99damon
Colorado
Full Member
Joined: 09/20/2007
View Profile
 Offline
|
My front A/C is a Coleman-Mach 13.5, has been working great all summer in 95 degree weather. This morning, after resting all night, it came on and threw the circuit breaker. I was away for a few minutes, this happened in my absence so I don't know if it was immediate or after a couple of minutes.
I have no known electrical gremlins, the unit was recently cleaned (the kind you do on the roof -- remove sheet metal and clean condenser/evap, etc.). Park power was 118 VAC when I checked minutes later, nothing of significance was running in the MH at the time. I've had no problems with this dedicated 20 amp breaker, and the A/C is supplied with 12 gauge Romex.
I reset the breaker, and turned on the unit. It has run today with no trouble, no new noises, full air flow, and no recurrence of circuit breaker tripping.
Not to obsess over what may have been a simple anomaly, but was this a hint that I have trouble brewing? Any thoughts on why an (apparently) ship-shape, well-rested A/C would see fit to pull 20+ amps long enough to trip a breaker for the first time ever? Appreciate any experiences you've had with this, and thanks.
Wayne
Fulltimers
1999 Damon Intruder 341
|
Jamesrpm
Oregon Coast
Senior Member
Joined: 08/30/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
just to be sure disconnect from power then open the breaker box and check all of the connections , a loose connection could cause a trip.
___________________________________________
I plan on living forever , so far , so good
|
Rick Jay
Greater Springfield area, MA
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Ever see the bumper sticker;
"**it happens!"? LOL 
~Rick
2005 Georgie Boy 3625 DS on a Workhorse W-22 (Class A)
Rick, Gail, 1 girl (12-Angel), 1 girl (7), 2 boys (8 & 5), 1 plump Golden Retriever.
2001 Honda Odyssey with Demco Aluminator tow bar & tow plate, SMI Silent Partner brake controller.
|
smkettner
Southern California
Senior Member
Joined: 03/21/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Just one reset? Wait for at least four then replace the breaker. Get a voltage monitor.
2001 F150 SuperCrew 5.4 Lariat Offroad 4x4 Tow Package 4.10 Truetrac
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
12K SuperGlide, KGE3000Ti 2.3kw rated 2.6kw max
Frank's voltage booster, Prosine 1800 powered by 4 GC2 batteries
|
quabillion
Fulltime Native Texan
Senior Member
Joined: 08/20/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Excrement which transpired.
Check the connections to be sure. Breakers do become weak with over-use,and from frequent tripping.
And sometimes just the age will do it too.
1442 watts of solar on the roof. 600AH AGM battery bank. Prosine 2kw inverter. 6KVA diesel gen with auto start. 100% off grid since 6-1-03
34f Skyline
03 F250 5.4
If you can read this thank a teacher, and since it's in English, thank a soldier.
Battery FAQ
|
|
|
mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
Moderator
Joined: 08/26/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Like James posted the first thing we do is check the connections to the breaker and the end appliance. They don't need to be loose, as they can corrode. We loosen and then re tighten so you get a "fresh" connection.
Another explanation could be the A/C short cycled. If it turns off and then tries to restart before the head pressure leaks down, the extra pressure causes a much heavier amperage draw that can trip a breaker.
But, in the end if it happens several more times replace the breaker.
blog.rv.net Your daily guide to the Open Road
Subscribe to the daily digest
Want to sell some of your gear? -
Free Classified Listings on RV.Net
They say you learn by your mistakes, in that case I must be a genius.
|
tvman44
Southwest Louisiana
Senior Member
Joined: 09/25/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
You say the voltage was 118, was that with A/C running? 
Papa Bob
1* DW "Granny"
1* 2008 Brookside Sunnybrook 32'
1* 2002 F250 Super Duty 7.3L PSD
Husky 16K hitch, Tekonsha P3,
Firestone Ride Rite Air Springs, Trailair Equa-Flex, Champion C46540
"A bad day camping is better than a good day at work!"
|
Chuck&Gail
In the Colorado Mountains
Senior Member
Joined: 06/16/2004
View Profile
|
Probably was gremlins. They usually stay in one area, so next time you move, someone else gets them. Cute little fellas, but so fast you rarely see them..
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded)
Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories.
I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
|
jack9999
Hwy 172 Hubert NC
Full Member
Joined: 02/05/2002
View Profile
|
All you may need to do is take the cover back off the AC unit and put a couple drops of machine oil on the shaft of the fan where it goes through the bushing. If the voltage was down when the unit turned on and there was a binding on the shaft it could have caused the trip...been there done that. Don’t know how you cleaned up there but its possible moisture from the cleaning rusted on the shaft/bushing area and tripped the breaker but broke it loose so things worked right after you reset the breaker.
Jack
2003 Flair R33
Land Rover Diso 4 down w/Blue Ox and Break Buddy
Saepe Expertus,Semper Fidelis , Fratres Aeterni
"Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever"
 (Custom).JPG)
|
99damon
Colorado
Full Member
Joined: 09/20/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Hi Jack & Everyone Else -- Not so long ago, I put a screwdriver on all the breakers, but never thought about loosen and *then* re-tighten for some fresh copper. Good idea, and also to do the same at the end point (appliance). And checking the fan-shaft bushing isn't the worst idea I ever heard.
Since I posted, the A/C has run flawlessly without any further CB trips. I think we chalk this up to "stuff happens" followed by add checking/tightening power panel connections to our annual maintenance checklists.
And, since the front A/C breaker works harder than any other, I don't suppose a pre-emptive replacement wouldn be totally out of order once every decade.
Thanks everyone...
|
|
|
