Possible Power Problem

bsellers · 07-17-2008, 03:53 AM

I recently plugged my 07 Meridian into a 30 amp plug that I had installed at my home about 2 years ago. It has ran several times on this plug without any problems. This time, it continues to kick the 30 amp house breaker that feeds the 30 amp plug for my MH. There are no other appliances or power draws on this plug, it only runs the RV plug. It has kicked it numerous times. As far as I can tell, I don't have any power problems in the MH as it has not kicked any beakers or blown any fuses in there or on the inverter. Anyone have any ideas or ran into a similar problem?

bsellers · 07-17-2008, 03:53 AM

I recently plugged my 07 Meridian into a 30 amp plug that I had installed at my home about 2 years ago. It has ran several times on this plug without any problems. This time, it continues to kick the 30 amp house breaker that feeds the 30 amp plug for my MH. There are no other appliances or power draws on this plug, it only runs the RV plug. It has kicked it numerous times. As far as I can tell, I don't have any power problems in the MH as it has not kicked any beakers or blown any fuses in there or on the inverter. Anyone have any ideas or ran into a similar problem?

ROMAD · 07-17-2008, 04:48 AM

If you have not added anything to your MH that would place an additional draw on the breaker it could be a bad breaker. They can, as they get older, get where they can not take a full load. If you know someone with a clamp on amp meter (commonly called an Amprobe) they can check the load your MH is drawing and determine where the problem is. If not, call in a electrician as you have a problem that needs to be resolved.

John_Canfield · 07-17-2008, 05:10 AM

Does the breaker immediately trip when you plug in the RV? - If that is the case, then I would suspect something downstream of the breaker - wiring issue, a problem in the coach perhaps.

If it takes the breaker a few minutes to trip under a heavy load, then I would suspect a bad breaker.

Does everything run okay while on generator?

codgerbill · 07-17-2008, 05:52 AM

I am curious, when you are running on generator or in a campground does your energy management panel show the load (in amps). If so, as John suggested you mite run the generator to see what the load is and then switch over to shore power. The clamp on ammeter is probably the best solution but if you dont have the availability of one......well...
The best thing one can say about a molded case breaker is that it is convenient.They are a mechanical device and many things can affect their operation such as prior loading cycles, ambient temperatures, manufacturing specs(like made in china),age, etc

ET · 07-17-2008, 11:50 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bsellers:
I recently plugged my 07 Meridian into a 30 amp plug that I had installed at my home about 2 years ago. It has ran several times on this plug without any problems. This time, it continues to kick the 30 amp house breaker that feeds the 30 amp plug for my MH. There are no other appliances or power draws on this plug, it only runs the RV plug. It has kicked it numerous times. As far as I can tell, I don't have any power problems in the MH as it has not kicked any beakers or blown any fuses in there or on the inverter. Anyone have any ideas or ran into a similar problem? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If this was happening to me...

If everything was and is fine with your coach as far as you know and it only happens once plugged into your home 30 amp plug, (one that you installed yourself,) check all connects from the breaker to the plug for tightness and remove and replace your breaker in your main panel. As many have said a breaker can go bad including at it's base where it connects to the panel. A piece of plastic broke in one of mine which causing arcing between the panel and breaker for a loose connection.

RV Wizard · 07-17-2008, 03:00 PM

Try turning the main breaker in the mothorhome off and plug into the 30 amp receltacle. If it holds turn the rest of the breakers in the motorhome off. Turn on the main. If it holds turn on one breaker at a time until it trips the house breaker. This is where you can look to see what in the motorhoome you need to focus on. Good luck and keep us posted.

bsellers · 07-17-2008, 05:48 PM

Let me answer some of the questions that have been brought up. 1) It does not kick the breaker immediately, it's about an hour or two after it's hooked up. 2) I do have an amp meter in my MH and it has been showing about 4 to 10 amps when it would kick the breaker, doesn't seem excessive for a 30 amp breaker. 3) I have some family in town with a MH and they are able to hook up to this plug and not have any problems (their MH doesn't kick the breaker) which leads me to think it's something in my MH. 4) I can run the generator and it powers the coach perfectly and it also does not kick any intertal breakers in the MH.

rgrstndgby · 07-17-2008, 06:01 PM

bsellers, just a shot in the dark, but have you selected the 30 amp position on your energy management panel?..makes a difference on my 04 Advent...rgr...

bsellers · 07-17-2008, 07:02 PM

I have selected both 30 and 20 amp and it continued to kick the breaker. It's actually been plugged in all day now and hasn't kicked it again. STRANGE

Duner · 07-17-2008, 07:50 PM

Is the house breaker a GFI type? If yes, maybe you have a leak to ground.

historyljc · 07-17-2008, 08:00 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I have selected both 30 and 20 amp and it continued to kick the breaker. It's actually been plugged in all day now and hasn't kicked it again. STRANGE </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Maybe you need to sprinkle a little "Gremlin Powder" in the electrical bay. It's late, I couldn't resist.

jimandsue60 · 07-17-2008, 09:01 PM

My guess is that the engine block heater is turned on.

Jim

bsellers · 07-17-2008, 11:28 PM

I tried the gremlin powder (gun powder) didn't work so well

I checked the block heater when I was checking everything else to see what was turned on/off and it is off. I don't know about the GFI breaker but since I had it professionally installed I suppose it probably is, so that it met code?

Has anybody ever had an inverter go bad that might do this type of thing?

SCVJeff · 07-17-2008, 11:36 PM

The inverter is part of the measured draw on the panel and you are seeing it well within spec. I think you now need a real amp clamp across the output of the breaker and see what the real draw is right out of the box. After that, if it's a GFI breaker you may have ground leakage, and finding that will take more time. The 2 hr time to trip really sounds like a soft breaker, but I heard somewhere about someone having a delayed GFI trip from the fridge on AC as well.

FlyingDiver · 07-18-2008, 06:11 AM

We had a problem at Camp Newmar with our KGDB popping the GFI breaker in the service shed. It was OK on the outdoor hookups. Turns out the UPS's on our computers make the GFI breaker pop. When we unplugged the UPS's, it stopped popping.

joe

codgerbill · 07-21-2008, 02:46 PM

I agree with those who suggested the GFI tripping. If you had less than 10 amps and it trips for you but not for a different MH load, it does sound like a GFI trip. You probably have something that causes a spike or as suggested you have excessive ground current leakage. A GFI breaker for a remote load such as your MH is more than likely a code requirement. It protects an individual from electrical shock if an electrical fault occures in the coach while someone is contacting the coach and standing on the ground at the same time. For that reason I would not advocate a non GFI breaker. If you have a milliamp reading clamp on ammeter and a way to isolate the ground conductor you mite see what you do have for ground current and if it is within range of the GFI trip then you would need to start tripping (opening) coach breakers to see where the culprit is. You would need a non GFI source to do this.

Easier said than done....but good luck.