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Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266036] Thu, 13 November 2014 21:49 Go to next message
lance is currently offline  lance   United States
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Registered: December 2004
Location: Vancouver, WA
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My grandmother who passed away some forty years ago told me about the year in North Dakota when the kerosene froze. I looked it up. Kerosene freezes at 65 degrees below zero. This winter which is still six weeks away looks to be a cold one. I'm hoping to be ready for when the kerosine freezes.

My new furnace finally works (long story last year about my furnace from hell- heck, you think that would keep you warm, but I digress). However, I spend $20 a week for propane but two space heaters and two warming elements in my a/c units have kept me warm and dry until now when the temps have plummeted. Electricity in the Northwest is a lot cheaper than propane.

Enough BS. My issue is that my rear a/c unit trips a breaker after an hour or so of normal operation. My forward a/c unit chugs along, warming the forward part of my coach quite nicely. I'm an electrical idiot. Is there something else on the rear circuit that draws more current than the forward a/c unit? Perhaps it is simply a variation in construction of my Duotherm, Briskair units. You guys always have an insight. Let's hear it guys.


1974 Palm Beach
Re: [GMCnet] Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266040 is a reply to message #266036] Thu, 13 November 2014 22:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
emerystora is currently offline  emerystora   United States
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Registered: January 2004
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Senior Member
I have seen where air conditioners will cut out due to high resistance connections in the breaker box.

Unplug the land line then take the cover from the breaker box. Tighten all the screws you see inside including the ones on the breakers and on the busses with the white and copper wires.

I am going to guess that several screws can be turned a half turn or more.

I suspect that this may solve your problem.

Emery Stora

> On Nov 13, 2014, at 8:49 PM, Lance wrote:
>
> My grandmother who passed away some forty years ago told me about the year in North Dakota when the kerosene froze. I looked it up. Kerosene freezes
> at 65 degrees below zero. This winter which is still six weeks away looks to be a cold one. I'm hoping to be ready for when the kerosine freezes.
>
> My new furnace finally works (long story last year about my furnace from hell- heck, you think that would keep you warm, but I digress). However, I
> spend $20 a week for propane but two space heaters and two warming elements in my a/c units have kept me warm and dry until now when the temps have
> plummeted. Electricity in the Northwest is a lot cheaper than propane.
>
> Enough BS. My issue is that my rear a/c unit trips a breaker after an hour or so of normal operation. My forward a/c unit chugs along, warming the
> forward part of my coach quite nicely. I'm an electrical idiot. Is there something else on the rear circuit that draws more current than the forward
> a/c unit? Perhaps it is simply a variation in construction of my Duotherm, Briskair units. You guys always have an insight. Let's hear it guys.
> --
> 1974 Palm Beach
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Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266042 is a reply to message #266036] Thu, 13 November 2014 23:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
roy1 is currently offline  roy1   United States
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Registered: July 2004
Location: Minden nevada
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I assume we are talking about electric strip heaters in the AC units? The front ac unit is 1300 btu and the rear is 1100 btu on factory systems. Which means the front ac should have a 20 amp breaker and the rear unit a 15 amp breaker. The electric heaters are probibly 1500 btu each? If this is the case there is a good chance you are pretty close to 15 amps draw on each unit figuring the motor and strip heater. This would likely trip the 15 amp breaker after a short time . Do you have access to an amprobe to check the actual amp draw on the rear unit. If it is less then 15 amps tightening the connections as Emery suggested would help or the breaker could be failing .Is the breaker getting hot before it trips? Like I say you need to know the amp draw of the rear unit to determine if you are at the breakers current limit.

Roy Keen Minden,NV 76 X Glenbrook
Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266045 is a reply to message #266036] Thu, 13 November 2014 23:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
roy1 is currently offline  roy1   United States
Messages: 2126
Registered: July 2004
Location: Minden nevada
Karma: 6
Senior Member
I assume we are talking about electric strip heaters in the AC units? The front ac unit is 1300 btu and the rear is 1100 btu on factory systems. Which means the front ac should have a 20 amp breaker and the rear unit a 15 amp breaker. The electric heaters are probibly 1500 watt each? If this is the case there is a good chance you are pretty close to 15 amps draw on each unit figuring the motor and strip heater. This would likely trip the 15 amp breaker after a short time . Do you have access to an amprobe to check the actual amp draw on the rear unit. If it is less then 15 amps tightening the connections as Emery suggested would help or the breaker could be failing .Is the breaker getting hot before it trips? Like I say you need to know the amp draw of the rear unit to determine if you are at the breakers current limit.

