AC BREAKER FLIPS ALL THE TIME????

I HAVE A 30LSBS WILDCAT.
EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT I HAD ISSUES WITH A/C BREAKER FLIPPING.
DEALER INSTALLED A DELAYER. THAT FIXED FOR A WHILE.
NOW I AM FACING THE SAME ISSUE. BREAKER FLIPS EVEN THOUGH THE ONLY THING "ON" IN MY TRAILER IS THE AC ITSELF.
I TURNED EVERYTHING OFF (TV, LIGHTS, PUMP, ELECTRICAL WATER HEATER, ETC...)
MY TRAILER IS A 30 AMP SERVICE. I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO.
SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME I TAKE TO DEALER THEY PUT THEIR HAND IN MY POCKET AND PROBLEM IS NEVER SOLVED...
COULD IT BE A WEAK BREAKER? IF SO WHERE CAN I BUY A NEW ONE? IT'S A 30/20 AMP DOUBLE BREAKER (30 IS "MAIN" AND 20 IS "AC").
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE HELP I ALWAYS GET IN THIS FORUM.
MAY GOD BLESS.

Is the breaker flipping at start up,or does it run for awhile and then flip the breaker?

I turn the A/C on, the fan kicks on first (there is a two-minute built-in delay before the air conditioning turns on). Once the air conditioning turns on, it takes another couple of minutes before the breaker flips, whether the A/C is on Hi or Low. Also, power to the outlets regularly run around 102-103VAC, but when the air conditioning turns on, power drops in the outlets to around 90VAC. And I have noticed that the breaker gets warm.

At this campground I am at, I am only getting 102VAC, but the A/C will also flip when I am at a campground that gets a 110 or 120VAC. I have not monitored the voltage drop in my outlets at other locations, this is the first time I am making note of it.

My guess would be the breaker,maybe Earl or Shooter will chime in for you.Those two fellas have more knowledge than I do on this.

Thanks Buddy, any help would be much appreciated.

check all of your connections in breaker box

Hi Guys! I don't profess to be a power expert but it sounds like your input power is low. 102 v at the outlets is an indicator that the input power is low. I think you need to measure the voltage at the campground power box. Might not be anything wrong with your trailer. I would think you need a good 110 to 115 volts for your A/C to function properly.. They draw a good bit of current, especially on startup..

Do you have an extension cord on your electrical connection? Is it ample size?

donarumma,

First a couple of questions;

1. Does the 30A main stay on when the trailer is plugged in to shore power and the A/C unit is off?
2. Does turning the A/C unit on still trip the main if you are using a trusted source of power ie., 110 to 120VAC?
3. When the trailer is plugged in, will anything else in the trailer trip the breaker ie., the Microwave, Toaster, Coffee Maker, etc.?

I would check for continuity in the A/C wiring to the panel first. You might have a short in that circiut. Another thing to try is to check all of the terminal lugs on all breakers (black wire) and the two buss bars (green wire = ground)(white wire = neutral). I'd especiall check the A/C unit wires at the panel. If any of the lugs are loose, tighten them. They are causing resistance in the line by being loose and could eventually cause a fire. NOTE: BE SURE TO TURN THE POWER OFF BEFORE PULLING THE COVER TO THE 120VAC side of the panel.

It still might be low power. 102VAC is very, very low. Amps = Watts/Volts. Assuming a voltage level of 115VAC, powering an electric heater using 1,500 watts of power, the nominal amperage would be 13A. The same electric heater running on 102VAC would be 14.7 amps. The starting amperage for the A/C compressor is higher than the running amperage. Starting amps could be as much as 17 to 18 amps. On a 20 amp circuit the A/C unit would trip the breaker if the voltage is running a 102VAC.

Luck as you trace this out.

A quick way to troubleshoot the system is to make sure all lugs on the panel are tight on the wires, especially the white or neutral, if you don't have a path of least resistance you will have issues. trying to get the "used" power back to the system. All breakers are manufactured to 125% of their value, a low voltage won't trip things off unless you have a current limitation device hooked up, running low voltage will wreck devices especially air conditioners, the compressor doesn't like to operate at less than normal voltage.

125%? The NEC states all circuit breakers shall only be run at 80% continuous duty. Or did I misunderstand?

If a breaker is popping, theres two things happening: Either your pulling to much juice (i.e. a short if it happens quick, or a motor going dead and pulling a lot of amps continuously), or you have a breaker thats weak and as it warms up the spring loses strength and pops.

