Changing from 30amp to 50 amp

[ckittila]

What is the condition of your main power cord to the camper? Is it in good condition? Are the terminals corroded or loose? Does the main cord feel hot when the breakers are tripped? If the cord is hot, you may have a sour cord with very high resistance.

Key thing to check. In your breaker box: Are the breaker terminal screws tight? Be very careful when checking these screws and either disconnect the power to the camper or use an insulated screwdriver with the breaker off!!

Loose terminal wires on circuit breakers or corroded mains wires effect the current draw and can lead to tripped breakers.

[Sarge2]

Lord Knows that I'm no electrical genus and my specialty is more automotive than house type wiring...
Is is "normal" to NOT have a 30amp main breaker that isn't wired only to the "main" cable for shore power then distributed to the other breakers from the main?
My house wiring is line in to main, then feeds every circuit from the main...

From what I'm reading it sounds like the AC was wired directly to the 30amp main? Or did I misread it? The it was rewired to a 20amp breaker for the water heater...

If a brand new AC unit is still blowing circuits I think the suggestions to try new breakers and making sure all the cables and connections are clean and solid before I'd be doing anything else... I'm wondering if somewhere down the line things were bypassed or moved around in the breaker box trying to fix a prior issue...

As in Automotive wiring you always check the basics... gotta have good connections at the source, both positive and neg / common...then you move forward from there... good in, check the breakers... good breakers, check where they feed.. so on and so on... sometimes we get snow blind and forget what we've done and what we've checked.... I'd start over and from the power source and do a flow chart of what I've checked and what I've done... JMHO
Sarge

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by brianshellhart

Ok i have dual breakers. 2 ports per breaker the 30 amp main and 20.amp are part of the same breaker. I have tried to attach pictures but this forum doesnt allow it. I have 3 dual breaker for 6 wires. main, a.c., gfci, microwave, hot water heater, and The CON.

If I'm interpreting this correctly, you have three tandem circuit breakers in your breaker box; one is a 30/20 (which I never knew was a thing, but apparently it is), and the 30 is your main breaker.

This is a configuration I've never seen, but I suppose it would work.

[wiredgeorge]

Lots of folks trying to help... here is what I think is going on:

3 tandem breakers: Breaker 1: Main 30A & A/C 20A Breaker 2 GFI 15A & Microwave 20A Breaker 3 REC/CON 15A & Water Heater 15A

He switched his A/C wiring with the other 20A breaker (mine is Microwave).

I found my MAIN breaker less likely to trip when the breaker wasn't next to the A/C breaker. We run A/C a LOT in Texas. I have a new Brisk II 15K BTU.

When we used the A/C AND the microwave (and TV and fans, etc.) we would pop the MAIN breaker. I removed the wiring from the microwave breaker and wired the microwave directly to a 20A marine outdoor plug on the back of our camper and the microwave breaker is now always off.

I added a 120V muffin fan to the front of our converter to aid air flow. I have also replaced the 30A/20A breaker to ensure it wasn't "tired".

For you folks who like numbers add the A/C draw (amps) to the microwave draw and TV, fans and such and you will find these numbers quickly get close to 30A so popping the camper's MAIN is a possibility. I know because I have been there.
Best solution is to unplug from shore power and go in and TIGHTEN everything; replace breakers (30/20 especially). Electricity vibrates and the wire(s) can become loose at the breaker and the neutral ground bar. Make sure you have an EMS because the power source this guy is relying on may be suspect. Another fan can't hurt and keep the 30/20 from being MAIN and A/C by moving the A/C to the other 20A breaker (microwave) and swapping microwave next to the MAIN. If these things don't work and you like to microwave food, then use another wiring set up to connect to a 15A or 20A outlet on your power pedestal.

[Roscommon48]

brian you need to get someone out there that knows what is what. you should not be changing the wiring and to go to 50amp is not going to correct the problem.

you are confusing us with what is going on.

[brianshellhart]

Last dude hit it on the head problem is I dont run multiple things im never home to i work non stop. I'm in Southern California. It gets HOT!!! I run 2 fans and a a.c while i work. Trying not to kill my dogs! I check all wires initially swapped breakers. Bought a new Brisk II 15k BTU a.c. isnt as bad with the new a.c. but it still pops and I'm thinking of adding another a.c roof mount at the controls on the a.c ( to avoid running another thermostat) in the bedroom now. So I will still need to add another leg and jump to 50 amp anyway. I have already spent thousands of dollars on this camper. I own it I'm probably 20-25K into it and it's cheaper to upgrade mine and avoid brand new with a payment. Still love mine.

