A/C circuit breaker tripping

[David51]

I was in Hilton Head Harbour RV park last week and had problems with the 20 amp A/C breaker tripping during the day.when we returned to camper,we found the circuit breaker was tripped. I'm reasonably sure that the campground power was the cause BUT my Question is what can i do to stop the power surges in the panel box? my A/C breaker is on a double pole with my main power 30amp/20amp and my main power breaker is not tripping, just the A/C. do they make something called a "amp trap circuit breaker" for campers?
thanks David

[Festus2]

You might want to look into a "surge protector". There are a variety of types available - portable, hard-wired as well as ones that offer varying degrees of protection. You can buy one that just offers basic protection or one that has a variety of protections against different electrical faults and hazards.

Google "RV surge protector" and you'll find all sorts of hits. Or you can do a forum search and find numerous threads on this item.

Note for David51: I deleted your previous post which appeared earlier which was identical to this one.

[geo]

From a biased standpoint, I like the Surge Guard 40250 with remote. It not only protects the RV's electrical, but is an ATS too. I put one on the Alpine (documented in Mods on this forum) and had one installed on our new unit. It does work! In our park, we get over voltages greater than 8%. The 40250 disconnects quickly and then reconnects when the voltage comes back into range.

Ron

[Bob Landry]

If the problem is being cause by low CG voltage or too many ACs on the branch circuit, a surge protector isn't going to solve anything. He need to find out what the voltage at the pedestal is and start working back from there.
My marine equipment doesn't shut off until it gets down to 103VAC, but IMO that's too low. When it gets down to that level, it can easily top below 100V with a load on it. AC compressors will continue to try to run and will draw excessive current to compensate.
I would be hesitant to give the OP any advice that would encourage the running of inductive loads on low line voltage.

[chuck&gail]

IMHO the poor A/C is likely trying not to burn up by poping the breaker when the voltage gets too low (below 110 VAC). Many of us carry autoformers to correct for low CG voltage.

Most (all?) Surge Guards just turn off the A/C when voltage gets too low. NOT something my wife would EVER want.

[michol02]

I had the same problem. I noticed that the 30/20 amp was exceptionally hot when it tripped, so I bought 2 separate breakers(a 20 and a 30). I put the 30 amp breaker in the original spot and the 20 amp in the spare slot below the other breakers. That was about a year ago, and I haven't had the 20 amp trip anymore. The 30 amp will trip when someone tries to run the AC, water heater, and the microwave at the same time:eek:but thats a given. I recently added an Autoformer, and a surge protector is next on my list.(I think these items are worth having)

[David51]

Thanks for all the tips. I'm going to try separating the 30 amp main power and 20 amp A/C breakers and putting a meter in toolbox to check power at campground if/when it occurs again..thanks for the information

[michol02]

I had room to leave a blank spot so breakers will get more airflow.
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