Either throw parts at it (i.e. a 20 dollar breaker), or diagnose it. You'll need a clamp on ammeter and the know-how to use it... or take it somewhere. If you don't own the meter/knowledge, it would be cheaper to replace the breaker first.

Pull the breaker out (with the power unplugged) and head on down to your local home improvement store. It should say the make/model on the front, but ask for help and hand them the breaker. If the convertor is a Parallax like mine, could be a BR (Bryant style), but just look on the front.

Also, I'd be weary of running the A/C at a place that runs at 102volts. That will overheat an electric motor. I believe most electric motors and compressors only like +/- 10% of their operating voltage. It will cause overheating which leads to excessive amp draw.

Joel

I am assuming it is your AC breaker that is popping. I though it was my breaker also. Went to Lowes and got a new one. Same problem. By running my AC on a extension cord that was designed to run a RV AC unit I did indeed ruin it. I had my AC unit replaced and now the only problem is when I try to run AC, Micro and electric HW heater. This problem occur at my house so I ran a hard wire to a place were I use only the power cord provided with the trailer. NO more extensions. I wish the 50 Amp service was available as an option when I bought the Wild Kitty.

Don't for get that the lower the voltage the higher the amps. If you look in your hand book to see what the Aircon draws in watts at 120 volts. If you divide the the watts it states in the hand book by 102 volts you will see the difference of current draw at lower voltages so you might be over loading the breaker.
Sean

Sorry Joelabq, up here in Canada our standard time delayed breakers are designed to take 125% of the load then are to operate at 80% at continuous duty, we also have AFCI protection (different from CGFI) for sleeping spaces, which is required by our ESA standards. I agree with swaping out the breaker if you constantly overload it, it weekens the spring.

Thanks everyone. The source of power was not clean and consistent at this last rv park. I took it in and checked. Everything works properly. Like Sean mentioned, low voltage caused higher amperage usage. so whenever the voltage dropped at this rv park , the breaker would get hot and flip. Thanks for all the responses. Happy Camping.

Glad you got it worked out. My suggestion would have been to check the connections of the breaker panel and possibly replace the breaker if it would have happened on "clean" power.
Because of low power situations on campgrounds I have been to, I installed one of these: http://autoformersdirect.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=29&osCsid=6e97c1b8890f2efaf14c4951f9825fbb

Shooter, How much heat do the autoformers generate? I have a portable one that I take on jobs with me and in the summer you cannot put your hand on top of the box and keep it there for any length of time.

Did you mount yours inside or outside your cat?

BobnPi wrote:Shooter, How much heat do the autoformers generate? I have a portable one that I take on jobs with me and in the summer you cannot put your hand on top of the box and keep it there for any length of time.

Did you mount yours inside or outside your cat?

Not too sure. I have mounted ours inside the rear storage compartment where the power cord used to be. I installed plexiglass to see the status lights and drilled holes for ventilation:
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2919807470056654887BHHhWo
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2476825130056654887gFDgyC
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2476505130056654887LOWqnr

Thanks for the pics. You may want to put a thermometer in there just to see if it's getting hot or just warm.

A lot of parks suffer from low voltage especially in hot or real cold weather. An Autoformer is the only way that I know to prevent damage from low power. It is worth the investment in my opinion.

BobnPi wrote:Thanks for the pics. You may want to put a thermometer in there just to see if it's getting hot or just warm.

I have held my hand in front of the vent holes when the autoformer was in boot mode for a while and didn't notice any significant heat.

That's great. I think I'll invest in one like you have. I've always backed away from them because of the experience I've had with the ones I use at work. Since the one you have isn't getting hot, I'll put that on my "must have" list with other items I've learned about on this forum. Thanks for the great info.

A simple buck/boost transformer wired for maximum boost does the job nicely for me.

Its not auto and certainly not for everyone but it works perfectly for us. I made it specifically for two campgrounds we love to visit where our favorite sites are always around 105 volts.

Buck/Boost.

Yep. I've been installing them for 25+ years for equipment/machinery where a specific voltage range is needed for warranty purposes. Matter of fact, just installed one last week for a local T-shirt printing business.

Buck/Boost xformers have been around longer than I have. They can be wired in many different configurations to achieve the desired voltage range. Just as the name implies - They can buck or boost voltage.

They are the device that actually boosts the voltage in the expensive autoformers.