Can't use 30 AMP service - source circuit breaker pops
jtmartinsrus said
12:59 PM Jan 7, 2014
We bought a used 2011 Keystone Fuzion 398 5th wheel coach this summer from PPL in Houston. A couple weeks later, I found out there were some electrical recalls that we needed to get taken care of. One was for the transfer switch. When the service tech ordered the parts, he went to the coach to remove the old one and realized the previous owner had already removed it and installed two outlets that look like they are from a dryer or stove. One of the outlets was marked Shore and the other generator. So basically, we move the cord between the two outlets when moving from shore to generator - so far so good as long as we are using 50 amps.
Our issue is we can't seem to get 30 amp service to work. It pops the breaker at the house or pole in the campground. Even with all of the coach's inside circuit breakers turned off, it still pops the source circuit breaker.
Is the missing ATS the reason we can't use 30 amp service? Like I said, we have no issues as long as the source is 50 amp service.
Thanks for any help,
Jeff & Tammy
bjoyce said
01:12 PM Jan 7, 2014
Sounds like someone wired it up wrong for an RV, they used 240 volt dryer plugs instead of 240 volt (50AMP) RV plugs. I didn't think the dryer plugs were rated for 50AMP 240, only 30AMP, so that is a potentially dangerous situation. It is not to code and needs to be fixed. It sounds like a homebrew/Good Ole Boy fix, not something a real electrician would have done.
Lucky Mike said
01:15 PM Jan 7, 2014
it is wired incorrectly.....you should be able to dogbone to 30 amps with the breakers off and no load........have an electrician look at it and wire it correctly.....if it is a 4 pin receptical it sounds like neutral and ground are switched..or has been miswired to a 30 amp configuration
jtmartinsrus said
01:19 PM Jan 7, 2014
bjoyce & Lucky Mike,
Thanks for the quick responses. It may have the RV plugs. I'm not sure really. They "look" similare to household plugs, so that's what I equated them to.
If miswired to a 30 amp config., I wouldn't think it would work in 50 amp...or would it?
Lucky Mike said
01:37 PM Jan 7, 2014
it shouldnt.....but I dont know if your cords are store bought rv cords or home made.......I believe the same as bill does you have a bad case of "Homer's Handywork" and need a Lic. electrician to correct whats going on...its not a backyard repair and something very dangerous will occur if not corrected
jtmartinsrus said
02:12 PM Jan 7, 2014
The cord and dogbone are molded type, not home made. It sounds like you guys do not think the missing transfer switch is an issue though, correct? The reason I'm asking is that I don't want the RV tech selling me something that will not fix the issue.
I read that earlier, hoping to see info about the transfer switch, but not so much.
bjoyce said
09:20 AM Jan 8, 2014
In our previous motorhome, a 2002 Dolphin, we had to manually plug the shore power cable into the generator outlet in the power bay to use the generator. It was easy to forget to do. It worked fine on 30AMP. There was no power bay outlet for shore power. I have not heard of an RV manufacturer doing it the way yours is installed, with two outlets.
Our current motorhome has an ATS (automatic transfer switch) and we prefer it. When driveway camping we can turn on the generator and the ATS will move us to the generator from extension cord shore power. Useful if it gets hot and we need to run the A/C. The transfer switch is a simple piece of equipment, you hook up two inputs and if only one is alive it is the one that provides power. If both are alive, it sets to the one on the default input, which should be generator. The switch needs to be heavy duty, it has to be able to handle 100AMPs of 120 volt (50AMPs of 240 volt) and survive switching between two inputs with live power.
We bought a used 2011 Keystone Fuzion 398 5th wheel coach this summer from PPL in Houston. A couple weeks later, I found out there were some electrical recalls that we needed to get taken care of. One was for the transfer switch. When the service tech ordered the parts, he went to the coach to remove the old one and realized the previous owner had already removed it and installed two outlets that look like they are from a dryer or stove. One of the outlets was marked Shore and the other generator. So basically, we move the cord between the two outlets when moving from shore to generator - so far so good as long as we are using 50 amps.
Our issue is we can't seem to get 30 amp service to work. It pops the breaker at the house or pole in the campground. Even with all of the coach's inside circuit breakers turned off, it still pops the source circuit breaker.
Is the missing ATS the reason we can't use 30 amp service? Like I said, we have no issues as long as the source is 50 amp service.
Thanks for any help,
Jeff & Tammy
Thanks for the quick responses. It may have the RV plugs. I'm not sure really. They "look" similare to household plugs, so that's what I equated them to.
If miswired to a 30 amp config., I wouldn't think it would work in 50 amp...or would it?
jtmartinsrus@gmail.com
Start here, http://www.rv-dreams.com/rv-electrical.html, for education on how RV electrical works. Then you can tell if the tech is being honest.
I read that earlier, hoping to see info about the transfer switch, but not so much.
Our current motorhome has an ATS (automatic transfer switch) and we prefer it. When driveway camping we can turn on the generator and the ATS will move us to the generator from extension cord shore power. Useful if it gets hot and we need to run the A/C. The transfer switch is a simple piece of equipment, you hook up two inputs and if only one is alive it is the one that provides power. If both are alive, it sets to the one on the default input, which should be generator. The switch needs to be heavy duty, it has to be able to handle 100AMPs of 120 volt (50AMPs of 240 volt) and survive switching between two inputs with live power.