images40/SUC_2850.jpg width=300
pkjr wrote:
I like this one because it is more focused on the falls. Pan up a bit, and crop the vertical band on the left. If something of interest were in the water in the larger one, then that'd be different.
The second stream pic is really cool. A little more yellow pop adds to the pic, but, how about a bit longer exposure to smooth out the flow in the foreground, instead of it being so choppy?
Beautiful pics, but, since you asked! Believe me, I've been under tougher critique and have learned so much because all the input is accurate! I hope my pics have improved with all the reading I've been doing!
I have to agree - I like the panoramic version better. As to opening up to include more of the stream, this next image does that, but I don't find Salmon River Falls all that photogenic, and the rocks to the left were getting full sun. Lots of Lightroom 2 exposure brushing kinda fixed it, but there still isn't much I like above the small falls. http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images40/SUC_2857.jpg width=640
It's a little better at this angle, but you lose the reflection of the rock wall on the water surface.
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images40/SUC_2862.jpg width=640
I will take out the left to get rid of the blurred branch. I probably should try for something in between.
As to critiques - I'm all for them. I post to a couple of photo critique sites that tell it like it is! Thanks all...
RE: Picture posting thread...anyone into it?
I made my annual trip to the Salmon River Falls today - the only waterfall in Oswego County. The falls wasn't all that wonderful, but I did get a couple of photos of the stream below it. Which crop of this do you prefer?
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images40/SUC_2850.jpg width=640
or this:
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images40/SUC_2851.jpg width=640
Another of the stream:
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images40/SUC_2826.jpg width=640
RE: Picture posting thread...anyone into it?
My guess, and it is only a guess is the hawk is a Juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk, only because it looks like the flying hawk on one of my web pages that was identified by a biologist from our field station. I never saw a second leg, so I'm not sure whether there are two - it does look like a one legged bird. After he left the feeder he sat in a nearby tree waiting for a meal to come to the feeder, but finally gave up after about a half hour...
RE: Picture posting thread...anyone into it?
For some reason, I only have one bird at my bird feeder!
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images40/SUC_2764.jpg height=480
RE: NEED HELP WITH ELECTRICAL!!!! (kind of long)
If the house GFCI is tripping with all the RV's breakers off, you have a ground/neutral fault. Check any wiring that you may have moved, added, etc for a connection between the white & ground wire.
RE: Electrical question
I'd look for a bad ground in either the shorepower connection or your RV cord or breaker panel. If the ground was good, it would cause a circuit breaker to trip if there was a short between the hot & ground. If the ground is open, the chassis of the RV can become hot if there is a hot/ground fault, and the breaker will not trip. Using a volt meter, try shutting off the breakers one at a time to determine which circuit is causing the fault. If none of them stops the problem, it may be caused by a neutral/ground fault, which is a bit more difficult to find.
RE: Help-Electrical Question
I also thought that I may have a problem with the trailers power cord itself. But if this were true then wouldn't I have the same problem when I plug into the generator? Why doesn't the 30-amp breaker on the genny itself trip? Two possibilities - If there was an overload on the order of 25 - 30 amps, it would trip the house 15/20 amp breaker. Unlikely, because it still happens with the breakers off, so there isn't much that could cause a minor overload. More likely, you have a short between a hot & ground either in the cord, connector, or connection to the main breakers. If the generator is not bonded (connecting the ground to the neutral), the breaker would not trip because there is no connection between the generator neutral & ground. When plugged into the house, there is a bond between neutral & ground at the house service entrance. Although RV generators are usually bonded, if it is a 120V generator there is no requirement that it be.
Another way to determine where the short is happening is to unplug the trailer, pull the wires into the main breakers (Should be a red & black wire) cap them, and replug the cord into the shorepower. If it trips, the problem is in the cable, connector, or a too tight clamp on the power cord going into the breaker panel. If it doesn't, I'd look at the breakers & their connection to the AC panel, and any ground wire that may have vibrated its way into the buss bars in the panel.
I've pointed this out in a previous post - if a generator has 2 windings, 1 - 30 amp for the RV & 1 20 amp for the rear AC, unless a transfer switch removes the bonding, there will be a problem when plugged into shore power. Unless the 20 amp winding is completely isolated from the rest of the RV, a bond will appear as a ground/neutral fault when plugged into shorepower, tripping GFCIs & putting neutral current onto the ground wiring.
This is usually a problem with 30 amp RVs, I'd be interested in how your generator is wired in a 50 amp. I don't suspect this is the problem with your RV because the problem would have started with the installation of the generator.
