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Old 07-04-2013, 09:59 AM   #1
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30 Amp breakers

Do they go bad?
Reason i ask over the last couple of wknds we have been tripping the 30 amp breaker on the camper.
Have a surge protector plugged in on the pedestal and that breaker is fine.
The camper is an 07 and gets used alot and the a/c pretty much stays on for 6 months a year.
No other excessive power uses expect a couple of fans in the bedrooms.
So do breakers wear out?
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Old 07-04-2013, 11:19 AM   #2
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There may other things going on you might not see. One item is the battery charger. Sometimes the battery may start losing its performance and requiring a heavy charge... Maybe you should check the battery fluid levels and feel the side of the battery case to see if they are hot... My unit has a 12VDC operated fridge setting... Each 12VDC lamp will draw around 1AMP DC... (good reason to convert to LEDs)... Maybe your electric brakes are activated all the time with the emergency brake pull chain pulled out (you would probably notice this one when you move the trailer I guess)... Each electric brake module will draw 3AMPS of current with 12VDC applied...

I guess a breaker can go bad. LOWES will carry all of these breakers if you need to replace it. Just get the part number off of the breaker.... Easy to install...

I have tripped my 30AMP breaker a couple of times with the air conditioner running and then something else gets turned on... If you add up all the known current draws you will find they are more than the 30AMP breaker capacity. Normally all of the power items are not on at the same time...

Just some of my thoughts
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Old 07-04-2013, 11:53 AM   #3
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Re: 30 Amp breakers

Breakers can go bad. In fact they r only guaranteed to trip one time. Bad breaker may not b the issue however.
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Old 07-04-2013, 02:11 PM   #4
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30 Amp breakers

Battery is new and just checked the water and cleaned all connections so i dont think that is the problem.
I am leaning towards a weak breaker.
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Old 07-04-2013, 05:23 PM   #5
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Re: 30 Amp breakers

If u have a clamp on amp meter check what your drawing current wise to ensure ur nor just overloaded.
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Old 07-04-2013, 05:35 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by lx22f/c View Post
Do they go bad?
Reason i ask over the last couple of wknds we have been tripping the 30 amp breaker on the camper.
Have a surge protector plugged in on the pedestal and that breaker is fine.
The camper is an 07 and gets used alot and the a/c pretty much stays on for 6 months a year.
No other excessive power uses expect a couple of fans in the bedrooms.
So do breakers wear out?
What other appliances are you using when the breaker trips? With your AC operating a lot, if you have an electric water heater and that turns on then you use the microwave......guess what is going to trip? Yes breakers do go bad but you need to find out what was causing it to trip in the first place. We have a surge guard and when it's plugged in, it will display your total amp draw. With our AC & water heater going......there isn't much room for anything else to operate until the water heater turns off.

Like Roy said....Lowes carries the breakers, probably not a bad idea to get one as a spare. They are cheap.

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Old 07-04-2013, 09:26 PM   #7
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30 Amp breakers

When you first turn on electric water heater does it use more amps than regulating? Yesterday when the breaker tripped is when we had just arrived and 10 minutes after turning on electric water heater was when breaker tripped. May just be a coincidence.
Do water heater elements draw more amps as they get oldet?
Thanks
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Old 07-05-2013, 02:06 AM   #8
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Breakers can get weaker if they have been tripped many times.
Also as our trailers age and get used more, some wiring connections may come loose and need to be retightened.
A loose wiring connection will cause the breakers to trip.
Also a poor connection at the campground pedestal due to a worn out receptacle will also cause a breaker to trip.
During the summer months many campgrounds power grids are being maxed out and their voltage is running low, the lower the voltage the higher the current or amp draw to accomplish the same thing.
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Old 07-05-2013, 07:12 AM   #9
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When you first turn on electric water heater does it use more amps than regulating? Yesterday when the breaker tripped is when we had just arrived and 10 minutes after turning on electric water heater was when breaker tripped. May just be a coincidence.
Do water heater elements draw more amps as they get oldet?
Thanks
Robert
The water heater element draws the same current any time it is on. Whether it is first turned on or is cycling. Age has no bearing on this either.

The most common cause for tripping a 30 amp breaker is when the air conditioner is running and the water heater is recovering and the wife starts the hair dryer or the microwave.
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Old 07-05-2013, 07:18 AM   #10
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During the summer months many campgrounds power grids are being maxed out and their voltage is running low, the lower the voltage the higher the current or amp draw to accomplish the same thing.
This is only true for inductive loads such as the air conditioner. The refrigerator or water heater (these are resistive loads) DO NOT increase current as the voltage drops. Their current will proportionately decrease.
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Old 07-05-2013, 08:25 AM   #11
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True, but the Air Conditioner starting is tough on a loaded 30 amp circuit
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Old 07-05-2013, 08:35 AM   #12
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The water heater element draws the same current any time it is on. Whether it is first turned on or is cycling. Age has no bearing on this either.

The most common cause for tripping a 30 amp breaker is when the air conditioner is running and the water heater is recovering and the wife starts the hair dryer or the microwave.
Yes, the heater element is resistive, but when heater elements are cold, they have slightly less resistance, and increase in resistance as they warm up. So, yes the heater element will draw a bit more current when first turned on. Not nearly as dramatic as an inductive load though. If you set up a storage type oscilloscope with a current probe, you will see the change in current when the heater is first turned on. Note: This characteristic will not likely be enough to trip a breaker, unless you're very close to the limit to begin with. Yes, I know I'm being nit-picky, sorry about that
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