Dometic A/C Trips the Circuit Breaker Often

[Rum Runner]

I have a 2002 25Ft Classic with a Dometic A/C unit. I was doing some maintenance and had the fridge and A/C unti on at the same time while connected to my home power (20 amp). I got carried away and turned on the vacuum cleaner which tripped the circuit breaker on the RV. I shut down everything reset the breaker and turned the A/C. I works fine for about an hour and then in trips the RV circuit breaker.

Does anyone have any ideas or experienced a similar situation?

R/ Rum Runner

[SteveH]

Not exactly like your problem, but I just had to replace the fan motor in our 15,000 BTU air conditioner (we have two), as result of low voltage in a park we were staying at in Colorado in August. I saw voltage on the meter as low as 96 VAC when the motor failed, and after that any time I turned it on, it immediately tripped it's 20 amp breaker.

Have you checked the voltage? If it is low, it will cause it to draw more current and trip the breaker. Anything like a over heated socket could cause it, and may well be your problem working on a 20 amp circuit.

[HowieE]

Your first trip of the breaker came from just plain over draw of current with what you had running.

While overdrawing the current you lowered the voltage and caused the compressor of the AC unit to start to overheat. When you turned the vac and frig off you still had a hot AC compressor and attempting to run it on a 20 amp circuit just caused it to continue to overheat till it blew the breaker again.

You can't run the AC on a 20 amp circuit without either blowing the breaker or doing damage to the AC unit. Your choice.

Have a 30 amp service put in beside the trailer and you should be good in the future.

[Rum Runner]

Thank you Howie & Steve. You both point out to low voltage so I called my electrician friend to install a 30 Amp service. He will not be able to get a round it for another month so the answer will have to wait. In the meantime, I will cease to turn on the A/C when I'm hooked to the 20 Amp outlet.

Will update once the 30 Amp service is installed.

R/ Jose