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Topic: Breaker trip (Read 431 times) previous topic - next topic

Breaker trip

 On our trip home today the 50 amp breaker inside will trip while on generator  Will stay on about 2 minutes each time we tried with only residential fridge on  suspect weak breaker ?    98 u295
Leonard and Sherry Casteen                             
1998 u295 36'   
Build # 5257                     
2001 Jeep Cherokee                                             
Springdale SC                                       
Australian Labradoodle    Ginny

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #1 –
Could be a bad breaker, loose connections, breaker not seated correctly, something shorted out with breaker tripping due to overload, or?
2014 ih45  (4th Foretravel owned)
 1997 36' U295 Sold in 2020, owned for 19 years
  U240 36' Sold to insurance company after melting in garage fire
    33' Foretravel on Dodge Chassis  Sold very long time ago

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #2 –
Eliminated all appliances except new fridge  breaker would stay on about 2 minutes every time we tried
Leonard and Sherry Casteen                             
1998 u295 36'   
Build # 5257                     
2001 Jeep Cherokee                                             
Springdale SC                                       
Australian Labradoodle    Ginny

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Leonard –
Eliminated all appliances except new fridge  breaker would stay on about 2 minutes every time we tried
Then unplug the  refrigerator and see if circuit still trips. If no, then bad refrigerator. If yes, then need to figure out why.  Possible the plug in back is wet, rodent ate insulation on wire and causing it to short out, or ??

Why did you get a new fridge? 
2014 ih45  (4th Foretravel owned)
 1997 36' U295 Sold in 2020, owned for 19 years
  U240 36' Sold to insurance company after melting in garage fire
    33' Foretravel on Dodge Chassis  Sold very long time ago

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #4 –
Are you referring to the 50-amp main breaker in the RV panel? Turnoff all the branch circuit breakers. If it still happens you may have short inside the panel. One of the grounds may be hitting an open bus. Has the panel ever had any maintenance? Do you have an inverter with a transfer relay? The breaker for that should trip if the relay is shorting a leg to ground but maybe the main is reacting faster.
Dennis Haynes
Bohemia NY
2008 Nimbus 342 SE Carlyle
Build #6475
Motorcade #19148

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #5 –
Plugged in on shore power the 50 amp does not trip as it did on our travel  I looked at the panel this morning and operated the breaker It controls kitchen fridge toaster etc It does not trip on shore power  I will check wiring connections at transfer switch next  Electrical is my weakness  I was hoping that breaker would trip also on shore power in the barn when arrived home That would indicate weak breaker  easy repair  Just trips on gen as of Sunday
Leonard and Sherry Casteen                             
1998 u295 36'   
Build # 5257                     
2001 Jeep Cherokee                                             
Springdale SC                                       
Australian Labradoodle    Ginny

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Leonard –
Plugged in on shore power the 50 amp does not trip as it did on our travel  I looked at the panel this morning and operated the breaker It controls kitchen fridge toaster etc It does not trip on shore power 

Who did the fridge installation?  It should be on a dedicated breaker, not a circuit shared with other appliances. 

As OEM, Foretravel normally does 2 duplex outlets behind the fridge.  One is wired through the inverter subpanel (typically "icemaker" as the breaker label) and the other via the main panel. 
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #7 –
 New residential fridge was plugged at original receptical Everything has worked 13 months until Sunday  50 degrees no ac's just the fridge the 50 amp that's trips is the kitchen It has not tripped since we plugged into shore late sunday
Leonard and Sherry Casteen                             
1998 u295 36'   
Build # 5257                     
2001 Jeep Cherokee                                             
Springdale SC                                       
Australian Labradoodle    Ginny

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Leonard –
Eliminated all appliances except new fridge  breaker would stay on about 2 minutes every time we tried

Hmmm...  is the main breaker physically tripping (so you have to reset it), or are you just losing power after 2 minutes?

Do you have a means to monitor voltage output of your generator?  I wonder if you have a generator (or transfer switch) issue not necessarily related to the fridge (since all seems to be fine on shore power)?

You might consider disconnecting from power completely, opening the transfer switch and checking for loose or corroded connections.  Could be something like that OR bad contacts on the generator relay in the transfer switch.
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Leonard –
New residential fridge was plugged at original receptical Everything has worked 13 months until Sunday  50 degrees no ac's just the fridge the 50 amp that's trips is the kitchen It has not tripped since we plugged into shore late sunday

Michelle beat me to the post button. 

Hopefully the Kitchen is a 20 amp breaker and not a 50. The only 50 in the panel should be the main breaker.  If you have a direct short on a circuit it is possible that the Main (50 amp) will trip first before the circuit that had the short on it.

And as Michelle has said.
If you tripped only on generator you will need to check and make sure the generator is putting out the correct voltage and cycles as in 60 Hz
2014 ih45  (4th Foretravel owned)
 1997 36' U295 Sold in 2020, owned for 19 years
  U240 36' Sold to insurance company after melting in garage fire
    33' Foretravel on Dodge Chassis  Sold very long time ago

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #10 –
Thanks
Leonard and Sherry Casteen                             
1998 u295 36'   
Build # 5257                     
2001 Jeep Cherokee                                             
Springdale SC                                       
Australian Labradoodle    Ginny

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #11 –
Thanks for all the response  I found the GE slimline 50 amp breaker and replaced    which was for kitchen All is well Thanks again  Also retightened everything
Leonard and Sherry Casteen                             
1998 u295 36'   
Build # 5257                     
2001 Jeep Cherokee                                             
Springdale SC                                       
Australian Labradoodle    Ginny

Re: Breaker trip

Reply #12 –
Quote from: Leonard –
Thanks for all the response  I found the GE slimline 50 amp breaker and replaced    which was for kitchen All is well Thanks again  Also retightened everything

Leonard,

The 50 amp common-trip breaker in the main 120V panel is your main breaker and has both L1 and L2 on it.  The individual circuits have 20 amp breakers. 

The sub-panel which handles circuits fed off the inverter may have a 50 amp main breaker as well (that's what's shown in the schematics for our 2000; our 2003 had a 40 amp main breaker in the sub panel.)  It will only be a single line breaker (not 2 ganged together with a common trip bar).  The actual circuits are on 20 amp breakers.

Which 50 amp breaker did you replace?
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320