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Old 06-28-2018, 07:26 PM   #1
PaulDeb2
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Main Breaker keeps turning off

We are camping in our 2011 Bullet 294 BHS and running nothing unusual...AC, Hot Water Heater, Refrigerator, Lights. My daughter and I were both reading...not running the hair dryer or anything exciting and the main breaker tripped. It has done this 4 times in the last 1.5 hours.

Any idea what could be causing this?
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Old 06-28-2018, 07:41 PM   #2
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Is it a 30A trailer? If so, running the AC will limit you to what you can run. If running the AC your HWH has to be on LP, not electric.
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Old 06-28-2018, 07:44 PM   #3
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Try turning off the AC and see what happens. I suspect you may be getting low voltage from the pedestal and the sum of all the appliances is greater than what’s being supplied.

Low voltage-high amps. If you had a surge protector it would probably tell you and shut the power off, and reset when the minimum amount needed was coming in.
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Old 06-28-2018, 07:46 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Is it a 30A trailer? If so, running the AC will limit you to what you can run. If running the AC your HWH has to be on LP, not electric.


Actually you can, I do it all the time. I do run the refer on LP as it cools better if I’m using A/C and W/H.
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Old 06-28-2018, 08:02 PM   #5
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Yes...30 amp trailer. We’ve been running the HW on electric previously without any problems, so that’s interesting.
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Old 06-28-2018, 08:08 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
Try turning off the AC and see what happens. I suspect you may be getting low voltage from the pedestal and the sum of all the appliances is greater than what’s being supplied.

Low voltage-high amps. If you had a surge protector it would probably tell you and shut the power off, and reset when the minimum amount needed was coming in.
So Chuckster - Are you saying I need to purchase a surge protector?

When I arrived, the 20 amp had a plug in that said, “Do Not Turn Off...WiFi”. When I tried to plug my rear AC into that it wouldn’t turn on, so I called Maintenance. He said the GFI would keep tripping if I plugged my AC in, so I needed to get a 30 amp to 50 amp converter. I was going to Walmart in the morning to purchase one. But if the box isn’t supplying enough power for the trailer without the rear AC on, I’m questioning would that even work?
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Old 06-29-2018, 01:13 AM   #7
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When it is hot out, there is a high demand for electricity. Sometimes, the power at the pole you are using is the culprit. I had this happen last time out camping at an RV park. Turned out that my breakers were getting hot; hot day, high electrical load. I opened the cover on my power converter and put a small table fan in front and never tripped again. Since I have an older trailer, I can't say if the fan was working or not. It is a small muffin fan that sits atop the converter box in the back. My fan is supposed to kick on at 140 degrees. There is a thermostat and heat sync, etc. I have a Parallax converter.


What I did when I got back is install a 110V muffin fan in the front lower grill and just tie the wires to a circuit breaker so now when I am on shore power, the fan is on and cooling and the breakers haven't kicked off since.
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Old 06-29-2018, 03:59 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulDeb2 View Post
So Chuckster - Are you saying I need to purchase a surge protector?

When I arrived, the 20 amp had a plug in that said, “Do Not Turn Off...WiFi”. When I tried to plug my rear AC into that it wouldn’t turn on, so I called Maintenance. He said the GFI would keep tripping if I plugged my AC in, so I needed to get a 30 amp to 50 amp converter. I was going to Walmart in the morning to purchase one. But if the box isn’t supplying enough power for the trailer without the rear AC on, I’m questioning would that even work?
Now I'm confused. Are you plugged into both 20 amp (for rear AC) and 30 amp (for rest of trailer) or just 20 amp? A little more clarity of your setup will help.
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Old 06-29-2018, 04:43 AM   #9
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Actually you can, I do it all the time. I do run the refer on LP as it cools better if I’m using A/C and W/H.
I do too - on a known good 20A circuit. In this instance, without knowing what the situation is/was, it seemed prudent to turn one or the other off to see if that stopped it. If it did we know we were either drawing too much current for that circuit or that the power is suspect....which it very well may be.. Just my thinking.
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Old 06-29-2018, 05:42 AM   #10
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Total amp usage is important, and besides the AC the fridge and water heater are the biggest hogs. Since we travel with a heat sensitive Siamese cat, I switch the fridge to LP as that switch is inside. WH switch requires a trip outside. Yeah I’m lazy LOL.
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Old 06-29-2018, 06:01 AM   #11
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Some confusion here on my part. Why are you plugged into the 20 amp household style receptacle? Are you plugged into the 30 amp RV style receptacle as well?
If your trailer is equipped with a three prong RV plug, you should be plugged into the 30 amp receptacle. If you have a voltmeter, check the voltage at the park pedestal. Unless your a/c is an add-on, it should get its power from the distribution panel, which receives its power from the 30 amp cord.
At any rate, I would eliminate as much power draw as you can. As mentioned above, switch the water heater and fridge to gas. If you have incandescent bulbs, reduce the number of lights you have on - this will reduce how much your converter runs.
It could be that your main breaker has become weaker with age and now trips sooner (at a lower amperage) than before. But, it all goes back to the park power. If the voltage there is low your amperage draw will be higher.
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Old 06-29-2018, 06:27 AM   #12
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I run my AC, have my fridge on auto (so electric) and my water heater on electric with 30A and never have a problem. I have used an electric kettle with all those items and it is usually fine. Occasionally it will trip the breaker on the pedestal and I reset and turn the water heater to gas until we are done with the kettle or microwave and such and then switch the water heater back to electric.
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:26 AM   #13
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Now I'm confused. Are you plugged into both 20 amp (for rear AC) and 30 amp (for rest of trailer) or just 20 amp? A little more clarity of your setup will help.
At the time it was tripping, only the 30amp. I’m heading to Walmart now to buy a 30 to 50 amp converter for my rear AC
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Old 06-29-2018, 07:31 AM   #14
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At the time it was tripping, only the 30amp. I’m heading to Walmart now to buy a 30 to 50 amp converter for my rear AC
If your trailer has a 30A shore cord, then plugging into a 50A service panel isn’t going to increase the amps inside your trailer. Your main breaker will still only be 30A. I’m leaning towards pedestal issues, low voltage most likely.
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:14 AM   #15
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Battery condition can play a big part also. If the converter/charger is trying to charge a low battery it will draw enough amperage to put you over the 30 amps supplied. Easy fix is to simply switch W/H to gas and enjoy your day. JM2¢, Hank
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Old 06-29-2018, 03:01 PM   #16
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So Chuckster - Are you saying I need to purchase a surge protector?

