30 amp breaker keeps popping
I have an 07 Safari Damara Class B+ that we bought late last year. We took it to two state parks and found that the A/C, when using 30 amp, would pop the breakers. Switching the refrigerator to gas ...
Forum Discussion
Agree as it sounds like you could run one appliance at home on 20A but not multiple appliances on the CG 30A. It could also be low CG voltage.
It's very helpful to know the actual voltage. Get a $5 voltmeter at HF and sometimes free. Or as suggested a $30+ clamp on ammeter (make sure it will also measure DC amps) to measure AC/DC voltage and amps. Don't leave home without it.
A $25 Kill A Watt is also useful. Plug it in and it will monitor the voltage. Plug the hair dryer into it and it will then tell you the new voltage under load and the amps and other information. Use it at home also but it only measures amps on an appliance that plugs in - ie not your shore power or A/C. But on a 20A pedestal you can plug the shore cord in and monitor the entire rig. Turn off the power, discharge the batteries to 50% SOC and let the Kill A Watt tell you the charger draw which will taper down as the batteries charge.
Those are the less expensive options. I installed a full power protector that also displays the voltage and amps coming into the CB panel. The charger displays it's voltage and output amps which includes both house and battery loads. A battery monitor displays the battery voltage in/out of the battery and other useful information. Many folks balk at the expense of these items and just do without or replace batteries. But they cost me $0 for the current rig as I just moved them from the last rig...
It's very helpful to know the actual voltage. Get a $5 voltmeter at HF and sometimes free. Or as suggested a $30+ clamp on ammeter (make sure it will also measure DC amps) to measure AC/DC voltage and amps. Don't leave home without it.
A $25 Kill A Watt is also useful. Plug it in and it will monitor the voltage. Plug the hair dryer into it and it will then tell you the new voltage under load and the amps and other information. Use it at home also but it only measures amps on an appliance that plugs in - ie not your shore power or A/C. But on a 20A pedestal you can plug the shore cord in and monitor the entire rig. Turn off the power, discharge the batteries to 50% SOC and let the Kill A Watt tell you the charger draw which will taper down as the batteries charge.
Those are the less expensive options. I installed a full power protector that also displays the voltage and amps coming into the CB panel. The charger displays it's voltage and output amps which includes both house and battery loads. A battery monitor displays the battery voltage in/out of the battery and other useful information. Many folks balk at the expense of these items and just do without or replace batteries. But they cost me $0 for the current rig as I just moved them from the last rig...