[brianshellhart]

Also it is not the main breaker poping its the A.C side of it. I know my sentences run together and it is hard to read. This is why I have a site cleark who does all my writing and emailing for me. I understand to do the upgrade I would need a new post cable and I would have to probably get a bigger converter. That the panel in the unit would have to get replaced and rewired. Please don't think I'm a complete retard I have been working on mechanics since I could spin a wrench. I am a superintendent for a conveyor company I run 100 million dollar jobs. I am not a pro electrian yet I have them on my jobsite so nothing a case of beer won't solve and a favor here or there on the job to get the best electrian on site to guide me if needed. But again my daddy always tought me to be smarter then what im working with so not nut no bolt nor wire or metal will out smart me.

[brianshellhart]

I need to know what else i might need have to look into what else i would need, where to find the wiring diagram. If i needed a wiring diagram when upgrading to 50amp. Or if i just had another 20amp leg to add on. Does the wire have to go from a 14 gauge to a 10. Does the fuse side of the box change bigger smaller or the same. Upsides of doing it downfalls of doing it. How long do breakers last? The unit just turned 11 im sure they never been changed i have owned it for 2 years i know i never changed em. I really do appreciate everyone's help in the situation and this is why i not only camp but use this fourm. Everyone in this "world" is always willing to lend a helping hand and go out of their way to look out for one another

[chuckster57]

I’ll give my opinion, but let me preface it by saying you won’t find any schematics for any of the wiring or plumbing.

Do you have any type of EMS or energy monitoring device? A 13.5K AC shouldn’t keep tripping a breaker. Have you measured the amps on the hot lead going to the AC?

Maybe you have and I just haven’t read your reply. I’m thinking your not going to fix the issue by adding another leg, it’s going to be a big expense to be right back at square one.

A 50A breaker panel is bigger because it has more breakers. I’m not sure if the 12V side is bigger but probably is. If your using a stand alone converter you don’t have to change it but it might be an improvement.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by brianshellhart

Also it is not the main breaker poping its the A.C side of it.

So then, the AC pops the 20A breaker no matter which 20A breaker you wire it to -- right?

In that case, your problem isn't your 30A feed. Either all your 20A breakers are old and weak (less likely), or something is wrong with your AC.

I understand you want to upgrade to 50A to put in a second AC. It's a major job, but it can be done. (Although I would much rather have done it in my old rig, where the breaker panel literally backed up to the shore cable hatch.) But even if you got it done tomorrow, the AC you have is still going to trip whatever breaker it's on.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Are you aware a 50 amp box is 240 volts, with it split into two 50 amp, 120 volt let's? The feed cable will need to be 6 guage, the circuit 12 or 14 guage.

[Jacketsbum]

Sounds to me like it’s new camper time, especially if I’m full timing!

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

Are you aware a 50 amp box is 240 volts, with it split into two 50 amp, 120 volt let's? The feed cable will need to be 6 guage, the circuit 12 or 14 guage.

Woody, I believe all the 117V Romex in my camper is already 14ga (can't recall the A/C wiring) Can't imagine why the guy would need to mess with the wiring already in the trailer. If he adds a second A/C, he will need to pull Romex for it but that seems to me the only change out of the 50A converter as the current wiring is already sized correctly; suggest 12ga will be needed for the 2nd A/C line.

[flybouy]

So in rereading, and reading again, and again, I think the OP is stuck at taking a "tech's" word that the air conditioner is ok and yet it trips 2 different 20 amp breakers. So, for this to be true that the a/c is good, AND nothing else is running (i.e. the microwave, the water heater on electric not gas, the fridge on electric not gas) could only be true if the voltage is low.

The a/c draws xxx amount of watts. Here's the Ohm's Law triangle, The V is for Volts, the I is for amps, the R is for resistance. This may help explain it https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws...its/dcp_2.html

The resistance remains constant so the lower the voltage the higher the amperage to balance the equation. The only way the OP will know this I believe is to get someone knowledgeable to check out the voltage coming in and the resistance of the a/c unit.

As for upgrading the electrical system to 50 Amps, I believe from reading the posts you would need to get an electrician to give you an estimate to do this work as going further may get you into deeper issues that can cause harm.
JMHO