problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci (Solved)

[nostrokin]

hi everyone long time since ive been on , I'm having a problem with my rooftop ac unit . I was washing the the roof Saturday and the wife was on the inside getting ready for next weekend camping trip. I was hooked up to 20 amp gfci shore power, the wife had a small fan running and turned on the frig to electric everything else was shut off . she came out of the camper and asked me if I unplugged from shore power, I said no WHY? she said the fan shut off and so did the frig. so I got off the roof to look . the shore power gfci tripped. so I reset it and it tripped instantly. I went into the camper and shut everything off and unplugged all things that require 120 volt. tv, frig, microwave, fan, . then reset gfci tripped instantly again. went back to the camper opened breaker panel shut off all breaker ,,reset gfci it stayed, went back to the camper turned on main breaker , gfci stayed, filpped on the next breaker rooftop ac unit gfci tripped .flipped off ac unit breaker reset gfci it stayed, I did this with every breaker , all good until I turned on the ac unit breaker . the thermostat on the wall is switched to the off position nothing running . did I get water in the roof unit when washing the roof , how so I start the testing and where should I begin testing. thanks for any help

 

[danemayer]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

Sounds like you got the A/C unit wet and even though not turned on, the A/C unit is leaking a little current. I would think as it dries out, the problem will clear up.

 

[jerryjay11]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

If you have determined it was the roof AC tripping the GFCI then you must have a seal under the roof AC cover leaking and it needs to be attended to. There is no reason for water to be able to enter the electronics of the roof unit or else it would occur every heavy rainstorm or while driving in the rain. Remove the roof AC cover and then the AC cabinet panel/s to inspect the panel seals. Check the foam gasket from the inside of the camper as well. You may have to remove the AC trim panel inside the camper to get access.

 

[Lynn1130]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

I was hooked up to 20 amp gfci shore power

I cannot run the trailer AC on 20 amps at the house if anything else is used on that breaker. It is too much for the breaker as the compressor cycles. This includes inside the trailer or inside the house.

I cannot run the AC on 30 amps at a campground if my wife wants to use the hair dryer or the toaster and coffee pot are going at the same time.

 

[nostrokin]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

Sounds like you got the A/C unit wet and even though not turned on, the A/C unit is leaking a little current. I would think as it dries out, the problem will clear up.

thanks, but I pulled the plastic cover off and didn't see any water

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I cannot run the trailer AC on 20 amps at the house if anything else is used on that breaker. It is too much for the breaker as the compressor cycles. This includes inside the trailer or inside the house.

I cannot run the AC on 30 amps at a campground if my wife wants to use the hair dryer or the toaster and coffee pot are going at the same time.

I wasn't using the air cond,,only a fan and the frig turned on thermostat was set to off position

- - - Updated - - -

If you have determined it was the roof AC tripping the GFCI then you must have a seal under the roof AC cover leaking and it needs to be attended to. There is no reason for water to be able to enter the electronics of the roof unit or else it would occur every heavy rainstorm or while driving in the rain. Remove the roof AC cover and then the AC cabinet panel/s to inspect the panel seals. Check the foam gasket from the inside of the camper as well. You may have to remove the AC trim panel inside the camper to get access.

that is the only circuit that trips the gfci, I would assume the ac unit is the only thing on that circuit . there for I believe something happened to the ac unit while washing the roof

 

[nostrokin]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

took off plastic cover and didn't see any water around the coils or fan, i did not open the metal box to see everything else, rain was moving in . so i put the plastic cover back on . but i assume that the ( inside camper) breaker that says ac on it would be a dedicated circuit for only the ac unit . and it is the only circuit that trips the gfci ( even with the thermostat set to off position ). all other inside breakers are turned on and things are operational , could the problem be at the ac breaker inside my panel box or do i need to start at the top on the roof where the power connects to the ac unit?

 

[danemayer]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

It can be difficult to run down the source of a GFCI problem. Sometimes it can be a problem with the adapter that's stepping the 50 amp plug down to 15 amp. It could be the shore power cord not fully twist-locked. It could be a loose wire somewhere. It could be moisture on electrical contacts.

Assuming that you've used all the same components previously without tripping the breaker, and that the problem started with you washing the roof, I'd say washing the roof and finding the A/C unit as the origin of the problem is too big a coincidence to ignore.

 

[jerryjay11]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

took off plastic cover and didn't see any water around the coils or fan, i did not open the metal box to see everything else, rain was moving in . so i put the plastic cover back on . but i assume that the ( inside camper) breaker that says ac on it would be a dedicated circuit for only the ac unit . and it is the only circuit that trips the gfci ( even with the thermostat set to off position ). all other inside breakers are turned on and things are operational , could the problem be at the ac breaker inside my panel box or do i need to start at the top on the roof where the power connects to the ac unit?

Because you stated it occured after washing the roof I would remove that metal cover and check on the electronics.As for which end to start, it's optional. I always find it is the last place I look when I find the cause of the problem. So I try to start at the opposite end and still it ends up being the last place I look. Go figure!

 

[Lynn1130]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

I wasn't using the air cond,,only a fan and the frig turned on thermostat was set to off position

My bad. When you said you were having trouble with the AC, I guess I assumed that it was part of the problem and running.

 

[nostrokin]

Re: problem with rooftop ac tripping gfci

problem solve, it just needed to sit a couple days and dry out, thanks everyone