20A breaker pops

[wiredgeorge]

Up in my my camper. 96F outside. Have the A/C running (15K BTU Dometic Brisk 2). A/C is not original; put it in a few years ago to replace the original 13.5K Dometic Brisk unit.

Plugged into my home pad 30A outlet with Progressive EMS plugged in. Voltage on the EMS is a tad lower than normal (114V) but no errors. A/C and fan running constantly and the 20A breaker popped. Popped when I first turned on the A/C before noon and did it again at about 4:30. Reset breaker and everything working OK. Have the television, a pedestal fan, refrigerator and A/C. Without the refrigerator, EMS says draw is 7.5A. With A/C running in addition to the other draws, 18-19A. Voltage is down to 112VAC with A/C running.

What might be causing the 20A A/C breaker to pop? This is new. Suggestions?

[drrelli]

Old breaker? If it’s original to your rig, it’s probably had the most stress on it of any you have.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by drrelli

Old breaker? If it’s original to your rig, it’s probably had the most stress on it of any you have.

Actually, when we first bought the camper, the A/C breaker was next to the 30A breaker and popped whenever the A/C and microwave were on at the same time and the breaker got changed to a 15/20A breaker (one side 15A the other 20A). Looking for suggestions and that is a good one. Not sure if breakers get "tired" with age as it has been in there for 5-6 years. Thanks

[flybouy]

Is the 20 amp breaker original to the camper? Is the a/c the only load on the 20 amp breaker? What is the total amperage on the 30 Amp breaker in the camper? The breaker feel warm when it trips? I know it's a lot of questions but trying to narrow it doen.

I suspect you are experiencing a low voltage issue that may be too quick for the EMS to catch, especially if the breaker is 22 yes old and perhaps getting a little weak. The amperage of the load increases when the voltage decreases. Under these conditions with the a/c drawing near the breaker rating any increase in overall load will decrease the voltage. Let's say the converter kicks in to compensate for an increase in 12 vdc load (like charging the battery) and the 20 Amp breaker being the "weakest link" could trip first. Just throwing the idea out there.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Is the 20 amp breaker original to the camper? Is the a/c the only load on the 20 amp breaker? What is the total amperage on the 30 Amp breaker in the camper? The breaker feel warm when it trips? I know it's a lot of questions but trying to narrow it doen.

I suspect you are experiencing a low voltage issue that may be too quick for the EMS to catch, especially if the breaker is 22 yes old and perhaps getting a little weak. The amperage of the load increases when the voltage decreases. Under these conditions with the a/c drawing near the breaker rating any increase in overall load will decrease the voltage. Let's say the converter kicks in to compensate for an increase in 12 vdc load (like charging the battery) and the 20 Amp breaker being the "weakest link" could trip first. Just throwing the idea out there.

Breaker is 5-6 years old. I checked amps as displayed on my EMS at 7 when the A/C is off (TV on, converter, computer plugged in, refrigerator running on A/C). With the A/C running (runs constantly in 96F temps so not start up draw) 18-19A. Voltage was a tad low 112VAC and later 115VAC and both are lower than normal which is north of 120VAC on that outlet per the EMS. The breaker didn't seem warm when it tripped. I very likely have a spare and will change it out prior to it getting warm out. Microwave is no longer on a breaker in the power center; plugs directly into the pedestal 115V outlet.

[flybouy]

If you have a spare breaker I would swap it out. That's an easy first step. Check the fit on the buss bar and look for any discoloration or signs of overheating or arching.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by flybouy

If you have a spare breaker I would swap it out. That's an easy first step. Check the fit on the buss bar and look for any discoloration or signs of overheating or arching.

Yes sir... that sounds like the plan; willdoer tomorrow AM prior to outside heatstroke temps. I am pretty sure I have the right breaker as I bought spares.. now only to find them!

[wiredgeorge]

Did not get to swapping breakers yesterday. Ran errands in the big city with the missus. Went up to get it done today and found that I had not actually purchased spares. Bought spares today and will swap all out when they arrive. Will post another thread with how to buy breakers for a Parallax 6300A series.

