AC trips breaker.....

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AttaliaCharlie
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Joined: 07/12/2022 - 20:17
AC trips breaker.....

I am a newish Scamp owner and what I know about RV electrical systems I could stick in my eye without blinking....  Recently on a trip to Grand Teton NP,  outside temps during the afternoon hit 103/104* and our Dometic AC started tripping our breaker in our 2018 13'.  We heard from more experienced types that we were expecting too much by running our hot water and fridge and AC from the 30 Amp campground socket.  We shut off our hot water and fridge, and the AC ran for awhile, but tripped the top breaker again.  The top breaker was also hot to the touch.  We let it cool, and then restarted it....  But I then also left the panel cover off and aimed a small 110V electric fan at the breaker switches.  This kept the breaker switches cool and the AC ran for hours....

Is there something wrong with my panel and converter?

What do I need to do?

Any help appreciated....

ac0gv
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Joined: 09/22/2016 - 13:57
Change the breaker?

It would be best to measure the current to be sure everything is OK, but when you find that it is you will just end up changing the breaker anyway. 2018 is too new to have a failed breaker, but it happens.(Also changing the breaker will find any loose connections that may be there.)

Paul O.
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Joined: 01/19/2014 - 13:05
Maybe you could get away with

Maybe you could get away with accessing the backside of the converter and making sure all screws that make the connections are tight. A loose contact may be getting hot and heating up the breaker, just tight enough to make things work (for a while).

I had something like that at my house, everything worked, but one outlet box was getting hot from a loose contact. A pain to diagnose, but simple to fix.

-Paul
2004 Scamp 19 Deluxe,
2021 Tacoma, Double Cab, 6 cyl. 4WD
Colorado

AttaliaCharlie
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Thanks, guys....

Thanks, guys....

Not all who wander are lost.

J.R.R. Tolkien

SRC
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Joined: 06/03/2020 - 13:19
If you go the route of

If you go the route of checking your connections you might want to invest in a torque screwdriver. When we started using a UL inspector I noticed he was checking every screw with a torque screw driver. I was somewhat surprised at how tight a #8 or #10 screw really was when tightened correctly. You dont need to spend $200-300 for what you are doing. Harbor Freight has one reasonably priced: https://www.harborfreight.com/limiting-torque-screwdriver-set-22-piece-5... You can probably find one on Amazon for even less. Cheap insurance when you are dealing with electricity.