Water heater tripping pole breaker when it shuts off.

[wmtire]

Ok. I turned on the 15 amp breaker in the trailer and turned on the red switch on that panel, as well as the "On-Off" switch inside the water heater. The gas came on and it started heating water.


Then about 5 minutes later, it tripped the shore breaker again.


So I turned off the 15 amp breaker in the trailer, and reset the shore breaker. The water heater is on again, running on gas. I guess we'll see if the main breaker trips again.


I don't know what could be tripping the main breaker, but something seems off.

The gas and electric modes of heating operate independent of one another. Let's start at the beginning. Have you ever had the hot water heater operate correctly or is this a new to you RV?

Have you actually verified there is water in the tank? If so, how did you verify this? Did you briefly flip up the temp&pressure relief valve on the water heater as explained in the tutorial?

 

[pblanton]

I hate to keep beating this horse, but have you read the tutorial? You still don't sound like you are understanding the difference between what controls what mode of heating for the water heater.

Is it possible that I did read it and do understand, but have a particularly vexing problem at hand?

I did read the tutorial. What I'm telling you is, this...

When I turned on the red switch on the Puma panel, the water heater came on with gas.

About 5 minutes later, it tripped the shore power breaker again.

I turned off the 15 amp water heater breaker inside the trailer and reset the 30 amp shore breaker, and now it won't heat with gas, and the fault light is on.

I have tuned off the switch and turned it back on to try to "reset" the fault light, but it won't go off and the water heater is not heating.

I have to leave the 15 amp water heater breaker off, or else the 30 amp shore breaker trips. With the 15 amp internal breaker off, nothing happens, but I don't have hot water, because nothing happens.

If I turn on the 15 amp breaker, it WILL run on gas, but I presume it's also running on electricity and when the water gets hot, it trips the shore breaker.

The 15 amp internal breaker never trips. Only the 30 amp shore breaker.

It seems to me that the shore breaker should NOT be tripping for any reason. It *could* be a weak breaker on the pole I suppose.

Exactly what am I missing?

I'll go read the threads all over again, but I don't think I missed anything. Here's what I understand...

- If I turn off the internal breaker, that should make the water heater run only on gas, because it's the way it'd run if we were out in the mountains away from civilization.

- With the gas on, the switch inside the water heater on, and the "htr" switch on the panel on, it should run on gas and be able to light itself properly.

 

[pblanton]

The RV belongs to my sister. My wife and I are staying in it while I attend cancer treatment at MD Anderson in Houston.

When I first set up the trailer on Sunday night, I followed the directions and opened the purge valve after hooking up the water until it ran all water. Then I turned on the black switch under the propane burner.

It heated water via electricity, until the water got hot, then tripped the 30 amp pole breaker.

I didn't know about the switch inside that enables it to run on gas, so I've just been going without hot water. I have had both the little black switch inside the water heater turned off, as well as the 15 amp water heater breaker inside the trailer.

I thought that the "htr" switch on the Puma panel was for a heating element inside the water and waste tanks so that they didn't freeze.

Today I learned that the red switch on the Puma panel enables it to run on propane, so I turned it on, along with the black switch inside the water heater and the 15 amp breaker. The gas came on and lit and it was heating water with propane. After about 5 minutes the 30 amp pole breaker tripped again.

I went inside and turned off the 15 amp water heater breaker and turned off all switches to the water heater, then I reset the pole breaker. After a few minutes, I turned the black switch in the water heater back on, and then turned on the red switch in the Puma panel.

After a few minutes, after reading the entire referenced thread, I looked over and the fault light on the Puma panel is on. I went outside and the water heater is not heating with gas.

I turned off both switches (black water heater switch and red Puma panel switch) but left the 15 amp water heater breaker off, and waited a few minutes. Then I turned them both back on and no spark, no light and the fault light won't go off.

 

[pblanton]

OK. I turned everything off and waited about 30 minutes. A long time I know, but it wasn't working otherwise, so what the ****.


Then I made sure the internal 15 amp breaker was off. I turned on the black switch inside the water heater and then the red switch on the Puma panel. After about a minute, the fault light went out and it's heating with gas.


