Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266036] |
Thu, 13 November 2014 21:49 |
lance
Messages: 190 Registered: December 2004 Location: Vancouver, WA
Karma: 0
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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
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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 |
roy1
Messages: 2126 Registered: July 2004 Location: Minden nevada
Karma: 6
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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
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Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266045 is a reply to message #266036] |
Thu, 13 November 2014 23:32 |
roy1
Messages: 2126 Registered: July 2004 Location: Minden nevada
Karma: 6
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Senior Member |
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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 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] Report message to a moderator
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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 |
Bob de Kruyff
Messages: 4260 Registered: January 2004 Location: Chandler, AZ
Karma: 1
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roy1 wrote on Thu, 13 November 2014 22:25I 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
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Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266050 is a reply to message #266036] |
Fri, 14 November 2014 01:03 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030 Registered: January 2004 Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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lance wrote on Thu, 13 November 2014 21:49My 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
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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 |
JohnL455
Messages: 4447 Registered: October 2006 Location: Woodstock, IL
Karma: 12
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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
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Re: Colder than the year the kerosene froze [message #266435 is a reply to message #266110] |
Fri, 21 November 2014 06:59 |
Gatsbys' Cruiser
Messages: 91 Registered: August 2014 Location: Illinois
Karma: 0
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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.
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