[LHaven]

Wow. Your original post is almost word for word like one I posted about a month ago! Resolution on mine: the breaker was getting pretty darn hot. Trained a fan on it, that stopped the popping until I could get a replacement breaker in. The replacement breaker failed during a neighborhood outage about two weeks later -- the 20A popped and absolutely refused to reset. Got a second replacement (different brand) and everything has been fine so far.

[db77]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Actually, when we first bought the camper, the A/C breaker was next to the 30A breaker and popped whenever the A/C and microwave were on at the same time and the breaker got changed to a 15/20A breaker (one side 15A the other 20A). Looking for suggestions and that is a good one. Not sure if breakers get "tired" with age as it has been in there for 5-6 years. Thanks

I know Square D breakers are designed with a 20% safety feature, which means they trip whenever the load is 16 or more amps. I do not know which brand RV manufactures use. I will check my RV. I have Square D breakers in my home for 40+ years, and no issues yet.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by LHaven

Wow. Your original post is almost word for word like one I posted about a month ago! Resolution on mine: the breaker was getting pretty darn hot. Trained a fan on it, that stopped the popping until I could get a replacement breaker in. The replacement breaker failed during a neighborhood outage about two weeks later -- the 20A popped and absolutely refused to reset. Got a second replacement (different brand) and everything has been fine so far.

I bought new breakers for every position; they arrive Tuesday and I will install this coming week. I installed a supplimentary computer muffin fan (120V) on the front to blow on the breakers. I honestly didn't think to check when the 20A popped. Reset and it didn't pop again. I have a Parallax box and it is obsolete and hopefully bought the breakers with the correct conformation; Siemens... see post:
https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=58560

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by db77

I know Square D breakers are designed with a 20% safety feature, which means they trip whenever the load is 16 or more amps. I do not know which brand RV manufactures use. I will check my RV. I have Square D breakers in my home for 40+ years, and no issues yet.

All my work buildings were wired by myself and I put the boxes and breakers in. All use the same type breakers and I have spares for those but they are different than the ones in my RV. See this post:

https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=58560

[dutchmensport]

I had a slightly different situation recently, but also kind of similar....

I was a Camp Host volunteer at a Historic Site in Louisiana (January thru June) this year. There is only 2 RV sites in the park and no campground. The 50 amp RV outlet box was specifically installed for a 50 amp RV. It also had a 20 / 30 / 50 amp outlets.

In May, the breaker at the shore power pole started popping. Granted the outside temperatures reached into the high 80's / low 90's, and it was hot. We were running both AC's. But, out of the blue, the breaker at the pole popped, several times.

After several times of this happening, I reported this to the park management and one of the maintenance men came out and checked it out. After a through inspection, he agreed with me that the breaker had simply worn out. They got a new breaker, installed it, and we never had a problem again.

Now, here's the thing.... that outlet had not been used is over a couple years as they did not have any volunteers all that time. The shore power outlet worked perfectly OK the months of Jan and Feb, but in May it started acting up. Nothing changed except the heat of the day.

So yes, those breakers (even inside your camper) can, and do, get worn out over time. My suggestion.... change out the problem breaker. They don't cost THAT much, it's just a little aggravation to swap one out. And the nice thing about replacing a breaker in an RV, there's no danger of getting shocked by electricity. All you have to do is simply unplug from shore power! (and if you have an inverter, make sure it's turned off)

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

hopefully bought the breakers with the correct conformation; Siemens...

Data is not the plural of anecdote, but... my factory breaker that failed after five years was a Siemens; I replaced it with a Siemens from Amazon that failed totally within two weeks after a neighborhood outage; the breaker I ended up with was a Square D from the neighborhood Ace and it's been fine so far. The toggles are way smaller and make the box layout look funny, but what counts is that they work.

[wiredgeorge]

Finally got around to replacing the 20/15A breaker that had popped a couple times. It got warm in the camper and glad I have the A/C back on as I write this.