Electric problem

[tinstartrvlr]

Greetings all,

 

My third post for the third problem I have discovered in my NEW travel trailer. This is not my first TT, and I have been fulltime for 2 yrs, so I'm not totally unfamiliar with the problems that come with any rig.

 

I am sure someone can explain this to me.

 

I have a voltmeter plugged into an outlet. It reads sufficient voltage with the usual things running on electric (fridge, water heater, etc). I make sure to turn the water heater to gas when I run the microwave, or the AC off, etc. so there is no potential conflict. By that I mean I am diligent about not overloading my system.

 

This is a 30 amp system.

 

I have an electric fireplace/heater. I don't know the wattage but it blows warm air. (Don't know how it will work in the winter though.)

 

So I felt a slight chill in the air and decided to plug in my space heater for a brief few moments, which I used in my previous 30amp TT, to take the chill off, rather than run the fancy fireplace or the gas furnace.

 

I happened to glance at the voltmeter, and noticed with the space heater on it was in the low voltage red area (showing about 111 volts). Heeding the red warning, I turned off the space heater and immediately it jumped back to 119/120v.

 

Curious that a space heater would draw so many volts, (which it didn't do in the previous TT), I made sure everything else electrical except for a couple led lights and the tv were off, or on gas.

 

Space heater still draws voltage down to the red. Tried the other small space heater, same thing. Tried the hairdryer, same thing.

 

Yet the onboard "fireplace" heater doesn't take it into the red.

 

Shouldn't this system be able to handle ONE 1500 watt hair dryer without going into the red, when nothing else of any significance is running?

 

Surgeguard shows 119v at the power pole, and a 12 amp draw when it was on. Yet the voltage meter inside was in the red.

 

Really beginning to wonder if I got a lemon.......or maybe I am just missing something here.

 

Hopefully I provided enough info for someone to take a guess.

 

Any thoughts everyone?

[Ed ke6bnl]

I am sure no expert BUT I think a kill-0-watt meter, would let you know what amps. each item is drawing, The fireplace may not be making 1500 watt as do most heater. then you can make some honest comparisons, may also be a problem with the pedestal.

http://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457404517&sr=8-2&keywords=watt+meter

[tinstartrvlr]

Mntom-thought about that when the fridge was acting up. It is a new TT/new cord and fits tightly and connection seems fine. Unless the problem is on the other side of the wall. Surgeguard says everthing is good, unless perhaps the surgeguard is going bad...? I definitely agree about the load issue.

 

Electrical gremlins are such a pain.....

[tinstartrvlr]

So I turned on the fireplace heater, and the voltage is fine. Checked the surgeguard and it shows 116 volts and a 13 amp draw (about the same as the space heater). The voltmeter in the wall plug also shows safe voltage. Double checked main connection, nice and tight, not warm as if drawing too many amps.

 

Now I am even more confused!

[Kirk W]

Since I worked in the electrical service industry, I'll try to offer a few thoughts. First is a question about the meter that you are using. If it is one of those cheap ones that just plug into an outlet, like in the picture, they are notoriously inaccurate.

I have one of these and while it is better than nothing, it is very inaccurate, as compared to the high quality meter that I carry and mostly use. You don't need a really expensive one, but these cheap meter movements are generally close to accurate in mid scale, but get worse the farther from the center of the sale they get. On mine, at 120V it is very close but at 110V it was off by 4V and at 130V it was off by 3V. When mine is reading 100V, my digital Fluke meter says it is actually 106V. The point is that while the meter you have is an indication, it is probably not changing as much as you see.

 

As to the heaters effect upon the voltage supply, the amount of effect will depend upon the wattage rating of the heater. To be able to compare one to the next you need to know what it is rated at. I'd suspect that your fireplace has a lower wattage heating element, but that is only a guess.

