breaker keeps throwing

[acooley]

Can anyone tell me why our main breaker at the meter keeps throwing? We've replaced it, tried over loading it....but it happens at random times, usually when nothing is being used. We have 10-3 wire ran about 50 feet, would that be the issue? If anyone has any ideas, please help! Trying to keep from rewiring the whole thing if it may be an issue with the camper itself. Breakers inside do not throw. When we turn everything on trying to throw it, it stays good. But at night when only a fan is running, it throws. What can it be? Thanks!

[wa8yxm]

enblethen wrote:
Try sticking two copper rods in wet organic soil about 2 inches apart and see what happens

Well since the standard copper rod is 10 feet long, That is, A WHOLE LOT MORE METAL than is what is in that outlet.

Try two 2 inch copper nails That is closer to the surface area.

As I said, Many hot-steam humidifiers you find at your local drug store have 2-3 times the metal in contact with the water than the outlet has in it and you still have to add salt.

And they run on a standard 15 amp circuit.

I am talking about things I have seen with my own eyes.. I am giving testimony here. Not 3rd hand, Not "I have read" but I have personally seen and/or fixed (Got the outlet out of the mud puddle)

[ernie1]

I experienced a situation where a breaker tripped while I was doing remodeling on my house.Went out to reset it and it didn't feel right like the breaker wasn't snapping back into place and felt mushy. Figured the thing needed replacing so I removed it from the buss bar and what I saw surprised me (not shocked). The breaker I removed along with the next one below it were burnt looking and the plastic surfaces where they were in contact with each other were cracked and the two breakers appeared moist, not dripping wet. I assumed that condensation caused a low level short between the two breakers and eventually one failed?

I then recalled a similar situation I'd seen at another breaker panel of a friend of mine where there was condensation that was shorting out a few breakers and, since this was at night, you could see this light show which was very troubling to watch. Assuming there was no leakage of water from an external source like rain or sprinklers, how does all this moisture get in there?

By the way, the moisture did cause the breakers to fail and trip.

[enblethen]

Yes, organic. The soil must contain organic material.
Around my place, there is very little organic decomposing material. We have a lot of sand and volcanic ash.
On the "wet side" of WA, there is a lot of organic decomposing material in the soil.

[SaltiDawg]

"organic soil?"

[enblethen]

Try sticking two copper rods in wet organic soil about 2 inches apart and see what happens

[wa8yxm]

enblethen wrote:
If the connector is soaking wet it could be enough to trip breaker.
We need to wait for the OP to say:
What kind of circuit it is. If it is a 15/20 amp then he is tripping a GFCI.

I have seen 30 amp outlets completly under boiling water and the breaker did not trip.. I have used hot-steam type vaporizors that had more metal in the salted (To make it more conductive) water than you find inside a TT-30 outlet and they ran on 14 amps or less.

SO unless that outlet is a GFCI.. I do not see wet outlet on end of line being the issue.

Intermittnat short inside connection (plug or outlet) or GFCI breaker are the only options I see.

[Bob_Landry]

ScottG wrote:

enblethen wrote:
If the connector is soaking wet it could be enough to trip breaker.

I'm sorry but that's not correct. Plain water is not conductive enough to trip a breaker or blow a fuse (unless it's a pico-fuse). That's in part why they came up with GFCI's.
Kind of a oddity really; it wont conduct enough to create any kind of serious load but since a person can be killed by a little as a few milli-amps, it conducts enough to ruin your day!

But I agree with you that it will trip a GFCI.

Scott

Scott is correct. We have shore power cords dropped in the water at marinas all the time and the breaker won't trip unless it's a GFCI.

[enblethen]

Plain water yes, but muddy water laying on soaking wet ground has sufficient conductivity.

[ScottG]

enblethen wrote:
If the connector is soaking wet it could be enough to trip breaker.

I'm sorry but that's not correct. Plain water is not conductive enough to trip a breaker or blow a fuse (unless it's a pico-fuse). That's in part why they came up with GFCI's.
Kind of a oddity really; it wont conduct enough to create any kind of serious load but since a person can be killed by a little as a few milli-amps, it conducts enough to ruin your day!

But I agree with you that it will trip a GFCI.

Scott

[Rvpapa]

Maybe a smarta** neighbor ? :M
Art.

[enblethen]

If the connector is soaking wet it could be enough to trip breaker.
We need to wait for the OP to say:
What kind of circuit it is. If it is a 15/20 amp then he is tripping a GFCI.

[ScottG]

enblethen wrote:
It could be moisture build up at night.
How is it connected on the rig's end? Is it protected from condensation?

That could sure be the case if he has a GFCI but if it's a regular breaker then moisture wont conduct enough to make it trip (even if you submerged the plug in water).

Cheers,
Scott

[wa8yxm]

YOu said "The main breaker at the meter" This .. is very strange,

I would like to see a photo of the breaker. but instead I will tell you what I'd be looking for... A button on the breaker marked TEST.

If there is such a button,, What you have is a groung fault. You said you ran 50 feet of 10/3 Ok I assume on the end of that you put a TT-30 outlet, which is laying on the ground with your trailer plugged into it.

That is the problem, moisture is tripping the GFCI side of the breaker

IF.. that is... It has that test button.

[ernie1]

What main breaker are you throwing? Are you at home or an rv park? What amperage rating is the breaker? Are we talking about a gfi or a breaker? Can the breaker be reset after it's thrown? Does it have good contact with the buss bars when installed? Who removed and reinstalled it?