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Old 06-30-2021, 08:34 PM   #1
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Fantastic Fan/ A/C units

Hello All, We are suffering from an extreme heat wave and have reached temperatures exceeding 46 C (113 F) and have been trying to keep our 36' Holiday Rambler cool enough to be able to sleep in it. The breakers continue to trip when I use either the bedroom A/C unit or the main living room A/C unit. I tried to use the Fantastic fan to exhaust the hot air from within the coach with no luck. Does anyone have any tips for me? Thanks.... Melting in the Okanagan....
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Old 06-30-2021, 09:28 PM   #2
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Sorry about your problems. Which breaker is tripping? Is your Rambler a 30 amp or 50 amp system?
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Old 07-01-2021, 08:28 AM   #3
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Also, operate your fridge and water heater on gas and not electric. Do you have a vvolt meter to check the voltage in the RV? The units do not like to operate below 108 volts. It is hard on the motors and that do draw more amps.

Also, are you tripping the breaker in the RV or the one on the pedestal? Is the RV a 30 amp or a 50 amp rig. You really cannot operate two A/C units from a 30 amp circuit.

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Old 07-01-2021, 08:54 AM   #4
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A/C

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Originally Posted by HarryStone View Post
Sorry about your problems. Which breaker is tripping? Is your Rambler a 30 amp or 50 amp system?
Thank you for your reply.

The single breaker on the top left side of breaker box above bed in master bedroom is the one that keeps tripping. I only use one a/c unit at a time. The fridge is on the same breaker. I think it is a 30 amp system. I think it just cannot keep up with this extreme heat. Wondering if the Fantastic fan could be of any use to help the situation.
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Old 07-01-2021, 09:10 AM   #5
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A/C

Thank you for your reply.

The single breaker on the top left side of breaker box above bed in master bedroom is the one that keeps tripping. I only use one a/c unit at a time. The fridge is on the same breaker. I think it is a 30 amp system. I think it just cannot keep up with this extreme heat. Wondering if the Fantastic fan could be of any use to help the situation. The MH is parked outside our house which does not have A/C and plugged in to an outside outlet. The breaker inside the house only tripped when I made the mistake of trying to run both A/C units at once! We are using the motorhome to sleep in during this extreme heat spell.



This problem pales in comparison to the devastating wildfires raging all around us! Thankfully the air crew managed to get control of a fire which erupted on the mountain side near our home yesterday. We watched the airshow from our back yard as the planes and helicopters spread retardant and water on the flames. Feeling very grateful to still have a home as the fires have caused so much devastation all around us here in British Columbia.
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Old 07-01-2021, 09:32 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lpeterson View Post
The single breaker on the top left side of breaker box above bed in master bedroom is the one that keeps tripping. I only use one a/c unit at a time.
What is the rating (ampacity) of the breaker that keeps tripping?
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The fridge is on the same breaker.
As someone mentioned earlier, run it on propane. Or turn it off. Along with everything else that you don't actually need, like the battery charger and especially the water heater.

But why the fridge shares a breaker with an A/C unit is something I'd like to know. And if it's a propane unit, it'll draw a lot of power, whereas running on propane it takes very little (battery power) since the flame makes the heat, not an electric resistance element.

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Originally Posted by lpeterson View Post
I think it is a 30 amp system. I think it just cannot keep up with this extreme heat.
Is it the main breaker that's tripping, or a branch circuit breaker? The main will be marked 30A, and all branch circuits will have a lower number on the handle.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lpeterson View Post
Wondering if the Fantastic fan could be of any use to help the situation.
Sorry, but no. If you run it, you'll be pulling in outside air at 115F, or whatever temperature it is. The fan can be useful if the interior air is very hot and the outside air the fan will pull in through open windows is much cooler, but if you're running and A/C, you're working against it with that outside temperature. It's either A/C or ventilation, but not both, as a general rule.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lpeterson View Post
The MH is parked outside our house which does not have A/C and plugged in to an outside outlet. The breaker inside the house only tripped when I made the mistake of trying to run both A/C units at once! We are using the motorhome to sleep in during this extreme heat spell.
What is the circuit ampacity that you're plugged in to - 15, 20, or 30A? With nothing else loading the system, many people successfully run two A/C units on a 30A shore power system. Gotta turn things off though, especially high draw loads like the water heater, and possibly the battery charger if it's large and trying to bulk charge low batteries (mine draws 16A sometimes).

If it's 15 or 20A, you can run one A/C, but you still need to minimize the other loads. And all of that assumes the A/C units are clean and operating properly, since they will draw more current in really hot weather.
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Old 07-01-2021, 09:42 AM   #7
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Have you tried simply pointing a fan directly at your breaker panel?
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Old 07-02-2021, 11:14 PM   #8
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Agree the CB will trip lower if very hot..
Many times in a cabinet make sure its open. Shut off panel and all power try tightening the wire on breaker.
I don't know the guts on RV ACs by heart but may have a freeze stat with tube that should be pressed in or against coil from inside cover side. You may not be able to get to it. If freezing up you may have to cycle to fan only now and then.
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Have you tried simply pointing a fan directly at your breaker panel?
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Old 07-02-2021, 11:36 PM   #9
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The Fantastic fan works great if outside temps are somewhat tolerable. When using it you don't open all the windows. Just open a couple on opposing sides. It will bring in cool air - again, only if outside temps are cooler than inside.

I'm sure you have the windows insulated and kept shielded from the sun.

If possible, go to a motel for a few nights to get some good rest.

Wow! That's rough. Hopefully, it'll cool down soon. It's terrible about the fires. Stay safe.
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Old 07-03-2021, 05:40 AM   #10
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One suggestion, use Simple Green Extreme not Simple Green. While Simple Green is a great cleaner, it is corrosive to aluminum. Simple Green Extreme is not if used in the recommended concentration which (if I remember correctly) is 13 to 1, but I don’t have my Extreme with me to check the ratio.
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Old 07-03-2021, 07:44 AM   #11
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Thank you all so much for your kind replies. The temps have dropped enough that the breakers have not tripped all day. Forecast is now for the low thirties rather than high forties so still hot but much more tolerable!
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Old 07-03-2021, 09:16 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TXiceman View Post
Do you have a vvolt meter to check the voltage in the RV? The units do not like to operate below 108 volts. It is hard on the motors and that do draw more amps.
Ken has a great point here. The lower the voltage (at the AC), the higher the amp draw. This may be what is causing the high amperage and tripping of the circuit breaker.

A great inexpensive tool I always have in my Fox is a plug in volt meter. No fussing with dials, wires, probes, etc., and is perfect for an RVer who doesn't want to be an electrician. Less than $10. Plug it in inside the RV wherever convenient.

Back to morning brew . . .
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Old 07-03-2021, 10:04 AM   #13
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I've heard from friends in BC that British Columbia experienced an unprecedented demand on its electric grid during the record setting high temperatures. Low voltage (brown out) into the coach as others have suggested will have certainly contributed to your problem. Our friends are currently in Oliver BC, not too far from you, and experienced similar power/AC issues.
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Old 07-04-2021, 08:24 AM   #14
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If you have two air conditioners most likely your rv is 50amp look to see if you have 50 amp service where its plugged into. I did a check on my ac unit and it runs with about 12 amps and start up is a little higher. having the one ac and the refridge and the water heater on the same circuit is maxing out the circuit breaker and puting them on gas would be a solution to lower the amp draw. If your ac unit is icing up check the filter it might be somewhat plugged, three things cause the ac to ice up low air flow, low freon, or a bad temp control.
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