breaker keeps blowing

[panteramatt]

Went camping recently and my new to me camper kept blowing the main 30 amp breaker. I had my ac on high, hot water heater on electric, and 2 small refridgerators running. Is this too many amps for the camper? I moved to another box on another site and used an extension cord and it even melted them together. I would think 30 amps should handle those and if not why build the camper on a 30 amp circuit? I guess I could just run my heater on propane. Would having a dead battery cause this issue also?

[APT]

I was tripping my 30A main breaker one summer as well with similar loads as prior years. I ended up replacing that like afidel did which resolved the problem.

[afidel]

pbohart wrote:
Hey. I know this topic has been thoroughly discussed, but your load does not sound too large for a 30amp breaker.

I was having a similar problem with my 30amp breaker popping under reasonable load. I replaced the breaker and it fixed my problem.

I am not an expert, but seems as if the switches get worn and over time will pop under lighter and lighter loads.

FYI.

It'll depend on voltage, over the weekend of the 4th I could only run my AC on my 30A, any other load brought the voltage below the cutoff on my EMS. Had to turn off converter and fridge and couldn't us the microwave during the day. At home with 126V I can run the fridge, converter, and AC on a 15A plug.

[enblethen]

pbohart: You are correct. The springs in the breakers running hot can loose their tension.

[pbohart]

Hey. I know this topic has been thoroughly discussed, but your load does not sound too large for a 30amp breaker.

I was having a similar problem with my 30amp breaker popping under reasonable load. I replaced the breaker and it fixed my problem.

I am not an expert, but seems as if the switches get worn and over time will pop under lighter and lighter loads.

FYI.

[pianotuna]

BB_TX wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,........

24 amps continuous is what a 30 amp service can handle.
........

If you check manufacturer circuit breaker trip curves, you will see that circuit breakers are rated to run at full rated load indefinitely. Only after they exceed that current rating do they begin to trip. Slightly exceeding the printed rating they will trip after a few seconds or a few minutes. The more the printed current rating is exceeded, the faster they trip.

It is recommended that the expected design load on a circuit breaker to be less than the max rating. But that does not mean it will trip at less than the max rating.

breaker trip curves

In homes the electrical code is 80% of rated current. That's 12 amps for a 15 amp. But of course, since RV's are "plug in devices" they are exempt.

It is easy, in our power hungry RV's to exceed 30 amps.

Low voltage exacerbates the problem and is endemic in RV parks.

You can fix the problem with technology, or you can suffer in the mid summer heat by turning off the air conditioner, to protect if from damage. Probably best to not use the microwave--but those at least are no longer expensive.

[panteramatt]

Thanx guys I learned a lot. Seems like my system is working just fine I just overloaded it which i suspected in the first place. If I'm bumping my a.c. I will run my water heater on propane from now on.

[BB_TX]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,........

24 amps continuous is what a 30 amp service can handle.
........

If you check manufacturer circuit breaker trip curves, you will see that circuit breakers are rated to run at full rated load indefinitely. Only after they exceed that current rating do they begin to trip. Slightly exceeding the printed rating they will trip after a few seconds or a few minutes. The more the printed current rating is exceeded, the faster they trip.

It is recommended that the expected design load on a circuit breaker to be less than the max rating. But that does not mean it will trip at less than the max rating.

breaker trip curves

[pianotuna]

Hi,

As the various items are turned on, voltage may become lower and lower. The air conditioner may draw more and more watts as the day gets hotter. I've measured mine at 1900 watts. (Dometic 13500 btu)

1900/107 =~ 17.76 amps at my comfort zone of 107 volts.

24 amps continuous is what a 30 amp service can handle.

24- 17.76 = 6.24 amps for all other continuous loads. (about 667 watts)

At campgrounds when every one is running their roof air, and other loads, there may be voltage drop. It behooves the owner to monitor voltage. As the voltage drops there is much more risk of melting plugs.

My comfort zone is no lower than 107. I keep in my comfort zone by added an autoformer.

[Edd505]

panteramatt wrote:

Sjm9911 wrote:
What kind of camper do you have and what does it normally run at? Is it a 50 amp plugged into a 30 amp? My TT will run ac, fridge ( just one), ellectric water heater, and microwave etc just fine. Are the fridges built in or did you add them? You can always run a hevey duty extention cord for extras to your power pedistal. What type of cord did you use?

Its a 32ft COugar TT 30 amp. It has a built in refridge indoor and outdoor. The extension cord I used was very heavy duty.

The longer you go the heaver you need, here is a standard 30Amp RV extension.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CAMCO-PowerGrip-25-ft-10-3-3-Prong-Indoor-Outdoor-STW-Super-Heavy-Duty-Gene...

[Lwiddis]

Read about RV electric...the basics.

[time2roll]

panteramatt wrote:
The extension cord I used was very heavy duty.

S/B #10 wire minimum.

[jdc1]

AC = 13amps
Converter = 8amps
Water heater = 13 amps

[Sjm9911]

I would think eaither you had some other big draws, or something else is wrong. The camper if made that way , should be ok on the 30 amps. Mine is. So, it could be something wonky at the campsite you were at, or something not pluged in all the way. Make sure your conections are good. All of them, even going into the power center. And the plugs on the fridges. It could be a loose wire arching also. And as said above , volt meter and get yourself an ems , not cheap but will save the electronics. Now you have to see if it was the campground you were in or in your camper. Do the easy stuff first, so check conections check each thing individually. Rule stuff out 1 by 1. Pita, but only way to tell.

[panteramatt]

Sjm9911 wrote:
What kind of camper do you have and what does it normally run at? Is it a 50 amp plugged into a 30 amp? My TT will run ac, fridge ( just one), ellectric water heater, and microwave etc just fine. Are the fridges built in or did you add them? You can always run a hevey duty extention cord for extras to your power pedistal. What type of cord did you use?

Its a 32ft COugar TT 30 amp. It has a built in refridge indoor and outdoor. The extension cord I used was very heavy duty.