Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Electric water heater causing various breakers to trip


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Snowman9000

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Posted: 02/07/12 07:05am

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smkettner wrote:

Put the water on propane and see how it does for 24 hours.

Been doing that for the last couple of days, and nothing trips. That's what led me to conclude the water heater is the source of the problem.

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kneal44

EAST CENTRAL TEXAS

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Posted: 02/07/12 08:47am

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resistance of heater should be less than 100 ohms and zero to ground ...

copper wires loosen up now and then. good idea for every one to test tightness of panel screws every year or so. be sure to remove power first.

switch on and off each breaker several times so their contacts wipe each other... dirty or corroded contacts would cause a heating effect which in turn could trip any breaker.
i have taken apart old breakers that were not working and examined the contacts and saw corrosion and pitting... cause failure. if you suspect a breaker they cheap to replace after removing shore power...

when u play in the sand .... you can get stuck

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enblethen

Moses Lake, WA

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Posted: 02/07/12 09:20am

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Problem in most electrical panels is the neutral buss is aluminum. Copper wire to aluminum buss come loose very easily and that creates resistance and heat build up. Yes, some will say that the buss is AL-CU but that still creates problems.
Braker attachments to the buss work also creates the same type of problem.
This is why the conductors and attachments need to be cleaned and some electrical de-oxidation grease be applied to these areas.

Bud
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Snowman9000

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Posted: 02/07/12 02:35pm

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Here is my update. All breaker wires tight. One neutral wire not tight. Of the three "two in one" breakers, the one in the middle was hot, and nothing much was running in the trailer for the whole day. The middle pair is the front room and converter on one side, and the microwave and fridge on the other. Of those, only the converter and the fridge would have been doing anything.

The fit of the breakers onto the bus bar is not very tight, but the connections looked clean. I have the secret grease at home but not here with me.

I've forgotten which circuit had the loose neutral wire. Doh!
Anyway, I'll keep watching the situation.

smkettner

Southern California

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Posted: 02/07/12 03:21pm

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You can also try swapping the hots between two breakers of the same rating. Swap the WH with the converter/fridge for example and see if things are different.

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