30 amps and two brain cells

[cojer]

let's say i'm coming into the trailer with a 30 amp plug...i should then tap directly into a 30 amp breaker? this protects my plug wire?
now how do i go to the converter? another 30 amp breaker that goes back to the converter? or do i come into the breaker box with the plug and hook it to the main lugs then come off that with just one 30 amp breaker to the converter...am i making sense to anyone except myself?..lol

the way it's set up now just doesn't look right to me. (see pic) the shore power comes in to the trailer and connects to some lugs along with power into the converter and more wires connected to the lugs that lead to the breaker in the box???

[Jammer]

That wasn't an unusual way to wire a trailer in the 1960s.

To wire the trailer by today's standards, there should be a 30 amp main breaker, a suitably rated GFCI breaker to serve the outlets in the kitchen, bathroom, and any outside outlets that might be present, and another breaker for the converter. If you have an air conditioner, microwave, or electric water heater those each get their own breaker too. Any bedroom and lounge outlets you might have, and the fridge, can be wired either to the kitchen string or to the circuit going to the converter.

[cojer]

but shouldn't the converter be on a 30 amp breaker and outlets and fridge a 15 amp?

[Minno]

Depends on the converter and the wiring size. The breakers are really there to protect your wiring, not the appliances. If you have 14 gauge wiring, then you use 15 amp breakers. If you have 12 gauge wiring, then you use 20 amp breakers. The main breaker can be 30 amps as long as the main wire in your shore power cable is 10 gauge.

Think of the 30 amp breaker as the main breaker in your house. Shore power comes into the main breaker, and then via the bus in the breaker box, feeds other circuit breakers to your branch circuits. Those will be 20 amp or 15 amp breakers depending on the wire size for that circuit.

Do not put a 20 amp breaker on a 14 gauge wire.

20 amps typically is needed for the a/c. 15 amps will typically suffice for all other circuits, but that can vary depending on what you're running on the circuit.

That make sense at all?

Chris

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by cojer

but shouldn't the converter be on a 30 amp breaker and outlets and fridge a 15 amp?

Even a really big converter draws no more than 8 or 9 amps. 15 or 20 amp breakers are used, depending on wire size, and whether there are other outlets.

On my trailer the converter shares its circuit with one outlet in the lounge and three in the bedroom. The circuit is protected by a 20 amp breaker. I've thought of replacing the breaker with an arc fault breaker but haven't made that mod yet.

[TG Twinkie]

Does the converter have a circuit breaker built in?
Are you installing a new converter?
How many spaces are in your current panel?
How many romex cables are leaving the panel, going out into the trailer?

[cojer]

Originally Posted by Minno

Depends on the converter and the wiring size. The breakers are really there to protect your wiring, not the appliances. If you have 14 gauge wiring, then you use 15 amp breakers. If you have 12 gauge wiring, then you use 20 amp breakers. The main breaker can be 30 amps as long as the main wire in your shore power cable is 10 gauge.

Think of the 30 amp breaker as the main breaker in your house. Shore power comes into the main breaker, and then via the bus in the breaker box, feeds other circuit breakers to your branch circuits. Those will be 20 amp or 15 amp breakers depending on the wire size for that circuit.

Do not put a 20 amp breaker on a 14 gauge wire.

20 amps typically is needed for the a/c. 15 amps will typically suffice for all other circuits, but that can vary depending on what you're running on the circuit.

That make sense at all?

Chris

there ya go! yes, absolutely makes sense

[cojer]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

Does the converter have a circuit breaker built in?
Are you installing a new converter?....no new converter just yet
How many spaces are in your current panel?....too many i found a smaller panel
How many romex cables are leaving the panel, going out into the trailer?

...4. there was alot of old wiring that had been abandoned then some other crap scabbed in i had two separate circuits for 3 outlets. one for the one in the bathroom. and one for the kitchen and front of house so what i did there was put in a junction box and run all three outlets onto one circuit. i'm thinking i might want to put a gfi in the bathroom? there is an air conditioner that was on it's own circuit...still is (although i think ultimately it will go away) the fridge had it's own run ...still does. and the converter. really the big difference is that i'm now running my shore cord to the main 30 amp breaker

[TG Twinkie]

From your description I take it that you have all of the outlets tied into one circuit breaker. One circuit breaker for the refer outlet. One circuit breaker for the converter. That's 3; and the fourth slot is for the main. And you plan to remove the air conditioner. Is this correct?
If you want to keep the air conditioning you could put the converter on the same circuit as the refer.

[cojer]

[QUOTE=TG Twinkie;953312]From your description I take it that you have all of the outlets tied into one circuit breaker. One circuit breaker for the refer outlet. One circuit breaker for the converter. That's 3; and the fourth slot is for the main. And you plan to remove the air conditioner. Is this correct?
If you want to keep the air conditioning you could put the converter on the same circuit as the refer.

i kept the ac for now. may as well. i don't like stuff just hanging around. so that would be four.
and the main would make it five
but the converter and refer on the same circuit...it's all making sense now!
it's like i had some kind of brain lock going on. you guys are the greatest. you really did help and i appreciate it. i hope someday i can run into you out there in real life and buy you a beer!