Shore power question

Spr · 06-09-2018, 08:31 PM

We are stumped. 2010 sportsmobile all systems and battery run great. Anytime we plug into campground shore power the shore power breaker trips. Multiple campgrounds throughout the country. We got one campground in Greyson highlands WV to work but it buzzed so bad I unplugged it.

Context: .... we plug into the honda 2000 generator and the power works great...... I plug in at home and it’s perfect..... I plug in at storage and it’s just fine...

What gives, is the van requiring too much juice for the camp Ground breaker OR do I have an issue?

FYI, all campgrounds with issues have RV’s plugged in and humming away.

Any thoughts? It’s hot as hell, and I would love some A/C tonight

MountainBikeRoamer · 06-09-2018, 09:21 PM

How many amp service is the RV power you're plugging into?
If it's 30amp service, perhaps your van's shore power breaker isn't rated for it? (Which of course seems weird.....)

Wondering several things:

1) are you the original owners of the SMB? And if so, did this circuiot breaker at one point in time NOT trip when you tried to use it in an RV park?

2) if you aren't the original owner (or even if you are), do you know if the SMB has its original circuit breaker in place, or was it replaced at one point?

Curious what your van's main circuit breaker is rated at....ideally it should be at least a 30amp, I would guess -- but perhaps it was replaced with a lower amp rating unit at some point?
Lastly (perhaps most importantly) -

3) does the circuit breaker pop immediately with nothing running when you plug in at the campground? Or, is it popping immediately **only when you have the AC running** ? AC will for sure pull a lot of amps...

Spr · 06-09-2018, 09:49 PM

Thanks for the quick reply
-not original owner, but close to it. Original owner put on 14,000 miles over 6 years. From the sounds of it I doubt he ever plugged into shore power .. and more confidently I would say it’s the original panel.

-van is rated at 30amp

-I have original smb power cord with 20 amp dog bone (?) and a sure power surge protector. Have tried 20amp with and without the surge protector and 30 amp with and without surge protector

-breaker trips when any plug is half way in with all power off on smb

-what gets me on the whole thing is the ability to runA/C on the generator and on home power

MountainBikeRoamer · 06-09-2018, 10:27 PM

Hmmm. Hopefully one of the more "Wizard-status" electrical experts can weigh in here, but if you're getting a circuit breaker panel tripping immediately with NO load on it, then that sounds like a short.

Are you using a different shore line at the RV park than the one you use at home? Maybe there's an issue with the line/socket itself....?

MountainBikeRoamer · 06-09-2018, 10:35 PM

Ah --- also --- have you noted the amp rating/output of the RV-park power source you're plugging in to? Is it confirmed to also be 30 amp service?

gcvt · 06-09-2018, 10:55 PM

^ that was my first thought too. Is there a switch to select the amp rating from the power source? I've never plugged in but I've seen these switches before.

Spr · 06-10-2018, 07:34 AM

Yes, the same cord is being used at home.
Also the park electrical panels usually have a 20amp outlet with a 20 amp breaker and a 30 amp outlet with a 30 amp breaker. No switch in the ones I’ve used

I also was thinking a short but that wouldn’t explain working at home (at least I wouldn’t think it would)
The only thing that’s different is the outlets used at home haven’t been GFCI like they are at the parks.... but it’s not like they are throwing the fuse in the main panel at home ????

Pretty confused

**BroncoHauler** · 06-10-2018, 07:51 AM

Some previous threads. IIRC, I had an issue when I would plug into a GFCI outlet, but no problems when I plugged into non-GFCI outlet.

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...sues-1785.html

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...-gfi-7389.html

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...ping-6675.html

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...ower-5645.html

I know the above threads are GFCI related, but keep in mind, just because a particular outlet doesn't have a GFCI circuit (reset) on it, doesn't mean its not protected by being connected to a downstream GFCI outlet. Maybe there's something in the above threads that may apply.

Herb

1der · 06-10-2018, 08:21 AM

Not sure this will help but thought I would put it out there -

Do you have a plug tester with lights that show proper wiring of hot, neutral, ground? When plugged into your house or generator, you might be able to check all your van plugs.

You are tripping w/ GFCI protected power sources but not tripping when attached to non- GFCI power. Something in your rig (or shore power cord) is likely reversed or shorted in a way that will yield that result. I would start with a continuity check of your shore power cord from connector to connector to see if there is a short. Check the dog bone separately. Perhaps start there.

Spr · 06-10-2018, 08:24 AM

Seriously.... This forum is amazing!!! No other way to put it.

Page one of the first link from Herb’s post had the solution. Turn the inverter onto auto invert and then plug in. Give it a minute and switch to line only. FYI, I have a Tripp lite inverter We were just leaving the site and I gave it a try and it worked like a charm.

Thank you!!!

1der, thank you for the suggestion, yes we have one built into the surge protector for 30 amp and one separate one for the 20amp. Def the first thing I check