Tripped breaker
 

I have a 2005 Keystone Cougar 30ft. 5th wheel. I keep tripping the breaker when I plug in the electric heater for a period of time. It was first on the GFI outlet and the GFI breaker tripped in the middle of the night. I reset the breaker and it tripped again today. Then, my wife plugged it into a different outlet that's on a separate breaker. It also tripped. I've had this problem the last 2-3 times I've used the camper.

I know the camper battery is dead and it won't take a charge. My question is, is it possible that the onboard charger is "trying" so hard to charge the completely dead battery that it's drawing more amps and that combined with the electric heater might be the problem? I'm going to replace the battery but I'm just wondering if I'm looking in the right direction.

Thanks in advance for the input.

I dont know much about campers, but Ive had an electric heater trip a breaker several times on my house...those things just pull so much current, that sometimes the older or smaller amperage breakers cant take the load and overheat causing them to flip.

Is the breaker or the GFI tripping?

The breaker.

Whats The Wattage On The Heater, Is The Branch Circuit Tripping Or The Main.
Clark

I guess you'd call it the branch circuit...it's the 15amp breaker marked "GFI" in the breaker box above the refer.

I'm not sure of the wattage on the heater, but it has happened with 2 different heaters.

What else is on that circuit? Even with 50 amp service (actually, 2 x 50 amp legs, or 100 amps theoretical ampacity) in our RV, I have to juggle the 2 ceramic heaters we use to ensure that they're on different 15 amp breaker circuits. Even doing that, I have to turn off one heater to use the coffee pot that is on the same circuit.

If anything significant is on the same 15 amp circuit (maybe even the power converter you mentioned) at the same time you're using the heater, you can certainly trip a 15 amp breaker!

Rusty

15 amps good for less than 1800 watt. think your heater is at or above this number. should be a plate or sticker on heater giving wattage. its probably coming on cold but after heating then cycling its tripping out
Clark

I agree......you are on the edge!....a new breaker may help....but I'm sure a 1200 watt heater or set the one you got on lo.

Do you have it on an extension cord? I would not run that much power through a 14-16 guage cord (if it is long it is even worse). Check the size and length of the cord and let us know (if you are even using one).

No..no extension cord.

I'll check the watt rating on the heater, but my brother-in-law can run the same heater in his camper without a problem. [eyecrazy]

That may be true.....but all breakers arn't created the same....yours may be getting on the weak side....it may not be able to handle what a new one will...get a new 15amp breaker and swap it out I bet you will see a difference...it won't cost much to find out!

your brotherinlaw have 15 or 20 amp breakers, are they gfi's. you said you tryed it on another breaker, was it a gfi also. gfi's can be tweky.
Clark

Most of those heaters are 1500w max, which means it will pull about 13a. I would be careful of your converter. It your battery is shorted, you could burn out your converter trying to charge that sucker. It should kick a fuse or breaker first, but . . . . . . ????????????????????
Bob

Thanks for all the replies guys.

darkvader....the 2nd outlet we tried was not a gfi.

I don't know if I have solved the problem or not, but I replaced the battery and ran the heater on high all night plugged in to the gfi outlet and it didn't kick the breaker.

Again, thanks guys for all the help.