Air Conditioner tripping circuit breaker - help!

[Bill3775]

Hello, I'm new to this, so my apologies if I'm doing this incorrectly.
My 2016 jayco jayflight was working fine. Recently, the air conditioner keeps tripping the circuit, shutting everything down in trailer. I have had to reset it so many times that I can't use it anymore. I've replaced all the fuses (which weren't blown) and I don't have anything plugged in to overwhelm the trailer's electrical system. It seems the small cooling fan will work, then cease operation, then the circuit breaks. Any thought?

[Doug]

Is it kicking the 30 amp main in your TT?
The AC should be running off 120V, so replacing fuses wasn't necessary. Fuses are all 12V
I'd be pulling the cover off the AC and looking for any wires shorted.
Then I would be looking at an amp meter on the AC to see if it's drawing too many amps.
Then I would look at 30 amp main Breaker?

[oldmanAZ]

Welcome to the forum.

Are you in a campground with many other trailers on a hot day? If so, it could be low campground or pedestal voltage.

Are all other 110v appliances off (water heater, fridge) in your trailer?

" It seems the small cooling fan will work, then cease operation, then the circuit breaks." Do you mean your air conditioner fan or another fan you have plugged in?

[bdreinv]

If its a 16 and still under warranty that's where I would be going.Don't need AC problems this time of year!

[Bill3775]

Hi, I am referring to the small fan that cools the compartment for fuses, circuit switches, etc. I am starting to have an understanding of the power coming into trailer. Where I am (just outside of Toronto, Ontario) and the temperature is upper 80's and there are several other large trailers in the area I am set up. I mention the fan, because it doesn't seem to be staying on in such warm temperature. Everything seems to working, and I have my fridge on gas. I will check amps coming into trailer...I'm left scratching my head.

[Bill3775]

Defiantly not. Trying to get trailer in this time of year is impossible.

[3'senough]

Is your main blowing, because you state that all the power is terminating in the rig upon your AC being turned on? If your main is blowing then it sounds more severe than the AC. If it's just the AC breaker that keeps tripping then you might have fried the unit due to many factors and agree to get in for warranty.

The cooling fan is for the converter and if you keep tripping the main that will shut down as it only comes on from the converter which runs on the 120V system side. Lights will not go out only the 120V side will cease. Micro and such.

If you still have the one year Coach net it might be a faster fix with all the shops being booked out over 2 weeks this time of year.

Another option is if you have an electrician friend have them take a peek at the wiring.

[Bill3775]

Will go up on roof tomorrow morning to look at wires/clean/etc. Thank you very much for the ideas. I will have to read up on how to check amp meter on AC. Lots to learn with trailering!

[rkresge]

Do you have a 13,500 btu A/C? You *could* be overloading the circuit. Our circuit breaker will trip when the A/C compressor kicks in while the microwave is running and the water heater is on electric rather than propane. Since you're running your water heater on propane, that's probably not the issue, but you could conceivably have other electrical devices consuming 120v AC power. My wife has tripped one of our circuit breakers with all her various devices running at once: coffee pot, electric toaster, hair dryer... Look at all the various and sundry stuff you have plugged in, and try pulling the plugs on anything 'extra'.

The little fan? That cools the 12v DC converter. Should have nothing at all to do with your issue. Mine runs more frequently and longer as I turn on more interior lights, the bathroom vent van, the awning lights, etc. The only other think I can think of is that the converter itself might be going bad.

Good luck!

Roger

[3'senough]

Is the post breaker tripping or internal breaker? If the post then contact the CG maintenance crew. If they have a GFCI breaker on the pole then that could be bad as they go all the time and the smallest issue will set them off. I have had that happen to me 2x's and once changed out it solved the issue.

If they have a 20AMP plug use your adapter and see if the same issue occurs with the AC unit only on. Turn off all the other breakers and run the AC.

Process of elimination from there.

[reeses]

If you're running your hot water heater off electric, switch it to gas. You may consider doing the same with your fridge is the voltage is low in the campgrounds. Low voltage equates to higher current draw.

[Jopopsy]

If it is in fact low voltage and he goes to this campground frequently, it sounds like a Autoformer is in order.

[Dustdevil]

Originally Posted by Bill3775

Hello, I'm new to this, so my apologies if I'm doing this incorrectly.
My 2016 jayco jayflight was working fine. Recently, the air conditioner keeps tripping the circuit, shutting everything down in trailer. I have had to reset it so many times that I can't use it anymore. I've replaced all the fuses (which weren't blown) and I don't have anything plugged in to overwhelm the trailer's electrical system. It seems the small cooling fan will work, then cease operation, then the circuit breaks. Any thought?

