Blown circuit breaker at power pole

[jimwilly]

DW and I went to North Georgia for a few days and had our first experience with an electrical problem in our previously owned TM3023.

It started when I plugged in the power cord into the power pole at the campsite.

When I plugged in, the circuit breaker at the pole immediately tripped. The asst. manager of the campground was helping me set-up, since it was dark, and we determined that the problem was with the water heater. I apparently left the water heater electrical switch in the on position when we last camped. He thought that if I turned it off, which I should have already done when I left camp the last time we were camping, that might solve my problem. I did turn it off and the circuit breaker did not immediately trip.

I then proceeded to set up the TM with no problem. However, when I turned on the A/C the circuit breaker at the pole immediately tripped again. I tried the other outlet on the power pole, thinking I might be hooked up to a bad power connection. Same problem- the circuit breaker at the pole tripped.

I then connected the TM power cord to another power pole, just to confirm the problem was with my TM and not the power source. Again, same problem. Every time I turned on the A/C the breaker at the power pole would trip.

I might note that when I turned on the fan, not the A/C but the fan only, it took longer than usual for the fan to get up to speed...........almost like it did not have enough power to pull the fan. Then when I put the dial on A/C the breaker would immediately trip.

Also of note, never once did a fuse in the TM blow or did a breaker trip.

As you might guess I am by no means knowledgeable about things electrical, thus my post.

Anyone have any suggestions as to where I might begin to solve my problem?

A fellow camper suggested that I might have a bad capacitor in the A/C unit. Or a bad starter.

I would love to hear from someone that might have any suggestions as to how to correct my electrical problem.

Thanks for your time in reading through this post.

Originally Posted by jimwilly

...electrical problem in our previously owned TM3023. It started when I plugged in the power cord into the power pole at the campsite. When I plugged in, the circuit breaker at the pole immediately tripped... I apparently left the water heater electrical switch in the on position when we last camped... I did turn it off and the circuit breaker did not immediately trip... never once did a fuse in the TM blow or did a breaker trip.

Anyone have any suggestions as to where I might begin to solve my problem?

I can't offer an opinion on the source of your problem... yet. The place for you to start is to turn off all the breakers in the power supply panel of your TM. Then, plug the TM into your power source. If you have a 30-amp source available, great. If not, use one of the 15 or 20 amp sources in your garage.

When you plug in the TM verify that the circuit does not blow when all the TM breakers are turned off. Then, with someone helping you observe, turn the breakers on, one at a time until the circuit breaker for your source voltage pops. When it pops, that will tell you where in the TM to start looking for the problem.

Now, if the source circuit breaker pops when you plug the TM in, while all the TM breakers are off, the problem is probably your power convertor, or the wiring going to it. That means a dead short of some sort. That could be a frayed or chafed power cord... it could mean a "fried" power convertor. The problem could also be a shorted out electrical element in the water heater, or a problem with the A/C. Only a process of elimination will help determine the problem.

After checking the above suggestions, please report on your findings and I'll see if I can be of further assistance.

[jimwilly]

Paul,

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give it a try as soon as possible. It may be a week or so but I'll report back as quickly as I can.


Thanks Again,