Bighorn - Electrical

[KLX]

I returned from the first camp trip this year and plugged our 50amp service into a 110v outlet as I always do. After being plugged in for a few minutes the house breaker tripped. I have turned the main breaker off in the RV and the house breaker still trips. I have tried different extension cords and adapters but breaker still trips. I have even replaced the gfi outlet but still have same results. I have used the same outlet and extension cords with other devices and they work fine. We had no issues while camping but had to plug into 30 amp service. Scratching my head at this point. Any suggestions?

 

[jbeletti]

Re: ATF: Bighorn - Electrical

I had this happen to me many years ago with a travel trailer.

Turned out that I had blown the electric element in my water heater.

I was plugged into the GFCI outlet in my garage. It saw current leakage to ground.

 

[KLX]

I have the 120v water heater switch inside the fifth wheel off and the switch on the water in the off position. With both switches in the off position if the heating element was bad would it still pop the house breaker?

 

[CoveredWagon]

I have the 120v water heater switch inside the fifth wheel off and the switch on the water in the off position. With both switches in the off position if the heating element was bad would it still pop the house breaker?

Try turning off all the circuit breakers and see if it sill trips if not turn breakers on one at a time.

 

[WBG]

Hot water heaters are notorious for failing, even new ones. If your GFCI keeps tripping after you have tried all the other suggestions, I would have the water heater checked out.

 

[danemayer]

If you're using a long extension cord, along with adapters from 50 amp to 15 amp, even though used previously without trouble, they could be tripping the house GFCI now. Also, the house GFCI likely protects a circuit with multiple outlets. If any outlet is wet or if the GFCI outlet now has a problem, it may trip for reasons having nothing to do with the RV.

If you can reach an outlet on a different circuit, try that.

 

[jbeletti]

I have the 120v water heater switch inside the fifth wheel off and the switch on the water in the off position. With both switches in the off position if the heating element was bad would it still pop the house breaker?

I'd think that would be good enough but you could always pop the plastic cover off the back of the element and remove the 2 wires from it.

I had no RV system experience when I had this issue in 2004. I'm pretty good at AC/DC circuits and issues but this one had me stumped for a couple of days. It wasn't until I resorted to pulling circuits off the breakers that I found the offending circuit. And it still took me a while to sort it as I knew nothing about AC heating elements or that I even had one

 

[Gaffer]

Try turning off all the circuit breakers and see if it sill trips if not turn breakers on one at a time.

This is the best first check.

 

[danemayer]

I have turned the main breaker off in the RV and the house breaker still trips. I have tried different extension cords and adapters but breaker still trips. I have even replaced the gfi outlet but still have same results. I have used the same outlet and extension cords with other devices and they work fine. We had no issues while camping but had to plug into 30 amp service. Scratching my head at this point. Any suggestions?

With the main breaker OFF in the RV, I wouldn't think anything downstream from the main could be causing the problem.

If we assume your extension cords, adapters, and new GFCI outlet in the house are all ok, then that leaves the RV shore power cord, the connector it plugs into, the wires from that connector to the main breaker panel, AND if you have generator prep, the transfer switch. It's even possible you could have a loose or damaged connection on the back side of the main breaker panel.

If you have a transfer switch, even with the main circuit breaker OFF, the transfer switch uses a small amount of power. There is a circuit board that takes power from L1 and fires the contactors to make a connection.

I would start with the shore power cord and the connector it plugs into. Look for discoloration, loose components, and wire damage.

If that all looks ok, with the coach unplugged, check the transfer switch. With power disconnected, remove the top cover and check that connections are tight and that there's no discoloration or other sign of damage.

If that looks good, with power disconnected, take out the screws holding the main breaker panel and gently pull it away from the wall. Inspect the backside connections.

 

[KLX]

I want to thank everyone that has replied. I have tried solutions that have been offered with no success. I have started removing breakers from the RV panel and reinstalling each time plugging the shore line in. I Istill have a few breakers left. I have removed the breaker box to inspect the back of it and all looks fine. When I finish with the breakers and the problem still exists I will attempt to look where the shore line attaches to the spool looking for anything suspicious. I completely removed the 50amp breaker from the RV and plugged the shoreline in. Same result of the house breaker tripping. Makes me think the issue is with shoreline.