It still has an electrical fault somewhere as it will not run on 120v. electricity. I'd like to fix that, but am not sure how. I'm just happy to maybe finally have hot water.

 

[wmtire]

OK. I turned everything off and waited about 30 minutes. A long time I know, but it wasn't working otherwise, so what the ****.


Then I made sure the internal 15 amp breaker was off. I turned on the black switch inside the water heater and then the red switch on the Puma panel. After about a minute, the fault light went out and it's heating with gas.


It still has an electrical fault somewhere as it will not run on 120v. electricity. I'd like to fix that, but am not sure how. I'm just happy to maybe finally have hot water.

That black switch on the face of the water heater ONLY and I mean ONLY controls the electric heating element 120 volt mode of heating. However with the circuit breaker off, which also ONLY controls the 120 volt AC electric heating element mode of heating ,being off then that black switch has no effect either off or on.

You can turn both the circuit breaker and that black switch OFF, they have nothing to do with gas mode of heating.

The ONLY switch to your gas/propane mode of heating is inside the RV. This heating mode works off of 12 volt DC.

 

[pblanton]

Here's what I think...


I think the 30 amp pole breaker is weak and cannot handle the AC and electric water heater at the same time.


If I turn on the electric part of the water heater, it trips the pole breaker in five to ten minutes. Apparently that is not long enough to finish heating the water, so I think it is just wearing down the pole breaker.


If it were a fault in the water heater, then I'd expect it to have tripped its own breaker at least once, but it never did.

 

[Aussieguy]

IS the pedestal /outlet outside actually 30 amps?

are you at a campground ...
OR mooch docking 20 amp garage outlet with a adapter to the 30amp cord


If you are at a campground... ask the manager / host if they can check your pedestal for volts and amps

check your 30amp power cord for any signs of BURNS or melting


In your INSIDE breaker panel
Turn off ALL breakers except the main and the air conditioner

then turn each breaker back on one at a time to see what you can/can't use together.

Turn OFF the a/c and try the water heater?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
if you are using an adapter to moochdock... you might only be getting 20 amps max to the trailer

 

[pblanton]

That black switch on the face of the water heater ONLY and I mean ONLY controls the electric heating element 120 volt mode of heating. However with the circuit breaker off, which also ONLY controls the 120 volt AC electric heating element mode of heating ,being off then that black switch has no effect either off or on.

That's what I suspected after reading your threads on the subject, but the instructions inside the panel door keep mentioning that you must have that switch on. I guess they are only for running it on electricity, but they are pretty vague on that.

They mention both gas and electricity but in both contexts they refer to that switch as having to be on.

Thanks for your help and for the excellent posts on the subject!

 

[pblanton]

IS the pedestal /outlet outside actually 30 amps?
are you at a campground ...
OR mooch docking 20 amp garage outlet with a adapter to the 30amp cord

I am at the Lakeview RV Resort in Houston and it's a real Nema L5-30R with the L5-30P to the trailer plugged in.

If you are at a campground... ask the manager / host if they can check your pedestal for volts and amps

check your 30amp power cord for any signs of BURNS or melting

That's my next stop. I'm going to ask them for a new breaker. The trailer cord looks good. It's black so its warm where its in the sun, but cool where its in the shade under the trailer, so I think it is fine.

In your INSIDE breaker panel, Turn off ALL breakers except the main and the air conditioner
then turn each breaker back on one at a time to see what you can/can't use together.

I have. It's just the water heater that is tripping the pole breaker. I can even make coffee in the morning and leave the coffee maker warmer on with no problems. In fact, the microwave's start button is not working so I just left the breaker to the microwave off. I need to find a new microwave of the same size so that I can replace it, but for now that breaker will just stay off.

Turn OFF the a/c and try the water heater?

I will this evening. I am from 7000 feet in Colorado and this Houston climate is oppressive. Once it cools down long enough for me to risk turning off the AC for a bit, I'll turn off the AC, turn on the breaker to the water heater and then take a shower. That should cool off the water enough to cause it to come on and I'll see if it trips.