When I arrived, the 20 amp had a plug in that said, “Do Not Turn Off...WiFi”. When I tried to plug my rear AC into that it wouldn’t turn on, so I called Maintenance. He said the GFI would keep tripping if I plugged my AC in, so I needed to get a 30 amp to 50 amp converter. I was going to Walmart in the morning to purchase one. But if the box isn’t supplying enough power for the trailer without the rear AC on, I’m questioning would that even work?
I'm completely confused as well. What are you plugged into and what is the trailer wired for, 30 or 50 amp? My camper is 30 amp and if pedestal power is good I can run the ac (15000 btu) , the wh, and fridge on electric. If DW uses the microwave the ac gets switched to fan only for duration of the microwave use. Here's how I do it...I travel with fridge on auto so when we get there it's already cool and doesn't need to run much to maintain the temp. I turn on the ac and open the vents on the shroud for quick cooling. Not all ac units have this. I then turn on hwh on gas until ac has cooled inside down and compressor begins to cycle. After the ac temps come come down turn hwh on electric. If you connect the power and everything is on then the amperage demand can exceed the supply. The lower the supplied voltage the higher the amperage so it's a good idea to get yourself an inexpensive plug in ac voltmeter so you know what you are getting power wise as that can be a primary suspect if this is a new issue at a new cg. Another issue to be aware of is discolored logs on your plug. If the load blade on your plug is discolored (blued or black) it's a sure sign of arcing and heat damage. This discoloration is from burning and will create a high resistance causing the campers electrical load to exceed the breaker. I apologize for the lengthy reply but I hope it's helpful.
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Old 06-29-2018, 03:26 PM   #17
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I am really confused now. Even more than usual....if that's possible

The breaker was tripping with AC/hwh on. Went outside to plug the rear AC into a 20A plug labeled wifi, do not turn off, and the manager said get a 30/50A adapter? When things failed only the 30A plug was inserted and the "AC" was running. Now getting a 30/50A adapter to make the REAR AC work???

Maybe the 30A plug is suspect and there is a 50A available? How would that make the rear AC, apparently with a separate 20A plug, work? Hopefully the OP will post back and clarify, and, hasn't wasted the money on an adapter. A good EMS would have this solved - (note to OP - a very good idea and use of your money!!). Good luck in getting this resolved - don't forget flaky campground power; happens a lot.
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Old 06-29-2018, 04:49 PM   #18
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We have the camper stored so when I arrive everything is HOT! Inside, Refrigerator...So the AC is working hard and the Refrigerator is working hard! I do have a rear add-on AC. We usually plug it into the 20amp using an adapter as the AC has a 30 amp plug. I did go to Walmart and purchase the 30 - 50 amp adapter and have it plugged into the 50 amp. I’ve never arrived at this campground (or any other) where something was already using my electrical box (the WiFi)

This problem with the breaker in the camper happened 4 times from 10 - 11:30 p.m. and hasn’t happened since and we’ve had all appliances (even a hair dryer) running.

I’m going to guess it had something to do with trying to cool the camper and Refrigerator? I guess next time I’ll turn the Refrigerator on Gas?

What is an EMS?
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Old 06-29-2018, 05:50 PM   #19
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Links to an EMS:

https://www.campingworld.com/30-amp-...th-lcd-display

https://www.campingworld.com/ems-pt3...rge-protection

These units protect you from any number of problems that could "ruin your day", or electrical appliances...or your life. I use the Surge Guard and have for 5 seasons and it has performed admirably. Many like the Progressive due to the lifetime warranty.

Trying to fire up a hot 30A trailer turning everything on is problematic. If you're trying to turn on the AC, fridge, HWH etc....and then plugging in a separate 20A cord into the same ped for a 2nd AC, to me, that's asking for trouble. Ideally there would be no issue. In real life that's not always the case - so many places have marginal power. The other thing to me is, if you're having those issues (tripping breakers) but you finally get them to run marginally, at what voltage are all these things trying to run at? Most of the appliances have voltage ranges that they will "run on". Low voltages due to bad/lack of power may operate your "stuff" but at the same time decrease their lifespan. That's where the EMS comes in...along with a 100 other different scenarios (and no, I don't work or have stock in an EMS company....they just save mine, and others, bacon). I think if I had that problem I would put the fridge and hwh on LP until things stabilized.

I'm glad you're going again. Let us know how it goes.
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Old 06-29-2018, 06:02 PM   #20
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It's possible that the power pedestal 30 amp breaker is worn out. That has happened to us a couple of times over the years. It's due to heavy use. Campground maintenance needs to inspect and replace it, if so. Another alternative is to get the 50 to 30 amp adapter and plug into the 50 amp power source.
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