 

There are many things which can account for your voltage loss when you increase the power demands. The wiring that is supplying your power pedestal can be the problem if it is old or in poor condition. A bad power plug can also do that as could a bad plug on your shore power cord or even a bad connection inside of your power distribution panel. A good way to check your connection where the cord plugs into the pedestal is to turn on one of your heaters and then monitor the temperature of the plug, outlet and cord. If the blades of the power outlet do not fit the blades of the power plug tight enough, that will introduce a resistance into the connection, it will drop part of your voltage across that resistance and create heat. A warm cord or plug is OK but if it is too hot to comfortably keep your had on, after a half hour or more of heavy use, then you probably have found the cause. Another hint is to look at the blades of your power cord. If you have a high resistance connection those blades will discolor from heat or possibly show signs of arcing.

 

To trouble shoot the problem you need a good meter. You can measure the voltage at the pedestal when voltage inside has dropped and see if it has also dropped there. If it has, the problem in on the park side and not in your RV. If the voltage at the pedestal is 120V and inside of the RV you only get 110V, there is a problem in your cord, plug, or the distribution system of the RV.

 

Your RV has a circuit breaker for the 30A limit which will open if you exceed that amount and the power pedestal also probably does as well. If neither of those circuit breakers have opened, it is pretty safe to think that you have not exceeded the 30A design current but something else is the problem. It may be as simple to solve as moving to a different RV site or campground.

[chirakawa]

The fireplace most likely has a dedicated circuit, or at least a dedicated line sufficient to carry the amps drawn by the fireplace.

 

The circuit you are plugging the hair dryer and/or small space heater into may be of an inadequate size/integrity to carry the draw you are putting on it.

[tinstartrvlr]

Kirk,

 

Well given your background you may be the one to solve this for me. I do have that cheap voltmeter plugged in; didn't realize it was so inaccurate. Although, it seemed stable and I guess accurate in my former TT. The power grid at this park is fairly new, plus I have been here for several months without a problem in my other TT. That makes me think it has something to do with the new TT.

 

Never had a problem with a hair dryer, space heater etc in the old TT, even at this park, so unless it's a coincidence, I have to think the pedestal is ok.

 

I do have a surgeguard on the pedestal; it tells me all is well.

 

This is a new problem with the new TT.

 

I don't understand RV electricity beyond very basic stuff, but is it possible that one leg of the power cord is dead and I am only getting 15 amps into the TT? Would that cause the voltage drop with a heater on?

[Kirk W]

Your Surge Guard has a low voltage shutdown feature and since it isn't turning off, it is pretty safe to say that in reality your voltage is not falling below 108V, which is their protection point. Modern electric equipment is designed to operate at 120V, +/- 10% or between 132V and 108V. I'd bet that your SG is much more accurate than the little meter. Yours might be more accurate than mine, but not a lot and they are probably not the same. There is good reason for test equipment to not generally use the mechanical type of meters and for why those little ones are so cheap, compared to real test equipment.

 

The fact that your power plug was fine last week does not guarantee that it is still that way. It is the first thing that I would look at, since it is easy to get to and it costs nothing to do so. Remember that if that connection should get too hot it will also damage the plug on your Surge Guard and require it to be replaced. It is normal for there to be some voltage sag when you increase the loading on your RV circuitry, but it should be minimal and yours may be more than it should be and if there is a connection problem, it will slowly get worse due to the time that it stays hot.

I don't understand RV electricity beyond very basic stuff, but is it possible that one leg of the power cord is dead and I am only getting 15 amps into the TT? Would that cause the voltage drop with a heater on?

That is not a possibility. If you have a 30A cord there is only one hot leg, one neutral leg, and the ground. In RVs, only the 50A power cords have two phase legs in them. If you lost one leg, you would have no power at all. Are you sure of what you actually have in the RV? A 30A power plug has three pins and a 50A cord has four pins.

30A plug.............. 50A plug.......

[oldjohnt]

I'm here late, but let me put on my old rusty Electrical Engineers hat and brain and work through this. From the above I have summarized the following, correct me if I'm wrong:

 

1) The voltage at the pedestal is still good even with a 12 amp current draw from the built in fireplace heater correct????????

