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Milan15 · 07-08-2020, 02:30 PM

05 Mountain Aire. The coach has 50 amp service. Depending where I park the coach at home, I need to run a extension cord plugged into my pedestal to keep the batteries charged. When I use a extension cord I use a 50 amp to 15 amp adapter and it has worked well in the past. However now when I plug in, the breaker in the pedestal trips. If I use just the adapter in my shore cord its fine. But using a extension cord it trips. Different heavy duty extension cords same result. I turned off all breakers in the coach, plugged in extension cord, and then one by one flipped breakers on. With all breakers on except convertor breaker, pedestal breaker stays on. When flipping convertor breaker on, the pedestal breaker trips. Now you would think the convertor is the culprit. However just turning the convertor breaker off, the pedestal breaker still trips. In fact I have to shut all breakers off in the coach in order to plug in the extension cord with out tripping the breaker.
Any thoughts?
Thank You Milan

hohenwald48 · 07-08-2020, 02:58 PM

I suspect your batteries are "deader" than normal. That causes your inverter/charger (or converter) to work harder to recharge your batteries. That causes it to draw more current from your shore power. The extra cord length may cause just enough voltage drop to pop the breaker.

Most inverter/chargers can be set to limit the amount of current load they place on the shore power. Alternately, I suspect you have a power management system somewhere. Use the setting button to tell the PMS you are on a 15 amp cord. That will cause it to alter its PMS profile and reduce current loads. If you leave it on the default 30 amp setting then the PMS thinks you have 30 amps shore power available.

Then again, your inverter/charger or converter (if that's what you have but I doubt it) could just be toast. I gotta believe a high end coach like a MA would have an inverter/charger and not a converter but I could be wrong.

bc25241 · 07-08-2020, 03:00 PM

It sounds like when your batteries were newer the converter wasn't working as hard to keep a charge so it was ok with the ext. cords. Now that they are older the surge of the amp draw to start charging and amp drop from the length the extension cords is too much and tripping the breaker. An amp clamp on the circuit would show it. That is my best guess with the info i had. Sure hope you figure it out!

Milan15 · 07-08-2020, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

I suspect your batteries are "deader" than normal. That causes your inverter/charger (or converter) to work harder to recharge your batteries. That causes it to draw more current from your shore power. The extra cord length may cause just enough voltage drop to pop the breaker.

Most inverter/chargers can be set to limit the amount of current load they place on the shore power. Alternately, I suspect you have a power management system somewhere. Use the setting button to tell the PMS you are on a 15 amp cord. That will cause it to alter its PMS profile and reduce current loads. If you leave it on the default 30 amp setting then the PMS thinks you have 30 amps shore power available.

Then again, your inverter/charger or converter (if that's what you have but I doubt it) could just be toast. I gotta believe a high end coach like a MA would have an inverter/charger and not a converter but I could be wrong.

The coach only has a convertor. No invertor. The batteries are brand new and show a full charge. I don't think I have a power management system, if I do I have no idea where it could be. Is there a way to test the convertor?

twinboat · 07-08-2020, 04:21 PM

Is it a breaker or GFCI that's tripping ?

Milan15 · 07-08-2020, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Is it a breaker or GFCI that's tripping ?

GFCI

twinboat · 07-08-2020, 05:02 PM

That's a whole different issue.

A GFCI trip is a fault of leaking electricity to the ground conductor, not an overload of electricity.

To start, it could be fridge, Ice maker, water heater, or something plugged in.

The first 3 items involve heater coils and water.

Milan15 · 07-08-2020, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

That's a whole different issue.

A GFCI trip is a fault of leaking electricity to the ground conductor, not an overload of electricity.

To start, it could be fridge, Ice maker, water heater, or something plugged in.

The first 3 items involve heater coils and water.

Ok so how do I narrow it down? I flipped the breakers on and only the convertor breaker trips the GFI

twinboat · 07-08-2020, 05:47 PM

Some converter breakers power other items, you can check that.

Otherwise, have you done anything with the 12 volt or 120 volt systems just before this issue appeared ?

If you start with the converter breaker first, does it trip ?

Milan15 · 07-08-2020, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Some converter breakers power other items, you can check that.

Otherwise, have you done anything with the 12 volt or 120 volt systems just before this issue appeared ?

If you start with the converter breaker first, does it trip ?

I think I might have found the problem. When you asked if anything was done recently I just remembered I had a Invertor installed. Its wired to the batteries and there is a ground wire from the invertor hooked in the same place as the convertor ground wire. I disconnected the ground wire the invertor and same results. I then put it back and all of a sudden the breaker isn't tripping any more. Maybe the ground wire from the invertor wasn't connected right?

twinboat · 07-08-2020, 06:25 PM

Great that you found? the problem !!

Lets not question why, unless it comes back.

Milan15 · 07-08-2020, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Great that you found? the problem !!

Lets not question why, unless it comes back.

Thank You for the help.

Fefanatic · 07-09-2020, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milan15

Thank You for the help.

I see your problem is solved but don't rule out the GFCI. I had one that would trip when the humidity got around 80%. It drove me nuts until I replaced it.

JC2 · 07-09-2020, 08:23 AM

Hopefully this won't cloud the issue but I noticed that you indicated that your mh is a 2005 Newmar Mountain.(Is it gas or diesel?) In another of your posts you indicated that it had a convertor(?) and at a recent date you installed an invertor(?). I would really be surprised if your 05 Mountain Aire did not come with an invertor/charger as that was a pretty good quality mh back then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milan15

I think I might have found the problem. When you asked if anything was done recently I just remembered I had a Invertor installed. Its wired to the batteries and there is a ground wire from the invertor hooked in the same place as the convertor ground wire. I disconnected the ground wire the invertor and same results. I then put it back and all of a sudden the breaker isn't tripping any more. Maybe the ground wire from the invertor wasn't connected right?