Roy Keen Minden,NV 76 X Glenbrook

[Updated on: Fri, 14 November 2014 00:25]

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Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266046 is a reply to message #266042] Thu, 13 November 2014 23:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bob de Kruyff   United States
Messages: 4260
Registered: January 2004
Location: Chandler, AZ
Karma: 1
Senior Member
roy1 wrote on Thu, 13 November 2014 22:25
I assume we are talking about electric strip heaters in the AC units? The front ac unit is 1300 btu and the rear is 1100 btu on factory systems. Which means the front ac should have a 20 amp breaker and the rear unit a 15 amp breaker. The electric heaters are probibly 1500 btu each? If this is the case there is a good chance you are pretty close to 15 amps draw on each unit figuring the motor and strip heater. This would likely trip the 15 amp breaker after a short time . Do you have access to an amprobe to check the actual amp draw on the rear unit. If it is less then 15 amps tightening the connections as Emery suggested would help or the breaker could be failing .Is the breaker getting hot before it trips? Like I say you need to know the amp draw of the rear unit to determine if you are at the breakers current limit.

I'm not aware that the factory systems had any heat srtips. The add on units were 1500W. When I got my coach 20years ago the rear breaker was 15 amps and the front breaker was 20 amps. It had two new 15k Dometic AC units and the rear would trip the breaker. I replaced it with a 20 amp breaker.


Bob de Kruyff
78 Eleganza
Chandler, AZ
Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266050 is a reply to message #266036] Fri, 14 November 2014 01:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ken Burton is currently offline  Ken Burton   United States
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Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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lance wrote on Thu, 13 November 2014 21:49
My grandmother who passed away some forty years ago told me about the year in North Dakota when the kerosene froze. I looked it up. Kerosene freezes at 65 degrees below zero. This winter which is still six weeks away looks to be a cold one. I'm hoping to be ready for when the kerosine freezes.

My new furnace finally works (long story last year about my furnace from hell- heck, you think that would keep you warm, but I digress). However, I spend $20 a week for propane but two space heaters and two warming elements in my a/c units have kept me warm and dry until now when the temps have plummeted. Electricity in the Northwest is a lot cheaper than propane.

Enough BS. My issue is that my rear a/c unit trips a breaker after an hour or so of normal operation. My forward a/c unit chugs along, warming the forward part of my coach quite nicely. I'm an electrical idiot. Is there something else on the rear circuit that draws more current than the forward a/c unit? Perhaps it is simply a variation in construction of my Duotherm, Briskair units. You guys always have an insight. Let's hear it guys.


Try swapping the rear and front breakers if they are the same physical size.


Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266078 is a reply to message #266036] Fri, 14 November 2014 14:53 Go to previous messageGo to next message
pzerkel is currently offline  pzerkel   United States
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Registered: September 2007
Location: Salisbury, IL
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What about electric water heater? First do you have one? I think it is supposed to be on separate breaker, but is it?

Paul Zerkel
'78 Eleganza II
Salisbury IL (near Springfield)

[Updated on: Fri, 14 November 2014 14:53]

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Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266110 is a reply to message #266036] Sat, 15 November 2014 09:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
JohnL455 is currently offline  JohnL455   United States
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Location: Woodstock, IL
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Before you swap 20/15 confirm the Romex to the rear is 12ga. I totally agree with Emery's diag. By now with all those trippings your rear breaker is probably derated as well.

John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266435 is a reply to message #266110] Fri, 21 November 2014 06:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Gatsbys' Cruiser is currently offline  Gatsbys' Cruiser   United States
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Location: Illinois
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I have to ask, when the heat strip is OFF, and the rear air con is running, does the breaker still trip?? If the heat strip is the additional load that is tripping the breaker, I'd look at the breaker box.


Yes, check the screw connections on the breaker, and you can even try swapping the breakers if the cables are the same size.

But I have come across in a couple of instances were the breakers just get weak or wear out. They will trip at lower loads just because time and hard use has had a toll on their workable lives. If you swap the breakers and it runs fine, replace with the larger breaker (if the cable is the same size as the front cable).

I know some folk might just change the breaker to a larger one EVEN IF the rear cable is smaller size but that is dangerous. IF the cable is smaller sized you need to run a larger cable to be safe. The effects of a large load, large breaker on a smaller cable can be the cable getting hot, could lead to a fire, the equipment starving for power, could burn out the equipment.
Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266538 is a reply to message #266435] Sat, 22 November 2014 18:02 Go to previous message
Bob de Kruyff   United States
Messages: 4260
Registered: January 2004
Location: Chandler, AZ
Karma: 1
Senior Member
Many coaches have been upgraded with new AC units and if equipped with heat strips, the original power draw assumptions don't apply when trying to diagnose breaker trips.

Bob de Kruyff
78 Eleganza
Chandler, AZ
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