 

If so that tells me the power available at the pedestal receptacle is okay and NOT the problem since a 12 amp draw still allows good voltage.

 

2) Space heater 1 orrrrrrrrrrrr space heater 2 orrrrrrrrrrrrrr hair dryer operation causes a voltage drop IS THAT CORRECT??? But the voltage is that measured in the branch circuit feeding the heaters (with your small plug in analog meter) NOT at the pedestal is that correct???

 

If so to ALLLLLLLLL above, that tells me the heaters or the hair dryer etc are NOT the problem HOWEVER the individual branch circuit into which you plug those appliances IS THE PROBLEM.

 

 

If allllllllllllllllll my assumptions above are correct I suspect a loose or burned or carboned connection in the individual branch circuit into which you are plugging those heaters IS THE PROBLEM. It could be in the panel at the 15/20 amp circuit breaker,,,,,,,,,,or in the Panels Neutral Bar,,,,,,,,,,,,or at the receptacle into which those loads are plugged. Look for brown or burned or heated connections or terminals and check tension and tightness and integrity of each and every connection in that branch circuit from panel to receptacle.

 

NOTE If voltage available at a load (circuit which feeds heater receptacle) drops when a load is applied EITHER the load is drawing too many amps (bad/partly shorted heater, but I doubt since heaters or hair dryer all cause same) orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr there is a loose resistive connection in the circuit across which V = I x R voltage drop occurs thereby leaving less voltage for the heater.

 

NOTE this analysis assumes pedestal voltage is okay regardless if fireplace or heaters or hair dryer are operating (Park power is okay) and its ONLYYYYYYYY voltage inside the RV in the circuit that feeds the heaters (either space heater or a hair dryer) that drops when those loads are applied. If thats the case I don't suspect the heaters or your RV plug or the parks power system but THERES A RESISTIVE VOLTAGE DROPPING BAD CONNECTION IN THE BRANCH CIRCUIT FEEDING THAT HEATER

 

IF MY ASSUMPTIONS ARENT CORRECT NEITHER IS THIS ANALYSIS AND ONCE CORRECTED I WILL GIVE IT ANOTHER SHOT LOL

 

John T Long retired Electrical Engineer and rusty on all this so NO WARRANTY

[bigjim]

Have you sorted out which outlet goes to which breaker. Turn off the breakers in your rig except the main. Plug in a light or radio then turn on 1 breaker in your panel. It the light goes on this write it down as circuit 1. Repeat the process on different outlets until you sort out which outlets are on each breaker. Draw youself a little diagram and maybe even stick a little marker on that outlet to show what circuit it is on. I am saying this a little simpler than the guys above but I agree that there is a good chance you are over loading one particular circuit. I might also suspect the Fireplace is a lower wattage than your other heater and may even have a way to switch it to a higher power.

 

I think I remember there has been and issue of fire due to these fireplaces overloading circuits and people not understanding electricity enough to understand it when using the fireplaces so they may have purposely started using lower power fireplaces for both safety reasons and to cut down on customer complaints.

[tinstartrvlr]

Everyone,,

 

Thanks for the responses...all great info-I will try the suggestions mentioned.

 

Oldjohn, your assumptions are correct.

 

Something I discovered that might narrow it down-I can plug a space heater or a hair dryer etc into the bathroom plug with no significant change in voltage showing on the voltmeter.

 

Plugging those items in anywhere else, huge drop on the voltmeter, including the plugs in the kitchen. Tried an experiment with a toaster oven in one of the kitchen plugs-voltage dropped noticeably but not into the "red".

 

So what it seems is that whatever circuit(s) all the plugs,, other than the bathroom, are unable to handle the load. Is it all one circuit, and it may have the issue you described above, or are all plug circuits other than the bathroom just not made to handle that kind of load? Seems odd that kitchen plugs can't handle it-they have toasters and crockpots and such plugged in....

