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Cliff Welli · 11-21-2023, 11:28 PM

I have our 03 HR Endeavor plugged in to our house that kept on blowing the house breaker. I bought a new 50amp to 15 amp(120 volt) adapter and it still tripped the breaker. I replaced the out side receptacle and it still trips the breaker. Each time I turn the power from 30amp to 20amp above the door in the MH as that's what the manual calls for when plugging inti 120 v.
Why do I keep blowing the house breaker when nothing is turned on inside the motor home except the battery charger??

Arch Hoagland · 11-22-2023, 12:19 AM

What else is on that line in the house besides the outside plug?

Has it ever worked correctly in the past?

nvs4602 · 11-22-2023, 12:32 AM

Flip off the main breaker in your motorhome. Then plug it in. If it still trips the breaker you have a short in your cord or somewhere up to the breaker in your motorhome.

Bigd9 · 11-22-2023, 07:29 AM

What kind of breaker is "blowing"? Is it a GIF breaker that trips?

PanJH · 11-22-2023, 08:46 AM

Your battery charger will draw a lot of power if the batteries are down. You indicated you are plugging into a 15 amp outlet (with adapter) and are setting the inverter settings to 20 amp..... that could do it.

AlanTerry · 11-22-2023, 08:58 AM

Time to call the man Aunt Bea! Or call an electrician.

**Lt Dan** · 11-22-2023, 09:06 AM

Is this a regular breaker or a GFCI? Those are known for not playing well with RVs. Since it's an outdoor receptacle, those have to be GFCI protected by code.

Solo_RV_Guy · 11-22-2023, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lt Dan

Is this a regular breaker or a GFCI? Those are known for not playing well with RVs. Since it's an outdoor receptacle, those have to be GFCI protected by code.

GFCIs don't 'play well' because RVs are full of stuff that leaks current. From shore power cord assemblies to microwave ovens to curling irons. Power cords (especially user-made) tend to be leaky.

For those following along at home:

For situations like this, where an RV is being stored or maintained on a 15-20 amp GFCI, I'd unplug appliances and turn off any electrical item that is not needed to keep the RV safe and secure. Why? GFCIs look for an imbalance of current between the line and neutral, and in the USA, a difference of more than 5 milliamps (yes, 5 thousandths) will trip the GFCI. Current leakage is cumulative, so if the microwave over leaks 3 mA, and the shore power cord leaks 2 mA, the GFCI will hold, but adding another device to the power service can cause it to trip. This is NORMAL and EXPECTED behavior.

For the OP, don't plug your shore power cord into the adapter(s). Hook everything up but that. Does the breaker trip or GFCI trip? If a GFCI, you have a current leak somewhere between (and including) the last dog bone adapter. If the BREAKER trips, one of the adapters is likely mis-wired and shorting. If the BREAKER trips when you plug in the coach's shore power cord, you either have a short in the cord or transfer switch, or an over-current load (battery charger, water heater, engine block heater, multiple things) that are coming on together and tripping the breaker. Note that the instantaneous nature of the tripping implies a short or large current demand. A 5 amp difference (20 amp charging on a 15 amp circuit) will not immediately trip a breaker.

jacwjames · 11-22-2023, 09:47 AM

Your rig is similar to mine.

I'd suggest shutting off all the breakers in the RV service panel. Then start turning them on one by one. At some point it might identify a circuit that might be causing a problem.

Gary RVRoamer · 11-22-2023, 12:08 PM

Two possible reasons, and maybe both of them apply:

The outlet is rated for 15A but that doesn't mean it can actually supply that much. Nearly all residential outlets are daisy chained on a single 15A breaker, so other outlets may already be consuming part of the total 15 the breaker provides. In other words, your coach may simply be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
You didn't say what circuits in the motorhome are actively drawing power (amps). The battery charger is always on and can sometimes be pulling several amps, and most RVs have the fridge defaulting to 120v power as well. What else is on? We often forget little things like clocks and the TVs (they still use a bit of power in standby mode). Your smart Powerline EMS can limit some loads to try to stay under 20A, but 20 is still more than 15.

The bottom line is that your coach is drawing more power (amps) than are available and the breaker is just doing it's job, preventing an overload of the house circuit.

Paul8020 · 11-22-2023, 01:15 PM

As noted by Lt. Dan, your outdoor plug must be protected by a GFCI breaker. (A plug with an internal GFCI can also be used). I had that problem, and it turned out to be a leaky heater on my frig. I turned off the AC in the frig and no more breaker trips.

TXiceman · 11-22-2023, 04:55 PM

Actually, you blow fuses and trip breakers. Is the breaker a standard breaker or a GFI breaker?

Ken

Cliff Welli · 11-23-2023, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Two possible reasons, and maybe both of them apply:

The outlet is rated for 15A but that doesn't mean it can actually supply that much. Nearly all residential outlets are daisy chained on a single 15A breaker, so other outlets may already be consuming part of the total 15 the breaker provides. In other words, your coach may simply be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
You didn't say what circuits in the motorhome are actively drawing power (amps). The battery charger is always on and can sometimes be pulling several amps, and most RVs have the fridge defaulting to 120v power as well. What else is on? We often forget little things like clocks and the TVs (they still use a bit of power in standby mode). Your smart Powerline EMS can limit some loads to try to stay under 20A, but 20 is still more than 15.

The bottom line is that your coach is drawing more power (amps) than are available and the breaker is just doing it's job, preventing an overload of the house circuit.

the over head display above the door says there's 3 amps being consumed by the MH. But you nailed it, I walked around the hose and had a look at each receptacle. It turns out my son has a small fridge plugged in outside his back door that shares the same same 15 amp GFI circuit. I imagine when ever the fridge cycles on the breaker trips. I've unplugged the fridge and we'll see hoe it goes now. Thanks for all the suggestions,