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11-09-2014, 07:07 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Birmingham, Al
Posts: 1
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Breaker Trips w/AC + Microwave???
As the title says when I'm running ac and the microwave at the same time it trips a 15 amp breaker everytime. Or if I'm running my 1500 watt heater by itself. I'm not a electrician but should this be happening or is something wrong? Its the second one from the bottom.
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11-09-2014, 07:44 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
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If you have a 30A circuit, then running the A/C and a microwave at the same time will trip your breaker. Don't forget that if you have your HW heater set on electric, that is a heavy draw on your circuit. The converter, which one doesn't really think much about, is also a draw so it doesn't take much to "run out of amps". In a sense, the 1500W heater isn't really "running all by itself" if you count the converter and the HW heater. You should be able to operate a 1500w heater if you don't have other items going at the same time - coffee pot, frying pan, microwave, etc.
There really isn't anything wrong but having a 30A circuit does place some restrictions on the number of things you can have running at the same time.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
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11-09-2014, 08:37 PM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Venice
Posts: 5,346
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If I am reading the markings on that breaker it is REC/CON or receptacle/converter. As Festus2 mentioned we are limited to what we can use at the same time. Especially on the same circuit. With that breaker off, try to find another outlet that works on a different circuit for your heater. Your converter is supplying 12v for you lights, furnace and other controls. That combined with your heater is most likely more than 15 amps.
I have owned three trailers with 30amp service, only one of them would allow me to use A/C and electric water heater at the same time.. It is just the nature of the beast. WH + A/C + Converter = close to or over 30 amps. JM2¢, Hank .......... Welcome to the forum.
"As the title says when I'm running ac and the microwave at the same time it trips a 15 amp breaker everytime."
The A/C and micro are both on separate 20amp breakers???
__________________
Hank & Lynn
2007 Cougar 290RKS, E-Z Flex, 16" XPS RIBs ( SOLD .. Gonna miss her ... looking for new 5r)
2004.5 Dodge 2500 QC, LB, 5.9HO, WestTach gauges, Ride-Rite
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11-09-2014, 08:58 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Green Valley, AZ
Posts: 782
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You should be able to run the electric heater by itself, if that's what you mean. I have had no trouble in any trailer doing that even with the hot water heater on. But I cannot add the microwave to that or it will trip the service. I can sometimes run the micro with the a/c but it will trip if anything else is on so I don't try. Here is a list from KOA. A/C alone is drawing 1/2 your total amps. Microwave, the same--so you can see you don't have much left.
120 Volt AC Amp Ratings
Appliance or Electronic Equipment Estimated Amps
Air Conditioner (X number of A/C) 12-16 Amps
Blender 5-6 Amps
Coffee Maker 5-8 Amps
Compact Disc Player 1 Amp
Computer (Laptop) 2-3 Amps
Converter 1-8 Amps
Crock Pot 1-2 Amps
Curling Iron <1 Amp
Drill 2-6 Amps
Electric Blanket 0.5-1.5 Amps
Electric Fan 1 Amp
Electric Water Heater 9-13 Amps
Electric Skillet 6-12 Amps
Hair Dryer 5-12 Amps
Iron 5-10 Amps
Light (60 watt % 120V) <1 Amp
Microwave 8-13 Amps
Microwave (Convection Oven) 13 Amps
Refrigerator in AC mode 5-8 Amps
Space Heater 8-13 Amps
Television 1.5-4 Amps
Toaster 7-10 Amps
Vacuum (handheld) 2-6 Amps
VCR 1-2 Amps
Washer/Dryer 14-16Amps
12 Volt DC Amp Ratings
Appliance or Accessory Estimated Amps
Aisle Light 1 Amp
CO Detector 1 Amp
Fluorescent Light 1-2 Amps
Furnace 10-12 Amps
LP Gas Leak Detector 1 Amp
Overhead lights (Per Bulb) 1 Amp
Porch Light 1 Amp
Power Roof Vent 1.5 Amps
Radio/Stereo 4 Amps
Range Hood (Fan & Light) 2-3 Amps
Refrigerator (LP Gas Mode) 1.5- 2 Amps
Security System 1 Amp
Television (12 volt) 4-5 Amps
TV Antenna Booster <1 Amp
TV Antenna Booster 12 Volt outlet Up to 8 Amps
Variable Speed Ceiling / Vent Fan 4 Amps
VCR Recorder / Player 2 Amps
Water Pump 4 Amp
Hopefully this clears up any confusion on the difference between using amps supplied by the campground electrical source (AC amps), and using amps supplied by the converter (DC Amps).