OK. I will assume since everything shuts down in the trailer, it's not your circuit breaker just for the AC. It's got to be either your main for the trailer, or the circuit breaker on the campground post. Your comment didn't specify, so I'll assume it's your main 30 amp circuit breaker on the trailer power center. That being the case, there could be several primary causes. In order of likelihood: First, and most likely, is that the voltage is too low in the campground. Measure it. If it's below 108 volts, it could be the culprit, especially with a circuit breaker that has been tripping dozens of times and reset each time. Second, your AC or something else in your trailer are combined to pull more amperage than your breaker can handle. Shutting down all other circuit breakers and turning on the AC will help narrow down the cause. If it still trips, and you have verified that the voltage in the campground is ok, then you either have a bad breaker or an AC system that is pulling too much amperage. If you replace the breaker and it still trips, then it's likely your AC system and not likely something a noob is going to fix.

Items that can draw so much current that they will trip a breaker when the AC comes on are the electric water heater, electric refrig, microwave, toaster, hair dryer, or a bunch of smaller loads such as television, dvd player, stereo, sound system, or a combination of several of these.

There is an outside chance that your power center has a problem, but it's rare, and would likely be the last thing I would suspect AFTER checking everything else above. A decent voltmeter you can buy at Home Depot or equivalent store can help sort out things like voltage and amperage while the system is hot. Check voltage both at the post and in an outlet in your trailer, both before and after the AC starts. A big voltage drop as the AC starts may be a sign it's drawing too much amperage for the power post or for your system's wiring. If that voltage drops for more than a second or two, something may be wrong with your AC that only a dealer can fix.

[Isaacs]

Are you using an extension cord between your trailer and the CG post? That will cause problems.

[Scott_Trailer_Newbe]

I'm not so sure the extension core is the issue. Been doing HVAC for 30 years, 25 for the #1 manufacturer in the world. Granted, as a manager these days I'm not in the field but I never forget. Amps is the key, Nameplate is important. Need to put a good digital amp probe on this AC and compare to nameplate. If it's at nameplate amps the breaker is faulty. Important as others have mentioned, when troubleshooting have all other electrical devices off for the proper test. If your AC is drawing too many amps with the proper voltage and proper gauge cord attached, then it was overcharged at the factory, dirty condenser, faulty condenser fan motor or a tight compressor. It's also possible to have a weak run Capacitor.

[Dustdevil]

Originally Posted by Scott_Trailer_Newbe

I'm not so sure the extension core is the issue. Been doing HVAC for 30 years, 25 for the #1 manufacturer in the world. Granted, as a manager these days I'm not in the field but I never forget. Amps is the key, Nameplate is important. Need to put a good digital amp probe on this AC and compare to nameplate. If it's at nameplate amps the breaker is faulty. Important as others have mentioned, when troubleshooting have all other electrical devices off for the proper test. If your AC is drawing too many amps with the proper voltage and proper gauge cord attached, then it was overcharged at the factory, dirty condenser, faulty condenser fan motor or a tight compressor. It's also possible to have a weak run Capacitor.

A good HVAC guy is usually good for a number of troubleshooting ideas, most of which have previously solved problems in the real world. Ultimately, this is the issue. If the motor is drawing too much amperage, the breaker will trip. If the breaker is faulty, it might trip at too low a current value, especially if it's been tripping over and over again. What I think these guys are talking about with the extension cord thing is that the added resistance of an extension cord to the high-current draw of the AC unit in the RV might lend too high a resistance value. If that happens, the voltage will drop at the motor when the compressor is trying to start up. When that happens, the compressor motor will attempt to draw even more current to make up for the low voltage at the end of the extension cord, and that could very well trip the breaker. I'm not a HVAC guy, but I'm a motor guy. We see that all the time.

I've read stories here of people trying to run their RV AC unit on a 120v circuit that's all the way out at a garage 100 ft from the house, on a 15 amp breaker. It keeps tripping, so they put a 30 amp breaker in it on 14 gauge wire between the garage and house. That becomes a fire hazard, because the copper wires become the fusible link. The copper melts the insulation because it gets way too hot, and suddenly there's a big short circuit and possibly a fire. The motor may be telling us something, if we listen. So, your advice is good. These are all possibilities that could cause this.

[rkresge]

Suggestions keep coming, but the OP has not been heard from since he was going up on the roof several days ago. It would be interesting to see what he has found, and what answers he has for the various questions we've posted for him.

Roger

[Isaacs]

Originally Posted by rkresge

Suggestions keep coming, but the OP has not been heard from since he was going up on the roof several days ago. It would be interesting to see what he has found, and what answers he has for the various questions we've posted for him.

Roger

I hope he's not stuck on the roof! Maybe his ladder blew down...

[rkresge]

Originally Posted by Isaacs

I hope he's not stuck on the roof! Maybe his ladder blew down...

[EthanAnnie]

Omg thank you! I had forgotten that I have to flip my water heater to gas only. I run gas and electric on it in the winter. (I live in mine full time.) I had totally forgotten until your comment triggered it! Thank you!!