Circuit Breaker keeps tripping.

leestevo · Senior Member

Circuit Breaker keeps tripping.

Bill B · Guru

Try using a different power lead.

leestevo · Senior Member

Bill B wrote:
Try using a different power lead.

Bill...its tripping after the power lead inside the van, not before near the power outlet outside. If it was the power lead the power outlet outside will be tripping as well and its not.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Clearly there is a serious electrical problem.
It is possible, but unlikely that the circuit breaker or RCD is crook, but more likely that there is another fault that could kill someone. The circuit breaker is doing what it needs to do.
Get an electrician before someone is electrocuted and leave the power disconnected until then.

Cheers,
Peter

valiant81 · Senior Member

Hi Guys;

Why not see the local Jayco dealership or dealership where you purchest your caravan from and tell them of your tail of woe. A 12 month old caravan shoud not have this type of problems. Who knows you may even get it under warrentee. Even better, give Jayco head ofice a ring and speak to after sales inquiry department and see what they have to say.

Tomcat · Senior Member

I agree with Peter. Although its out of warranty it would be wise to take it back to Jayco as it is a potentially serious problem. Jaco may have had this problem presented before and would have more experience in dealing with it. It may also be a manufacturing problem. Good Luck

PeterD · Guru

Go around again pulling all the plugs out of their sockets. Then try it again. You did not mention the Setec power supply.

-- Edited by PeterD on Saturday 26th of December 2015 05:22:09 PM

leestevo · Senior Member

Thank you for all your great advice and comments. Replaced the power lead it was not the problem, still tripping. Plug the power lead to another power outlet ..no power. Plug to another oulet. (There is four outlets on one pole). It work no tripping ....power to the van. smile Success.
Fuuny thing is we were connected to the same power outlet for 8 months ...no problem...today it decided not to work. Told the caravan park office the problem. Hopefully they will fix it.

-- Edited by leestevo on Saturday 26th of December 2015 06:06:12 PM

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

leestevo, I can relate to the problem of a 'good' power outlet in the van park pole all of a sudden beginning to trip the van.

I was in a small country town's van park ... was there for five weeks all up.

All was normal and no probs for the first week and a half, and one night about 10pm the breaker kicked out ... reset at van and van park re-set the one in the power box - but the breaker kept tripping almost seemingly randomly - and continued doing it.

The owner (and me to some extent) thought that something in the van was the problem - so I was a little coy but kept trying various things to no avail.

It took the van park owner about four days before he "remembered" he had changed the circuit he was using for the pump at the dam they used for to run the sprinklers on the lawn - run via a timer.

He sorted out the circuit for the pump and - guess what - the van's breaker stopped tripping.

Cheers - hope it is that simple - John

ballast2 · Guru

G'day. From my dealings with Jayco for an out of warranty defect they are great. Talk to them before you let anyone loose with the defect. Check your book for their customer service number.
Cheers

Tomcat · Senior Member

Hi Lee-Ann Stevenson

From your initial post you indicated a van problem but it turned out to be the Power supply pole in the place you are staying. Therefore my answer was incorrect nothing to do with Jayco. Those Poles are scary actually. If the rusty corroded inlets and breakers don't get you the Spiders will. : ) Glad you are all working properly now. Tom.

erad · Guru

leestevo wrote:
Thank you for all your great advice and comments. Replaced the power lead it was not the problem, still tripping. Plug the power lead to another power outlet ..no power. Plug to another oulet. (There is four outlets on one pole). It work no tripping ....power to the van. Success.
Fuuny thing is we were connected to the same power outlet for 8 months ...no problem...today it decided not to work. Told the caravan park office the problem. Hopefully they will fix it.

I suspect that you have a problem in your van. Your RCD was tripping, not the power pole.

I would be very wary of using the power outlet that is not tripping. RCD stands for Residual Current Device. 240V power has 3 wires - Active, Neutral and Earth. Power comes in the Active and returns via the Neutral wires. It will trip the breaker if the difference between Active and Neutral is greater than 30 mAmps (not very much). Normally, if you have some earth leakage (RCD's used to be called Earth Leakage Breakers), the earth wire takes that current. The plug you are now using may have a high resistance earth somewhere, and therefore YOU may be the path for the earth leakage instead of the earth wire.

It is most probably a faulty RCD, but at the least, I would get the whole system checked out by a qualified sparky, because it is dangerous to use faulty equipment.

dorian · Guru

I agree with erad.

I would disconnect the power cable and measure the resistance between Active & Earth and Neutral & Earth at the van's power input. Use the highest resistance range on your multimeter. That should find any obvious earth leakage faults but may not be a definitive test. If there is any leakage, I'm wondering whether it could be due to rain ingress. Is that a possibility?

TAJ · Senior Member

hi could be air con moisture a problem

Phil C · Guru

TAJ wrote:
hi could be air con moisture a problem

This may be right on the money. We had the same problem with our 2013 Starcraft. Unfortunately jayco didn't want to know as it was too far out of warrantee. Being an ex electrician, I re wired a new switch box into the van. Does it fix itself after a day or two?

i would most certainly talk to jayco, seems to be an ongoing issue.

Good luck

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Yep simple things like range hood can trip RCD..Moisture or condensation..

oldtrack123 · Guru

HI
IF it was the van RCD tripping ,THAT clearly indicates you could have an earth fault in the van.
Even IF it NOW holds in ,You should have the van Wiring & appliances fully checked.

The consequences of not doing that could end up being very serious!!

But ,was it the RCD tripping or an overload, did it still trip with all appliances switched OFF??
The CP outlet/ RCD should have absolutely no effect on the van RCD!!

PeterQ

-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Monday 28th of December 2015 11:42:17 PM

Phil C · Guru

oldtrack123 wrote:
HI
IF it was the van RCD tripping ,THAT clearly indicates you could have an earth fault in the van.
Even IF it NOW holds in ,You should have the van Wiring & appliances fully checked.

The consequences of not doing that could end up being very serious!!

But ,was it the RCD tripping or an overload, did it still trip with all appliances switched OFF??
The CP outlet/ RCD should have absolutely no effect on the van RCD!!

PeterQ

-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Monday 28th of December 2015 11:42:17 PM

Well said PeterQ, your post just reminded me of a fault I had a few months ago. Everything was tripping so I pulled the system apart, meggered the active to earth and got a big fat short. Found that water had ingressed the powerpoint under the sink.

Corrected the cabling, relocated the GPO and bingo, no issues.

Have a great 2016 folks