electrical option - not enough juice for everything

[jeeplj8]

In the few trips we have managed in our new trailer, we have already seen a problem brewing with not enough juice to run everything we want running.

Our trailer is set-up with 30 amp service. Twice, in the mornings, we have had trouble with blowing multiple breakers. Typically what happens is the hot water heater (gas/electric) is running and the fireplace is running. Then we try to make coffee and blow a breaker. We have blown the 30 amp campground breaker twice, so I am guessing the hot water heater and fireplace pull a little more juice than I thought. Since this is the morning routine, we would like to be able to run all the above at once.

The purpose of this thread is kind of brainstorm ideas on how to go about avoiding this in the future. The first idea I have had is to install 50 amp service, and separate the hot water heater and fireplace.

Other ideas?

[TURBS]

Hw heater on gas only would help

Turbs

[jeeplj8]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Hw heater on gas only would help

Turbs

too expensive. can't afford the divorce. DW and daughter need their hot water.

[TURBS]

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...aws-17300.html

[TURBS]

Lol show them the shower house


Turbs

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by jeeplj8

too expensive. can't afford the divorce. DW and daughter need their hot water.

What Turbs is pointing out, is you can turn the electric portion of the hot water heater off...and just run the hot water heater on propane (which actually heats the water faster than electric only)

A lot of the hot water heaters are what you call dual-powered. They can be run off of electricity, or propane, or both at the same time

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by wmtire

What Turbs is pointing out, is you can turn the electric portion of the hot water heater off...and just run the hot water heater on propane (which actually heats the water faster than electric only)

What he said

[jeeplj8]

Originally Posted by wmtire

What Turbs is pointing out, is you can turn the electric portion of the hot water heater off...and just run the hot water heater on propane (which actually heats the water faster than electric only)

A lot of the hot water heaters are what you call dual-powered. They can be run off of electricity, or propane, or both at the same time

I read him OK - we typically have both turned on in the morning for the much faster regen rate. I turn the gas off at night, when nothing else is running, then run gas only during the day, when other stuff is running. but in the morning when the hot water heater is being worked hard I have both on.

[jeeplj8]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Lol show them the shower house


Turbs

again - way to expensive, have you priced funerals lately?

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

What he said

LOL

Jeep, I need to add that you will have to learn how to manage power, especially with a 30 amp trailer. You are correct, that you cannot run lot's of things at the same time with out exceeding your breaker(s) capacity.

Besides your air-conditioner, things that make heat are your biggest energy consumers. Electric heaters, hot water heaters, toasters, coffee pots, hair dryers, microwaves, etc. are good examples.

A lot of people will run an extension cord from the camp pedestals 120 (20 amp) outlet into their trailer, to run some things off of (like your coffee maker), which will take some of the load off of your trailers 30 amp.

[jeeplj8]

Originally Posted by wmtire

LOL

Jeep, I need to add that you will have to learn how to manage power, especially with a 30 amp trailer. You are correct, that you cannot run lot's of things at the same time with out exceeding your breaker(s) capacity.

Besides your air-conditioner, things that make heat are your biggest energy consumers. Electric heaters, hot water heaters, toasters, coffee pots, hair dryers, microwaves, etc. are good examples.

A lot of people will run an extension cord from the camp pedestal into their trailer, to run some things off of, which will take some of the load off of your trailers 30 amp.

I thought about this, which is basically what got me to thinking about just converting to 50 amp. same result, 50 amp into the house. I have not looked hard into the costs of conversion, but are there any downsides other than cost?

[dustman_stx]

Other than cost, no. I think you should make it real clear that this is camping and you have 30A to work with and not 200A like at home. Man up and get things straightened out over there.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by jeeplj8

I have not looked hard into the costs of conversion, but are there any downsides other than cost?

You could possibly also have to wire new individual circuits, depending on how they are setup.

What I mean is, suppose the microwave and the plug for the coffee maker are on the same circuit/breaker. You are still going to be limited to what that individual circuit/breaker can run....irregardless if you have 50 or 30 amp. If that circuit trips on say a 15 amp breaker while using 30 amp, it would still trip on a 15 amp breaker using 50amp.......unless re-wired differently to separate the coffee maker from the microwave running on the same circuit.

You stated in the opening post that you were tripping several breakers, which means you are overloading several different wire circuits.

You could also have to change the wire sizes out, if you decided to run a bigger breaker on each circuit. You wiring should be sized (and probably is) in your trailer for the size breaker/circuit that it is currently configured for.

I'm sure that Herk will be able to explain it better.

[TURBS]

You'd need a new 50 amp service center/ converter as well.


Around 300.00 !

[Great Horned Owl]

Originally Posted by wmtire

LOL

Jeep, I need to add that you will have to learn how to manage power, especially with a 30 amp trailer. You are correct, that you cannot run lot's of things at the same time with out exceeding your breaker(s) capacity.

Besides your air-conditioner, things that make heat are your biggest energy consumers. Electric heaters, hot water heaters, toasters, coffee pots, hair dryers, microwaves, etc. are good examples.

A lot of people will run an extension cord from the camp pedestals 120 (20 amp) outlet into their trailer, to run some things off of (like your coffee maker), which will take some of the load off of your trailers 30 amp.

That may not be a good idea. It is possible that there is only a single 30 amp line serving the pedestal. Pulling 50 amps could overload it.

You could take a lesson from the boondockers on ways to save power.

Teach the family to take shorter (navy style) showers. Get a drip coffee maker that runs on propane or sits on the stove top. Coleman makes both types. Switch your most frequently used lights to LEDs. Turn off your converter when you are using a lot of other power. Your battery will last a while without it.

Joel

[BackInAction]

Originally Posted by wmtire

You could possibly also have to wire new individual circuits, depending on how they are setup.

I agree, in our HTT, everything is on one leg of the 30A circuit except the AC. If you setup is like mine, you only have 15A to work with (coffee, microwave, hot water heater, TV, lights, bathroom outlet, etc.).

[youroo]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

You'd need a new 50 amp service center/ converter as well.


Around 300.00 !

Plus new 50 AMP supply cord $150.00 Youroo!!

[caper]

Plus a new plug at TT. New wiring from plug to converter. This is a big job that could cost over $1000 before you are done. Turn off fireplace and just run WH on gas. You could leave WH on electric all night and water would be hot in morning. Turn off electric and run on gas only when taking showers. The recovery time might be a bit longer but you will stop blowing breakers. If you trip the breaker too ofter they will become weak and trip at a lower draw.

[jimh]

turn ur hw heater off when u aren't using it. turn it on abt 30 min before a shower and u should b ok. u have the same size element that i do in mine and mine produces hw within 30 min. or less.
50 amp may be ur option though. it will cost but the only changes inside is splitting the wiring between the two circuits (and the entrance cable up to the box). everything now plugged in should work fine. don't see u having to modify anything beyond the breaker box (unless u have some circuits overloaded...multiple breakers tripping makes me wonder abt that).
another option is the "green acres" method: assign numbers iaw amprage (from one of the links above) then choose a number that u can't exceed.

even with 50amp, there will still be parks that the only thing available is 30. we camp at a few. we generally run the a/c, hw heater, frig, tv, converter. usually something has to give if we try to run the microwave. might have to put the a/c on fan and/or turn the hw heater off.

50 amp is two 50 amp circuits compared to one 30 amp service.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by jeeplj8

Then we try to make coffee and blow a breaker.

My peculator has never blown a breaker.