[bigjim]

How many breakers are in your distribution box? Are they marked. One should be the main and one should be marked for the Air Conditioner. There shoul be 2 others that are split. One may be marked M/W for microwave and the other side H/W for water heater the other should be front-back or 1&2. They may be slightly different but likely not. Some of these other issues may contribute but know what you have is a good starting point. In mine the bathroom outlet is the ground fault outlet and the outdoor outlet is tied into that circuit. 30 amps is not a lot and is pretty easy to put too much on a circuit or the rv as a whole. One issue I have on rare occaisions is the ground fault tripping and causing one or both ciruits to go out.( usually 1) That is not likly your problem now just a heads up to remember to reset the ground fault if you lose power. Make sure you are checking this on separate circuits. The bathroom is probably separate from the ones you have tried. I have a heater plugged into the bathroom outlet and another plugged into the microwave outlet with a switch that I turn off before using the microwave.

[Al F]

Everyone,,

 

Thanks for the responses...all great info-I will try the suggestions mentioned.

 

Oldjohn, your assumptions are correct.

 

Something I discovered that might narrow it down-I can plug a space heater or a hair dryer etc into the bathroom plug with no significant change in voltage showing on the voltmeter.

 

Plugging those items in anywhere else, huge drop on the voltmeter, including the plugs in the kitchen. Tried an experiment with a toaster oven in one of the kitchen plugs-voltage dropped noticeably but not into the "red".

 

So what it seems is that whatever circuit(s) all the plugs,, other than the bathroom, are unable to handle the load. Is it all one circuit, and it may have the issue you described above, or are all plug circuits other than the bathroom just not made to handle that kind of load? Seems odd that kitchen plugs can't handle it-they have toasters and crockpots and such plugged in....

You have identified on which circuit the problem is. It is the circuit which is feeding the outlets where you have the voltage drop when you plug in the hairdryer or space heater. As suggested by others, find out which circuit breaker feeds the failing outlet. Once you find that CB identify all the outlets which go to that CB. Now plug your hairdryer or space heater into each outlet on that CB. If all those outlet show the voltage drop the problem is probably at the CB panel, or the wiring leading from the CB panel to the first outlet or possibly a loose screw or push on connection in the first outlet. Usually the wiring goes from the CB panel to the first outlet, and then to the second in a series string to the last outlet.

 

In the off chance you only have one outlet circuit & CB instead of two, like I would expect, then it seems the wiring is good to the bathroom outlet and the problem is beyond the bathroom outlet.

 

Is the trailer new and under warranty? If so you probably should take it back to the dealer and have them fix it. If you do, make sure to get a technician to go into the trailer with a meter and you show him/her the problem. Don't just describe it to a service writer. Also when you pick up the trailer make sure you test the repairs before leaving.

[tinstartrvlr]

Great information from everyone. Thanks.

 

Guess the bottom line is that rig is under warranty so I think I will definitely leave it to a dealer. While I wait to see one, which I am sure will be weeks, I'll poke around and see if I can narrow it down as to which breaker all six of the plugs are on.

 

Just a side note, all the plugs in the rig have a gfi sticker on them, but the bathroom is the only one with a reset button, so I guess that means it is somehow tied to all the others, yet isn't affected by high amp appliances.

 

Strange animal, this rv electricity.

[ray.service]

That's because the bathroom is the first outlet on the circuit. The kitchen and any outside outlets should be GF. Sounds like ALL your utility outlets are fed from that bathroom GF. Do you only have one utility breaker in the main panel.

I'd pull that bathroom outlet and check it. Many new trailers are unsulation displacement fixtures maybe not pressed in all the way.

[Kirk W]

Most 30A RVs have only one circuit for all of the outlets in the RV. You need to check to see what you have first as what you say seems to indicate some serious issues with the internal wiring, which while uncommon, is very much possible. You might have two separate circuits for outlets, but all of your power for a 30A plug is coming into the RV on one lead from a single pin in your power plug.