RE: Help-Electrical Question
If we review poker5150's answers, it might help getting at a solution:
I have a built in genset so my 50 amp cord storage area has a female 50 amp receiver box that i plug the 50 amp cord directly into......so my cord is ok. It does not appear that he has a transfer switch.
Yes. Into a 20-amp NON-GFI outlet in the laundry room. as soon as I plugged in, the breaker at the panel popped. If the breaker is tripping, there is an overload. Since it holds when plugged into the generator, the problem must either be in the cords & adapters or a hot to ground short in the RV. Since he replaced the adapters & cords, I'd suspect the RV has a hot to ground short.
To prove it, take a ground lift adapter (the device used to connect a standard 15 amp grounded plug into a 2 wire receptacle) and temporarily use it to disconnect the ground. Be sure the wire or tab on the adapter is not touching anything. If the breaker holds, there is a hot to ground problem. This is a dangerous situation, so don't try to use the ground lift as a cure. You need to find the short.
This is where I have a problem - since you stated you still have the problem with all the breaker open & don't have a transfer switch, there are not many places for the fault. One possibility - if your trailer power cord does not run directly to your breaker panel, (a sign of this would be solid wire going into the main breakers) look for a box used to splice the trailer cord to the solid wire in the trailer. A short at this connection could cause the problem. Other possibilities would be a short in the male plug on the trailer power cord or although unlikely, in the cord itself.
RE: Picture posting thread...anyone into it?
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1620/1938339/4685314/337310800.jpg width=640 I think they must have had the same set of plans for the Brant Point Lighthouse on Nantucket:
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images9/brantpoint2.jpg width=640
RE: Help-Electrical Question
One question that might help in finding answers - Is the breaker tripping or is it a GFCI receptacle tripping? If it is the GFCI, I would suspect a ground/neutral fault since you have turned off the breakers inside the trailer.
You can check the adapters & cord by plugging them into the household GFCI without the trailer plugged. If it holds, the problem is in the trailer.
Although opening the ground connection to the frame of the trailer might stop the GFCI from tripping, it is not a safe solution since the fault still exists. Places to check - the hot water heater particularly if there is a chance it was run on electric without water, even for a few minutes. Also check for a ground/neutral fault in the refer heater & your converter. You might also look for moisture in any outlet that provides a connection between the ground and neutral. If you use your multimeter to measure resistance (ohms) between the ground & the neutral, it should be infinite or at least very high. The best way to determine which circuit is causing the problem is to unplug the trailer, open your breaker panel, lift each neutral one at a time, replugging between each lift. You will likely find a circuit that, when disconnected, lets the GFCI hold. Figure out what is on that circuit & fix it...
If it is the actual circuit breaker tripping, you most likely have a short somewhere. If you are sure your turned off every breaker including the main, and it works plugged into the generator, I would suspect a problem with the adapters or cord.
One last possibility - if your batteries are so far down that the converter draws more than 20 amps that would blow the breaker when plugged into the 15/20 amp household outlet - you might try charging them with a regular battery charger first.
RE: Picture posting thread...anyone into it?
I'm not posting this as a wonderful photograph, but only to ask - Has anyone ever had a Dahlia grow 9' tall? These same bulbs have only made it to 3' - 4' feet in previous years. Maybe the hummingbirds droppings? In any case, this is the biggest Dahila I've ever grown:
http://www.lakeshoreimages.com/images39/DSD_8294web.jpg height=480
RE: 220 volt from 110 vac?
what you do not understand is when you plug into a 50amp service that has 2--120 volt hot legs (A & B Phase)you are actually getting 240 volts 50 amps. But in an rv we do not use any equipment that uses both legs at the same time (240v 50a) cause when you use a 1 phase 30 amp cheater / reducer it allows you to run all your equipment on a single phase. You can not make a 240 volt machine run on the same phase / leg. It needs 2 different phases / legs. If you really need to have a 2 phase plug in your coach you would have to tap into the lines from the gen set before they hit any equipment in the rig. If this is clear as mud you can send me your tel number privately.
A 120/240V service is a single phase service. It does not have an A & B phase. It is properly called a split phase since it is a single phase that adds a center tap to produce two legs of 120v between each hot & the center tap (neutral) and 240v across both hots. A 240v motor is connected across the 2 hots which is a single phase.
There are 240v 3 phase motors that are more efficient, smaller, cheaper, and don't need a starting circuit, however it is almost impossible for a non commercial home to have 3 phase power installed.
RE: 220 volt from 110 vac?
Either a transformer or a motor/generator would do the trick, but they are heavy, expensive, and have limited applications. One use of a motor generator I still see used is to power a 3 phase motor from single phase power sources.