Happy Camping!
__________________
Earl
2007 33.5' Arctic Fox Fifth Wheel used for full-timing for several years--now sold
2011 Hideout 23RKSWE that we now use for poking around local parks
2007 Chevy 3/4 ton diesel with Prodigy Brake Control
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11-09-2014, 10:18 PM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
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The standard incandescent light bulb in your RV draws about 1.5 - 1.75amps. If you have 5 single lights on, that will draw about 7.5 to 8.75 amps. Having your heater on at night coupled with a number of overhead lights, will use a fair number of those 30 available amps.
As you can see, it doesn't take much to max out your 30A circuit.
If you haven't yet installed LED lights, it might be something to consider as they require about 1/5 to 1/10 of the requirements of incandescent bulbs.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
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11-10-2014, 10:06 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fruitland
Posts: 3,357
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This is just another point made that shows a RV (the common rvs) are not built like a home. How they heat/cool and use water and electricity are different and need to be monitored among other stuff we take for granted in a home.
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2013 24RKSWE (27ft TT) Cougar 1/2 ton series SOLD 10-2021
2013 Ford F350 4x4 CC 6.7 engine, 8 ft bed, 3.55 rear end, lariat package
Retired from Oregon State Police in 2011 than worked another 9.5 years as a small town traffic cop:
As of 05-2020, I am all done with 39 years total police work. No more uniforms for me.
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11-10-2014, 10:52 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: B.C
Posts: 1,399
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Festus2
The standard incandescent light bulb in your RV draws about 1.5 - 1.75amps. If you have 5 single lights on, that will draw about 7.5 to 8.75 amps. Having your heater on at night coupled with a number of overhead lights, will use a fair number of those 30 available amps.
As you can see, it doesn't take much to max out your 30A circuit.
If you haven't yet installed LED lights, it might be something to consider as they require about 1/5 to 1/10 of the requirements of incandescent bulbs.
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So if I have 20 led's running then how many amps am I drawing? Also what does one led draw?
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2010 Keystone Cougar 25 RL.
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11-10-2014, 04:22 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Okla
Posts: 363
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve S
So if I have 20 led's running then how many amps am I drawing? Also what does one led draw?
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It depends on the led bulb in question (how many watts it is). Since they are 12V DC, the math for a 1 watt bulb sorts out to
amps=watts/volts
amps=1/12
amps=0.083333333333
So, for 12VDC you can take the total number of watts, multiply by 0.083333333 and that'll give you the total amps.
for single phase AC, the formula is pretty much the same except it's amps= watts / (power factor x volts)
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2012 Keystone Vantage 32FLS
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11-11-2014, 06:02 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: KY
Posts: 386
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On my raptor I was having a few electrical issues but we found out that the wiring wasn't put all the way into some of the breakers and they were poorly connected to the 12v fuses on the side of the panel. It may be worth checking just in case
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11-12-2014, 06:03 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Ontario,Califorina
Posts: 415
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Looking at your pannel you could add a breaker just for the microwave. But it doesn't' change your 30amp service. But just might solve your problem.
__________________
Randy69
2010 361lev
f350 larriet 4x4
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11-12-2014, 07:54 PM
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#11
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Venice
Posts: 5,346
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randy69
Looking at your pannel you could add a breaker just for the microwave. But it doesn't' change your 30amp service. But just might solve your problem.
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The picture shows he already has a separate 20amp breaker for the MICRO.
__________________
Hank & Lynn
2007 Cougar 290RKS, E-Z Flex, 16" XPS RIBs ( SOLD .. Gonna miss her ... looking for new 5r)
2004.5 Dodge 2500 QC, LB, 5.9HO, WestTach gauges, Ride-Rite
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11-13-2014, 01:31 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Okla
Posts: 363
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My personal experience with 30amp rigs and microwaves is that you can usually get away with running the microwave for 30 secs or so, but any longer than that and the main breaker will blow if the air conditioner is also on.