 

Are you using the Surge Guard-34830 which has a display that shows the voltage? If you do that is a quick and accurate way to know what the voltage of your supply is as compared to the inside volt meter. Even though it may not be very accurate it is pretty safe to assume that it does indicate a voltage drop that seems to be happening inside of your RV.

 

1) The voltage at the pedestal is still good even with a 12 amp current draw from the built in fireplace heater

I really don't understand how John can be sure of what current your fireplace is drawing? I'd bet that he is assuming that it is a 1500 watt heater, which it may well be but I don't think that we know that..... Also, I don't see where you said if you had the fireplace in operation at the same time as your portable heater and was it on high or low? What I find most concerning is that you seem to be saying that you are getting different voltage readings at different points inside of the RV, at the same time.

 

To add just a little bit to what Ray has said, a GFI outlet can be connected to protect not only what it supplies but also all of the other outlets that come after it. It isn't always done but usually is that way in an RV.

 

Strange animal, this rv electricity.

Not really that different from a stick house. Most RVs use electrical components that can be purchased at any Lowe's or Home Depot and found in any modern home. The major difference is that it is connected at the power distribution panel differently because it has a power cord like an appliance and so the power pedestal sees it as one very large, plug in appliance. In most cases the only difference is in the connections of the power distribution, although there are some RV builders who use the panels from Inteli-Power or WFCO that are built specifically for the RV industry.

[oldjohnt]

Kirk, somewhere in all this mess I got the impression he was drawing 12 amps yet still had adequate pedestal voltage and I was under the impression that was with the fireplace running???? No, I don't know (he hasn't said) the fireplace watts, but Id "pure guess" it to be at least 1000 watts but not over 1500??? IFFFFFFFFFF its actually producing heat and NOT just for lights or show...................

 

Anyway, If a relatively high current load such as a 12/13 amp space heater causes an excessive voltage drop in a branch circuit (be it GFCI or GFCI served) or non GFI at relatively short typical RV lengths, I suspect a resistive loose or burned or carboned connection somewhere in that branch circuit. Especially if out at the RV pedestal a 12 amp (perhaps fireplace) current draw DOES NOT yield excessive voltage drop there.

 

Many RV's use a GFCI in say the bathroom, but its LOAD side feeds other downstream receptacles which are also GFCI protected that way. However the RV may NOT have GFCI throughout the coach, there may be some branch circuits that feed convenience outlets that are NOT near kitchen or bathroom sink or on the exterior.

 

If the GFCI circuit including its downstream LOAD side fed receptacles are all good and all connections are good (and theres good service and voltage feeding that circuit) I wouldnt expect a 1500 watt heater to cause the voltage to drop much over a few volts (subject to wire size and length). HOWEVER on any circuit which has excess voltage drop when you plug in a heater or hair dryer or toaster etc that's the circuit where I expect a bad resistive voltage dropping connection (breaker or splices or receptacles etc) and that DOES NOT mean the RV plug or the parks pedestal service is at fault as earlier discussed in cases where a 12 amp draw DOES NOT create low pedestal voltage

 

That's my story n Ima stickin to it lol

 

John T Retired Electrical Engineer

[lenp]

Keep in mind that most manufactures use the "push-in" connectors on the 120 VAC outlets. The actual contact area between the wire and the receptacle is VERY small. I NEVER use this option due to the small contact area. You could very well have some voltage drop at any one of the outlets in the "chain" of outlets fed by that circuit.

 

The first outlet in the circuit must be a GFCI outlet. All others are downstream from this GFCI outlet. Each outlet could add additional voltage drop.

 

Lenp

[Kirk W]

That's my story n Ima stickin to it lol

 

John T Retired Electrical Engineer

I would bet that there is only one circuit for all of the outlets, as is pretty standard for an RV with a 30a cord. As Ray mentions, most manufacturers use those cheap, push-in connecting outlets and any or all of those could contribute to the problem. I suspect that you are very close on the consumption of the fireplace, but we really don't know if it was on with the space heater or not.