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

I had the same problem. I didn't have any problem with my previous RV (2006) But with the new 2015 Landmark it would trip every time, but if I ran a cord to a regular outlet it worked fine. Not sure why It might be the adapter or the transfer switch. I can't remember what I came up with as the reason. I just used the cord into a normal plug until I was able to run the 50amp service.
I don't think you have any problems anywhere.
Hopefully someone will explain it as they did for me.

 

[KLX]

I had the same problem. I didn't have any problem with my previous RV (2006) But with the new 2015 Landmark it would trip every time, but if I ran a cord to a regular outlet it worked fine. Not sure why It might be the adapter or the transfer switch. I can't remember what I came up with as the reason. I just used the cord into a normal plug until I was able to run the 50amp service.
I don't think you have any problems anywhere.
Hopefully someone will explain it as they did for me.

I tried a non gfi breaker and it tripped the house breaker. I have made some progress though. I disconnected the white neutral wire from the distribution bar in the RV. I plugged the shoreline in and the house breaker did not pop. I reinstalled the neutral wire and removed all of the individual wires from the distribution bar. I started re installing the wires. I found the slide out, converter, refrigerator circuits caused the house breaker trip. Even though I had the breakers for these circuits turned off the house breaker still tripped.

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

Your going to be an expert when you get it figured out. LOL
Sounds like your on the right track

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Garypowell]

Good work so far. If your frig is in a slide it could be that wire, or any other in the slide and on that circuit, was pinched such that both sides (hot and neutral got shorted together.

That would explain why you are tripping even with the breaker turned off.

 

[SNOKING]

As you trouble shoot this remember that a GFIC breaker looks at the current going the hot lead and that it matches the same amount is being returned on the neutral wire. An open neutral is what will cause the issue you are seeing. The junction boxes on each side (Frame and Slide out) of the slide would be a good place to check. Chris

 

[danemayer]

I tried a non gfi breaker and it tripped the house breaker. I have made some progress though. I disconnected the white neutral wire from the distribution bar in the RV. I plugged the shoreline in and the house breaker did not pop. I reinstalled the neutral wire and removed all of the individual wires from the distribution bar. I started re installing the wires. I found the slide out, converter, refrigerator circuits caused the house breaker trip. Even though I had the breakers for these circuits turned off the house breaker still tripped .

If you tripped the non-GFCI house breaker in the house main circuit breaker panel, you are pulling too much power. If while doing this, the RV mains were OFF, I think the only way to pull too much power is to have a dead short somewhere in the wiring - before the RV breaker panel. If there's no power flowing through the RV mains, shorts in the RV circuits should not matter because they're not energized.

If you don't have a transfer switch, I think the most likely culprits are the adapters that change from 50 amp to 15 amp, or the house wiring. I'm wondering if the outlets have hot and neutral reversed.

 

[SNOKING]

So the breaker in the panel trips after a delay and the GFCI outlet has been replaced. Does the trailer have a hard wired Progressive surge protector? Is the GFCI "outlet down stream for the panel circuit breaker that is tripping or are they one in the same?

Chris

 

[SNOKING]

Did you miss wire a home made extension cord?

Sounds like hot is arriving on the neutral lead.

Test for one of these.

 

[mlpeloquin]

Check under the slides. A standard power cord is used to transfer the power into them. There is a metal support behind the weather sweep and it can chafe the cord till the conductors are exposed. You will find then at the front underside of the slides. Also open up the electrical boxes under the slides to make sure the twist connectors have not fallen off the wires. This is true for both slides. Another thing to check, which is everyone with a power reel, are the connections in the power reel. They do loosen up.

 

[SNOKING]

Check under the slides. A standard power cord is used to transfer the power into them. There is a metal support behind the weather sweep and it can chafe the cord till the conductors are exposed. You will find then at the front underside of the slides. Also open up the electrical boxes under the slides to make sure the twist connectors have not fallen off the wires. This is true for both slides. Another thing to check, which is everyone with a power reel, are the connections in the power reel. They do loosen up.

When he lifted the neutral, if the hot is shorted, then the whole trailer was HOT!