 

[Aussieguy]

wmtire's response to turn ON the inside switch to use propane and turn OFF the little hidden switch in the water heater would be best


I only turn on the inside switch (propane side) 20 minutes before shower time
dish washing I use a kettle to heat hot water

30 amps is not a lot
your converter (battery charger) could be another hidden largish drain
If the batteries are LOW... the converter (charger) will be working hard to power your 12v stuff and charge up the batteries... make sure 12v stuff is OFF too OR wait for converter to finish charging .

Is the park's showers clean and useable?

 

[pblanton]

wmtire's response to turn ON the inside switch to use propane and turn OFF the little hidden switch in the water heater would be best

OK.

I only turn on the inside switch (propane side) 20 minutes before shower time
dish washing I use a kettle to heat hot water

30 amps is not a lot
your converter (battery charger) could be another hidden largish drain
If the batteries are LOW... the converter (charger) will be working hard to power your 12v stuff and charge up the batteries... make sure 12v stuff is OFF too OR wait for converter to finish charging .

Thanks!

Is the park's showers clean and useable?

Yeah! We came by here and reserved our spot back in March when I was here to meet with the doctor and plan my treatment. Apparently over 80% of the people staying here are in Houston for some sort of medical treatment at either MD Anderson or the V.A. Hospital.

The park is about 5 miles from M.D. Anderson and they have a shuttle that runs back and forth all day. They have a very nice pool, two lakes with fountains in them, one of the lakes has a 1/3 mile path around it for jogging or walking. They have a dog park, and a dog-washing station. A very nice, clean clubhouse with showers, and a 24/7 laundry facility. All of the spaces are concrete, with grass all around. My wife rode around in a golf cart (which you can rent) with the manager and picked out a nice space with overhead trees so we have shade.

The trailer is a toy hauler so I brought one of my motorcycles in the event that I feel like riding.

I work from home as a computer hacker, so I brought one of my motorized standing desks, an extra monitor, and three laptops, and am working from the trailer, all set up in the garage part. My wife and I are learning to live on top of one another.

The site has wifi that is supposed to cover the whole area, but it isn’t particularly fast. I do however have gigabit 5g speeds here on my phone, so I am using it as a hotspot. It’s better internet speed than I get with starlink at home in Colorado.

So… all told it’s going pretty well. I pulled the Puma with my F250, but have been online shopping for fifth-wheels or maybe a larger motor home, because I think this RV thing is kind of cool.

Here’s a video a guy made of this park about two years ago…

Take my opinion with a grain of salt, since I am new at this RV stuff; but I am pretty happy with this park, for sure.


Edit: We're empty-nesters with two grown daughters. I don't think I'd enjoy doing this with kids as much. Maybe smaller ones, but certainly not teeage daughters.

 

[capeharj]

I guess I was wrong. It seems that with the internal 15amp breaker off, it won't heat water even with the gas stuff all turned on. The little fault light comes on and won't go off, even if I turn the red switch off and wait a few minutes before turning it back on.


I'm suspecting that the electrical element is burned out and needs to be replaced.

You said at the beginning you are running the A/C as well as the water heater on gas. You can't run both on a 30 amp feed. Do what the other fellows instructions said, turn off the switch on the water heater and turn on the switch at the wall panel. You should then be running on gas only.

 

[Twinboat]

Is the pedestal breaker GFCI protected ? It's odd that it's a twist lock outlet.

A bad water heater element can trip them and it has nothing to do with amp draw.

 

[5picker]

I am at the Lakeview RV Resort in Houston and it's a real Nema L5-30R with the L5-30P to the trailer plugged in.

Is the pedestal breaker GFCI protected ? It's odd that it's a twist lock outlet.

A bad water heater element can trip them and it has nothing to do with amp draw.

If your R/V does in fact have this plug on the end of your shore cord and the pedestal outlet is the mating twistlock, bear in mind this is not a typical R/V plug/outlet for 30a service.

Here is what you say you have... (top photo)
Below that is what a typical R/V has for 30a service.