Community Forums

bruhuh · 10-26-2021, 06:45 PM

One more time.
As soon as i plug my rv into shore power i trip a breaker in the storage garage. I turned off all the breakers and plugged it in with no problems. turned on the first breaker which is for the inverter and no problems so i then turned on the two breakers for the 50 amp service and it tripped. How do i go about finding the issue??

Skip426 · 10-26-2021, 06:51 PM

The 120 volt circuit breaker ; OR a GFI outlet , what exactly is tripping .

Ever had issues in an RV park ?

The 50 amp breakers are in the power circuit BEFORE the inverter breaker .

Edit: " Storage garage " ??? are you using any adaptors to a 20 amp circuit.

bruhuh · 10-26-2021, 07:07 PM

Its a GFI breaker that is tripping but I have had i plugged in last year and this did not happen and i have never had a problem at a park.

Skip426 · 10-26-2021, 07:38 PM

GFI tripping issues require way different tracing than, 120v circuit breakers due to an over load .

Park power doesn't involve a GFI .

So a new issue, with a GFI protected circuit , that you've used before.

You had the 50 amp breakers off , then turned the inverter breaker on , then turned the 50 amp on .

Try it the other way around , all breakers off , turn on the 50 amp , then all the breakers in the RV , leaving the inverter breaker for last.

Some members with these GFI issues trace the problem to the very start of a problem with water heater 120 volt elements or those 120 volt heaters in the fridge ( if RV fridge ). If your RV style fridge is on an inverted circuit , unplug it . Even some fridge ice makers can cause GFI issues.

bruhuh · 11-03-2021, 02:44 PM

I tried the 50 amp first and it did not trip the GFI
Turning on the inverter breaker does trip it…
Will my coach batteries stay charged without the inverter on?

radar · 11-03-2021, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruhuh

I tried the 50 amp first and it did not trip the GFI
Turning on the inverter breaker does trip it…
Will my coach batteries stay charged without the inverter on?

No. Your inverter/charger charges your batteries. Let’s clarify something. Is it the GFI in the bathroom that is tripping?

twinboat · 11-03-2021, 04:17 PM

If it didn't trip the GFCI last year, think back at what's been changed since then.

New fridge ?
Water heater run without water ?
Block heater cord damaged ?
Work on the electrical system ?
Built in vacuum cleaner system wet ?

ldswofford · 11-03-2021, 06:08 PM

While I agree that you need to check the GFCI circuits as earlier posted....one additional area I might suggest checking is your actual plug for shore power. I had an issue with tripping after the 'snowmaggeddon' we had in Texas earlier this year. We had to actually move into our RV during that time, as our home's power was down for 2-3 days and the RV was sitting in the drive with a full tank of fuel and propane, not to mention the generator! Things all worked fine during the time we needed it, but after things were over and we were back in the house... I went out to clean up/check things in the RV.
Could not get the main breaker in the shop to come on or reset...it would immediately trip....
I checked things for a week to no avail...I ended up thinking my transfer switch connections had fused. We had other issues, so we ended up getting it into Camping World (ok, I know, I know...)... As they checked other things out, they didn't find fused transfer switch connections, but actually found that the plug end for shore power had wiring connections that had somehow loosened up...just enough to cause the short.

So you might try checking the shore power plug...and also the transfer switch connections....but be VERY careful if you open up the transfer switch box....
Larry Swofford
2002 bounder 33R

amosnandy · 11-03-2021, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruhuh

One more time.
As soon as i plug my rv into shore power i trip a breaker in the storage garage. I turned off all the breakers and plugged it in with no problems. turned on the first breaker which is for the inverter and no problems so i then turned on the two breakers for the 50 amp service and it tripped. How do i go about finding the issue??

If I understand your question, it is a 20 amp GFCI breaker in your storage area that is tripping. You say you turn the inverter on without turning the 50 amp coach breakers on. Is the inverter/charger charging the house batteries, or is it inverting and supplying 120v to the house?

I’ve never seen a coach that the 120 power to the charging portion of the inverter/charger did not come through the 50 amp main for the house power. Possibly with a 30 amp breaker feeding a small 30 sub-panel.

The reason it would not trip the storage GFCI with the inverter turned on but not the 50 amp on would because with the 50 amp off, the charger is not getting any power. The minute you turn just the 50 amp on, without the inverter/charger it powers the charger, and trips your 20 amp storage GFCI.

There could be a couple reasons. Something is wrong with the charger. Could be as simple as a bad grounding, or a loose wire. It could be something in the charger has failed. Have you tried plugging into shore power, leaving the inverter/charger off, and see if you have power to any other circuits by turning those breakers on, one at a time?

I had to replace my inverter/charger this year. I didn’t realize that all the power for the 30 amp sub, which is also where the inverter sends its power, passes through the transfer switch in the inverter/charger. If my house batteries are depleted, the 65 amp 12v output of the charger draws enough that it will trip a 15 amp 120 breaker. It also overloads even when on 30, 50 or generator power if I try to run the microwave. After the batteries are charged, and the charger drops back to 5 amp maintain, everything runs fine.

If you are tripping a 20 amp GFCI either you are drawing to much power or there is a ground fault somewhere.

Hoof-hearted · 11-03-2021, 09:48 PM

"If you are tripping a 20 amp GFCI either you are drawing to much power or there is a ground fault somewhere."

Looking through posts this evening because when I plugged in my RV (1999 Fleetwood Discovery 34Q Pusher) after picking up from Freightliner, it trips the GFCI outlet (not breaker) that I plugged it into in my garage. I tried a different circuit on an exterior GFCI outlet, and it trips that GCFI outlet, too. I was not parked close to my 30A exterior outlet so I had the 20A adapter and used a fairly new 12ga 25' extension.
Here is the scenario:
1. I have used this set up several times in the past couple years, but never to a GFCI outlet. Maybe there is a short or drain somewhere that I'm unaware of when it's on the 30A plug? Everything operates correctly.
2. My batteries were at 8v from being unplugged and not driven for a few days. Could I have a huge draw from my charger which is tripping the GFCI?
3. I have it plugged in to my 30A and will check in the morning to see if it reacts differently with fully charged batts.

Jim

Tha_Rooster · 11-04-2021, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruhuh

One more time.

As soon as i plug my rv into shore power i trip a breaker in the storage garage. I turned off all the breakers and plugged it in with no problems. turned on the first breaker which is for the inverter and no problems so i then turned on the two breakers for the 50 amp service and it tripped. How do i go about finding the issue??

Try running genny to see if it does the same thing you might have a bad receptical.