 

tinstartrvlr ..........all the plugs in the rig have a gfi sticker on them, but the bathroom is the only one with a reset button,

Based upon this, it is most likely a long "daisy chain" type circuit and the fireplace is on a different circuit. If he is reading this he could test by opening circuit breakers one at a time to determine just what is on which breaker, and I'd make a list for each breaker just for future use. If I were there, I would be checking for a voltage drop across each of the outlets in that line while the offending heater is in operation as that would quickly locate which outlets are causing the problems. It could even be that not all outlets are in the order we might expect and the problem could be in any of them. If there are no outlets that are not GFI protected, that probably removes the GFI from suspicion as the cause of the voltage drop to all outlets. If the problem is in one of the outlets in the string, that needs to be repaired/replaced as it could cause a fire if it gets worse. I always replace all of the frequently used outlets when we buy an RV and put in high quality ones with screw connectors.

[bigjim]

"I would bet that there is only one circuit for all of the outlets"

 

In the interest of clarity are you referring to one main breaker in the rig with it feeding the other circuits? I don't pretend to be an expert and really don't have much experience beyond my own rigs I have owned but in my limited experience that is the case.

 

Regarding the gfi, I once replaced a breaker I thougt was faulty before I realized the gfi had tripped.

 

I wonder if the "fireplace" could be on the AC circuit since you would not likely use the fireplace when you were useing the AC. Just a hmmmm thougt.

[oldjohnt]

""I would bet that there is only one circuit for all of the outlets"

 

 

I was a used RV dealer some years back plus have owned several (at least 10) for my own use, about all of which had a 30 amp cord and plug, and here is what I found.

 

MANY had a 15/20 amp branch circuit feeding a single GFCI outlet in the bathroom which served other downstream Load Side receptacles (1 to 3 typical) in the kitchen near the sink

since that's another typically required GFCI location

 

MANY had a circuit breaker and another individual branch circuit FOR THE AIR CONDITIONER (if so equipped)

 

MANY had one other circuit breaker that fed the Converter/Charger.

 

SOME had one more 15/20 amp breaker for NON GFCI convenience outlets scattered throughout the RV. However if a very small unit I could envision one GFCI branch circuit to feed

allllllllllllllllllllll convenience receptacles

 

HOWEVER (1) NONE of the many mid size trailers or Class A or C (I owned or bought and sold) had but one 15/20 amp branch circuit which fed a GFCI and then allllllllllllllllllll

the other downstream convenience receptacles in the entire unit were fed off the GFCI's load side. But hey I didn't own any real small units with only a few receptacles, so maybe that's

indeed what he has????????????? I'm ONLY saying of all the mid sized units I owned or bought and sold not alllllllllllllll receptacles were on one single 15/20 amp branch circuit BUT

HEY THATS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE FOR A SMALL UNIT ????????????? If we were only there to look at his panel and branch circuit breakers we wouldn't have to guess.

 

HOWEVER (2) the Poster indicated his receptacles were labeled GFCI, SO MAYBE ALL HIS RECEPTACLES ARE INDEED ON ONE SINGLE BRANCH CIRCUIT AND ALL

DOWNSTREAM AND THEREFORE GFCI PROTECTED????????????????????????????? None of us can say sitting here now can we lol

 

If he indeed has but one branch circuit for convenience receptacles, its hard for me as an electrical engineer to imagine his fireplace (and AC if he has one and Converter/Charger if he has one) is on that same circuit!!! To have alllllllllllll receptacles PLUS the Fireplace PLUS a Converter/Charger PLUS possibly an AC all lone one single circuit I DOUBT THAT

 

REGARDLESS how many branch circuits he has and even if its but one all fed off the load side of his GFCI, each and every loose/burned/carboned resistive connection will drop V = I x

R Volts when subjected to a current draw (and a 12 amp heater is a high draw) AND I STILL SUSPCECT SUCH IS THE CAUSE OF HIS PROBLEM AND NOTTTTTTTTTT HIS MAIN 30 AMP PLUG

 

That's still my story n Ima still stickin to it lol

 

Fun sparky chatting with all you gents. We have given the poster our best information so now its up to him.