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2012 Keystone Vantage 32FLS
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11-13-2014, 10:23 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 2,908
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You may have a bad breaker, and you don't say what you have running connected to your receptacles. The first thing to do, with the AC power turned off to the trailer, is remove that panel cover and check every connection to the breakers, including the Main breaker. What may be happening, is a loose connection will cause a voltage drop which will cause an increase in amperage, and will trip a breaker sooner than if the voltage was correct. Like was already said, get everything that can run on propane off electric, the fridge and the water heater. If you are running the A/C, do not run the microwave until you shut down the A/C. With a little planning, you can survive on a 30 amp service, but compared to a 50 amp service, you only have less than a third of the available wattage, 3600 watts on the 30 amp and 12,000 watts on the 50 amp.
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Bob & Becky
2012 3402 Montana
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC
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11-13-2014, 11:05 AM
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#14
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,685
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My trailer has 50amp service and I've had one issue. I wasn't blowing a breaker but I was having some very strange issues with lights dimming, the inverter acting strange etc. I looked over the power/fuse panel and just pushed on it trying to extract a fuse and I had two or three of the LEDs on the panel show up red like they were blown. The lights went out and when I released the pressure the red LEDs went off and everything went back to normal. Took it to the dealer for warranty repair and they said they found a fuse, and some pins where they slide in, out of alignment and it was causing some power problems. They fixed that and I've not had a problem since. An RV can have some strange issues.
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11-13-2014, 04:14 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Ontario,Califorina
Posts: 415
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hankpage
The picture shows he already has a separate 20amp breaker for the MICRO.
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Ok I'm bad put my glasses on
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Randy69
2010 361lev
f350 larriet 4x4
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11-13-2014, 07:31 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
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Howdy All;
I have a 30amp system, run the A/C all Summer and use the Microwave
all the time for cooking and never had a problems for 3 and a half years
now.
Perhaps if the Op were to switch off the A/C and attempt to run it to see
if it is correctly labeled and breakered. Then try the microwave to see the
same. We all know how well Keystone labels things. I'd also check to be
sure that the connections are snug and show no signs of arcing.
hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...
Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
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11-13-2014, 07:32 PM
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#17
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Venice
Posts: 5,346
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randy69
Ok I'm bad put my glasses on
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I just noticed it because it is written in the same poor penmanship that I possess.
__________________
Hank & Lynn
2007 Cougar 290RKS, E-Z Flex, 16" XPS RIBs ( SOLD .. Gonna miss her ... looking for new 5r)
2004.5 Dodge 2500 QC, LB, 5.9HO, WestTach gauges, Ride-Rite
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11-13-2014, 07:53 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: B.C
Posts: 1,399
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hankaye
Howdy All;
I have a 30amp system, run the A/C all Summer and use the Microwave
all the time for cooking and never had a problems for 3 and a half years
now.
hankaye
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So hankaye how much food can you nuke in 3 1/2 yrs
To the OP: Do a load test on the 30 amps coming in, if it's not a true 30 amps then you'll have plenty of power issues and breakers blowing.
When I first connected my trailer I thought I had a true 30 amps in but it was a little bit less and that was enough to cause lots of problems. I couldn't even run a toaster and the heater without the breakers blowing! After the proper cable was run and I had a true 30 amps there I can run my heater, coffee maker, water heater and a hair dryer in the winter and no probs. In the summer I can run the AC, micro and the water heater and there's no problems.
What I've found is that the converter has a mind of it's own and if it doesn't have the draw that it needs it'll want to kill the hydro to keep the 12 volt continuous.
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2010 Keystone Cougar 25 RL.
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11-13-2014, 08:08 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
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Steve S, Howdy;
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve S
So hankaye how much food can you nuke in 3 1/2 yrs
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Enough ...
hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...
Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
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11-29-2014, 11:36 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Tallassee, AL
Posts: 191
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rvparkkimg
As the title says when I'm running ac and the microwave at the same time it trips a 15 amp breaker everytime. Or if I'm running my 1500 watt heater by itself. I'm not a electrician but should this be happening or is something wrong? Its the second one from the bottom.
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I would try replacing/swapping this breaker with another one. Breakers can be "weak" and trip too soon. From experience years ago, the circuit breaker for the home heat unit would occasionally trip early in the heating season. I replaced the breaker and never experience it tripping again the year we lived in that house.
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Larry
2015 F350 Ultra Lariat CrewCab Long Bed 6.7L
2005 Keystone Outback Sydney 30FRKS
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