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Old 06-28-2018, 08:08 PM   #1
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Generator breaker won't stay set

So just got back from 2700 mile trip, no problems. We were cleaning the rig, running the generator with 1 roof air on, brought vacum in, completeday that chore, unpluged it ,generator speeded up a bit air went off, tripping the breaker on the side of the generator, the 30 amp one, now that breaker won't stay on no matter what you do, probably fried something, any ideas, thanks
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Old 06-28-2018, 09:06 PM   #2
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Do you have any shore power on? The gen may not like seeing it with a ATS.
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Old 06-28-2018, 09:48 PM   #3
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No, just genet running, seems that a vacuum wouldn't pull any more juice than a microwave, and I've run them together before
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Old 06-29-2018, 05:57 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by wegobago View Post
So just got back from 2700 mile trip, no problems. We were cleaning the rig, running the generator with 1 roof air on, brought vacum in, completeday that chore, unpluged it ,generator speeded up a bit air went off, tripping the breaker on the side of the generator, the 30 amp one, now that breaker won't stay on no matter what you do, probably fried something, any ideas, thanks
The CB won't stay on with all 120V loads off?? Or is just when the A/C on and the vacuum plugged in?
Try turning off the 120V CB's in your main power panel and start the generator and then start turning on the CB's one at a time.
What year and model RV do you have and which generator model?
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:02 AM   #5
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Thermal circuit breakers can wear during trips. When I did AC service after two or three trips the breaker is weakened and won't hold. But it tripped for a reason and loose electrical connections is the number one cause.
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Old 06-29-2018, 09:59 AM   #6
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Thank you ,I will try that method, hopefully that will narrow down some possible issues.
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Old 06-29-2018, 10:03 AM   #7
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That makes a lot of sense, the coach is 20 years old, excellent condition but connection issue's could be it . Hopefully nothing got hurt too bad
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Old 06-29-2018, 10:10 AM   #8
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Our coach is a 98 Adventurer 35WP and the generator is a Onan Emerald plus 5000
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Old 06-29-2018, 12:59 PM   #9
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BTW, are you able to plug into shore power, even 15amp household circuit, to see if any breakers trip?
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Old 06-30-2018, 11:30 AM   #10
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Ats fried

Found source of tripping breaker, ats is fried, any opinions on replacement type and style are welcome. Currently have hard wired surge protection for shore power
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Old 07-05-2018, 07:00 AM   #11
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Found source of tripping breaker, ats is fried, any opinions on replacement type and style are welcome. Currently have hard wired surge protection for shore power

Fried usually means the connections were loose. Try checking out ebay: https://www.ebay.com/bhp/rv-transfer-switch


Is your rig 30 or 50A? That model had a 50A option.
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Old 07-05-2018, 10:40 AM   #12
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ATS, fried, you might need to be more specific. Considering the age of your unit, it is quite likely it does need to be replaced. But here is my story on an ATS failure. Totally my own fault, mind you.

The day was very hot, 90's. We had just driven into town, parked in our favorite Casino Parking lot. We turned the generator on, running A/C full blast to cool things down. All was running great.

Friends showed up, lets go, the restaurant will be crowded, go, go, lets go. I reached up and turned the generator off. As my hands left the switch, I knew I blew it. I always would raise the thermostat first to shut off the a/c before turning the generator off. It was one of those slap the forehead moments. But nothing to be done then, off to dinner with friends.

Upon our return later in the evening, started up the generator, running normally, but in its usual 30-40 seconds, the lights did not come on the power management panel indicating the gen-set and power loads. I restarted the generator several times, sometimes the lights would come on, then off, flash strangely, randomly, very odd. It was a hot night!

Next day, tried it again, worked for about 1 minute with the a/c on, then the power management lights blinked randomly, and the a/c and other 120v power was gone. OK, I knew it must be the ATS, I knew I must have fried the connections when shutting the generator off with the a/c going full blast the day before. My RV dealer just happened to be a mile away, so, we drove over, but they were booked solid for the day. One of the techs said, we might try plugging into one of their shore power poles and see what happens. We did, and the power management panel came on, all 120v systems were normal.