 

John T Retired Electrical Engineer

[Kirk W]

"I would bet that there is only one circuit for all of the outlets"

 

In the interest of clarity are you referring to one main breaker in the rig with it feeding the other circuits? I don't pretend to be an expert and really don't have much experience beyond my own rigs I have owned but in my limited experience that is the case.

No, as I said, most have only one circuit breaker that supplies all of the outlets. I also mentioned that the fireplace is probably on a different circuit breaker. I have never seen an RV that had only one circuit breaker as that would violate all electrical codes that I know of. There is usually a separate breaker for the microwave that has an outlet with only one usable plug. There will always be a breaker for the air conditioner. There are also a number of things which may share a breaker or sometimes have separate ones. Most 30A RVs have 4 to 6 circuit breakers, plus the main one of 30a. I am a retired electrical service tech with about 35 years of RVing.

[Kirk W]

"I would bet that there is only one circuit for all of the outlets"

 

In the interest of clarity are you referring to one main breaker in the rig with it feeding the other circuits? I don't pretend to be an expert and really don't have much experience beyond my own rigs I have owned but in my limited experience that is the case.

No, as I said, most have only one circuit breaker that supplies all of the outlets. I also mentioned that the fireplace is probably on a different circuit breaker. I have never seen an RV that had only one circuit breaker as that would violate all electrical codes that I know of. There is usually a separate breaker for the microwave that has an outlet with only one usable plug. There will always be a breaker for the air conditioner. There are also a number of things which may share a breaker or sometimes have separate ones. Most 30A RVs have 4 to 6 circuit breakers, plus the main one of 30a. I am a retired electrical service tech with about 35 years of RVing.

[oldjohnt]

" I have never seen an RV that had only one circuit breaker as that would violate all electrical codes that I know of. There is usually a separate breaker for the microwave that has an outlet with only one usable plug. There will always be a breaker for the air conditioner. There are also a number of things which may share a breaker or sometimes have separate ones. Most 30A RVs have 4 to 6 circuit breakers, plus the main one of 30a"

 

AMEN TO THAT KIRK I AGREE COMPLETELY as that's they way the many many of the 30 Amp units (although no real small ones) Ive owned plus bought and sold for years have been

wired. However many many Ive owned and bought and sold had MORE THEN ONE circuit breaker protected branch circuit for convenience outlets, often one to the bath GFCI which also served a downstream outlet in the kitchen, PLUS ONE MORE for another convenience outlet branch circuit for receptacles scattered about the RV OTHER THEN the kitchen and bath GFCI. I never owned any real small 30 amp units, perhaps they had only one circuit for allllllllllllllllllllll outlets???

 

John T Retired Electrical Engineer BSEE 1969 and also been an avid RV user since the early seventies ITS BEEN A GOOD RIDE

 

Best wishes yall and fun sparky chatting

 

John T

[Al F]

For what it is worth, my 29' class A gas Winnebago has 2 CB's for the outlets and it is a 30amp RV. The wiring is strange, there is at least one outlet in the rear which is on the same circuit as some of the outlets in front. Shortly after buying the rig I tested all the outlets and noted which outlets are on each CB just so I know what is where.

 

I don't think we are an exception to the rule. I would think it having one or two CB's for the outlets on a 30amp rig would depend on how large the rig is and how many outlets are installed. Smaller rigs in the 20' to 26' range probably are more likely to have only one CB for the outlets.

 

I believe the general rule to determine if a rig is 30amp or 50amp is, if only one air conditioner and no washer/dryer, almost always it will be 30amp. If 2 AC or one AC & washer dryer then 50amp.