Breaker throwing

[red4re]

My main 30 amp breaker throws when I have the AC on and the electric water heater on. I have nothing else on when this happens. I had to start making sure my fridge is on gas and my water heater is on gas so it does not throw. Should I be able to run the AC and the electric water heater at the same time? And the fridge too?? I would rather use everything electric.

I am no electrical whiz, but am thinking I have a weak breaker maybe or loose connection???? What is the most likely cause?

Thanks

red

 

[jnbhobe]

Without measuring the draw on everything I would think you could run the ac and fridge on 30amps. The hot water throws another 15amps at it so that may be too much. Check for loose connections anyway.Good luck happy camping JON

 

[caddojay]

You certainly should be able to operate your unit with one A/C on 30 amps. If you're trying to run 2 A/C units, it would be marginal. I agree, check tightness of connections. Otherwise, get it to a dealer and let them go through it.

 

[SmokeyBare]

I'm betting there is a weak breaker in that panel...

 

[Shadowchek]

Bad connections are the first thing to check. Usually at the breaker itself. Second would be a weak breaker. Bad connections cause weak breakers also. The thing to do actually is tighten the connections on the breakers then take an amp draw turning on one appliance at a time. Then turn them all on and check the amp draw it should be slightly under 30 amps to not overload the circuit. If it is under 30 you probably have a weak breaker. This is all assuming that you are running big enough wire to the Fiver and that it isn't a long run because that can cause it also.

Greg

 

[red4re]

I am using the factory cord with no extensions. It happens at different campgrounds. I only have one AC. I will test a few things this weekend and see what I can come up with.

Thanks

red

 

[JimandSina]

Red,
At the very least I would suggest that you purchase a plugin A/C voltmeter, you can find them at a place such as Campingworld for about $15. the reason I say this is that you state that it happens at different campgrounds so here is a little information you may find useful, lets say that you are setup for 120 volts and 30 amps, that equals 4 ohms of resistance and 3600 watts of power (Load) if that voltage where to be 115 volts at the next campground you would now be drawing 31.3 amps for the same 3600 watts, now with that said the thought of a loose connection is also reasonable since it would equate to a change in resistance, so now using the example we started with of 120 volts if our resistance dropped to 3 ohms (loose connection) the power (Load) would be 4800 watts and the current would be a whopping 40 amps. As you can see there are many variables that could cause your problem but knowing the voltage at each park is a good starting point. The watts (load of your trailers electrical devices should always be the same, barring an appliance failure) so if the voltage is constant and the watts are constant then the current (Amps) should also be constant, if the voltage is wandering around on you from park to park then you can at least be prepared for that event, now I know this was a long way around but I guess my message is you can perform trial and error troubleshooting or collect data with various pieces of test equipment, and lastly your RV is no different from your home If you had a breaker popping at home and were unsure what to do you would probably have an electrician check everything in order to protect your family and satisfy your insurance company if catastrophy struck. Sorry for being so long winded but Electricity is dangerous and protective devices are important. just my 2 cents worth
Jim