Electrical Power Issue

[heatherpedro]

Our built in surge protector seems to throwing the main breaker for that circuit every time it kicks in after the 2 min 16 sec delay. Is this a surge protector issue? It has worked fine up until a couple of days ago!
Thanks.

[heatherpedro]

Thanks so much for all your help. I think we have isolated the problem to the main breaker in the mh. So good to know we have help "out there" in diagnosing.

[heatherpedro]

Thanks so much for all your help. I think we have isolated the problem to the main breaker in the mh. So good to know we have help "out there" in diagnosing.

[CA_Traveler]

Do you have a transfer switch in the rig as it could also be the problem?

[CA_Traveler]

Good suggestions above. If turning off the RV CBs doesn't isolate the problem then disconnect the wiring from the protector and track down the short from there. It could be the cord, protector, connectors or other wiring.

[aruba5er]

sounds like you have shorted out some M O S parts in the surpressor. Sound like it is time for a rebuild. They are usually about the same and the hots goes thru the electronics and to ground so it creates a dead short. My daughter had one blow up due to very high voltage coming to the house and blew the 200 amp main.Fix, replace or repair. Progressive has boards that replace so you don't have to change the whole thing.

[DrewE]

I think "house panel" refers to the fixed abode of the poster, not to the RV panel. It must if it controls the socket that the RV is plugged in to.

Since it's OK until the surge protector/power monitor connects, it would seem that the wiring up to that point is OK (not shorted, etc.). This would imply that the lead for the RV is not the problem. You seem to have some sort of a problem in the RV wiring itself—probably a short—somewhere after the power monitor. If so, the circuit breaker popping is quite possibly preventing it from going up in flames. The suggestion to try circuits in the RV individually is a good one for starting to track down where the problem may lie. I would tend to guess that it's close to the power inlet and distribution panel, as I would generally expect a branch circuit breaker in the RV (at 15 or 20 amp rating) to pop before the 50 amp breaker, but that's not fully guaranteed.

If you can verify that everything in the RV is safe, it would probably be worthwhile to try replacing the 50 amp breaker. Breakers have been known to wear out sometimes and cease to carry their rated load. That's not the first or second thing to suspect when one pops, though.

[CA_Traveler]

heatherpedro wrote:
The breaker that is being blown is in the house panel and controls that circuit.

"House panel" as in the rig? Normally "surge protector" which usually is a full house protector is located ahead of the rigs CB panel and apparently you have a downstream problem.

What make and model "surge protector" do you have? Being hardwired I would assume it's wired prior to the CB panel - is it?

[time2roll]

So the main 50 amp 220 volt supply circuit trips.... nothing in the RV?

Is this a dedicated circuit? I assume it is.
Any chance the 50 amp breaker is a GFCI breaker? Otherwise it seems to be an overload.

Try turning off all breakers in the RV, then plug in and see if power comes through.

Yes? turn on one main RV breaker then the other main. Then one branch circuit at a time and see what trips.

No? You might be looking at a short in the main cable or the transfer switch.

Post up what you find.

[CA_Traveler]

heatherpedro wrote:
It is a specialized 220 circuit. It has worked fine for the past two months.

What does this mean? It's either a standard 50A 220/110 etc circuit or it's indeed "specialized".
Understand you're in Mexico but...

We tried the 120 volt circuit and it blew as well.

I would find a standard US outlet or generator and try that.

You could turn off all CB's in the rig and try that. Then if OK turn on the main CB and then the rest - might isolate the problem.

[heatherpedro]

The surge protector is hardwired in to the motorhome. There is no bypass. The breaker that is being blown is in the house panel and controls that circuit. It is a specialized 220 circuit. It has worked fine for the past two months. We tried the 120 volt circuit and it blew as well.

[wa8yxm]

"Throwing the main breaker for that circuit"..er, what circuit.

Do you mean when the unit times in (not out) the pedestal breaker trips or do you mean the main breakers inside the RV trip or some other breaker?

All answers have different answers as it were.

[westend]

How do you have the surge protector connected--shore pedestal, at home, through an extension cord? More information is needed.

[1492]

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