So, we travelled on to our next campground, plugged into shore power, all was good. Over the next three weeks, I started the generator several times, each time, the power management panel would work, a few minutes, or longer, start acting up, and shut off. But gradually, with generator power, it got better and better. But I knew I "fried' those connectors in the ATS on the generator side of the box.

Over the next few months, we used the generator sparingly, again, it would work most of the time, but still glitches from time to time. I know its possible to get inside the ATS unit and clean up the contacts, but I saw a chance to buy a new exact match ATS from Amazon as a clearance, discontinued model, and bought one. It has been riding around as a spare for the last three years. The generator and old ATS has been working perfectly with dozens of starts and over 250 hours use since the original incident.

So in my case, the ATS being fried was not a permanent problem.
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Old 07-15-2018, 08:38 AM   #13
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Our unit has 2 ATS boxes on board, one for coach power and the other for rear air only. I replaced the main ats , started generator and heard a pop which tripped the breaker on the generator. Wondering if maybe some loose connections on generator sidea may be an issue, after all we just completed a 2700 mile trip ,running the generator and air all day, lots of vibration
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Old 07-16-2018, 08:54 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by wegobago View Post
Our unit has 2 ATS boxes on board, one for coach power and the other for rear air only. I replaced the main ats , started generator and heard a pop which tripped the breaker on the generator. Wondering if maybe some loose connections on generator sidea may be an issue, after all we just completed a 2700 mile trip ,running the generator and air all day, lots of vibration
They did things a bit different in '98. You have a A/C select switch and a ATS. The ATS is for putting the service panel on generator or shore power. The A/C switch selects the unit being controlled from the thermostat, I believe.

I have a delay circuit built into one of the units so two won't try to start at the same time. This would cause an overload and trip breakers.
I highly recommend that we all go through our ATS and service panel, tightening connections soon after taking delivery. After being on the road for some time it is a good idea to do this again. I have done this enough times now that I am confident that I will not have any loose connection issues to be concerned about soon. I'll simply go through thing in a couple of years or so just because. Also, operate all of the breakers once a year.
In your case you could have a wire that has chafed and is grounding out. It might be a good idea to use a volt meter to troubleshoot with. I would remove the lead from the tripping breaker and measure the resistance of it to ground. If it is very low find where it goes and open the circuit someplace in the middle. Test in both directions to see which way the trouble is showing. You have a great troubleshooting aid in the Winnebago resources wiring diagrams.

A side story. My start battery was not charging. In error I operated the chassis salesmen switch. The start battery started charging again! I think the contacts were a bit dirty in the solenoid. So now, from time to time, I hit the battery disconnect switches as a routine to be done. No charging issues since I have been doing this.

Please keep us posted at to what you find.
Happy trails.
Rick
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Old 07-16-2018, 10:28 AM   #15
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Yes, we have a front ,rear a/c switch but 2 ats boxes and 2 shore power 30 amp cords, I can only assume it was an factory-installed set up. I will take your advice and check every connection I can get access to, I'm sure I'll find a short or loose connections somewhere. In the meantime, replacing both ats boxes due to age, new ones are smaller and more modern technology and don't require the use of wire nuts to connect the wiring. Thanks so much for your help, I'll post the outcome
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Old 07-17-2018, 07:36 AM   #16
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Yes, we have a front ,rear a/c switch but 2 ats boxes and 2 shore power 30 amp cords, I can only assume it was an factory-installed set up. I will take your advice and check every connection I can get access to, I'm sure I'll find a short or loose connections somewhere. In the meantime, replacing both ats boxes due to age, new ones are smaller and more modern technology and don't require the use of wire nuts to connect the wiring. Thanks so much for your help, I'll post the outcome

A ATS is a dumb box with relays in it. The A/C controller in the diagram is what you say it is, a ATS that is not functioning as a ATS. That was a novel way to accomplish the need for power control to the A/C units.



Now lets see what the problem cause is and the fix.
Rick
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Old 07-17-2018, 01:55 PM   #17
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Thanks for the tip, I'll check that first as a/c was running when all this started
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Old 07-18-2018, 02:56 PM   #18
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Gen breaker won't stay set

So this problem is unsolved, generator 20 amp breaker trips, all connections including a/c control switch look good ,no obvious burning or arcing visually. I have an outlet by the kitchen sink that is dead, I believe it's tied to the gfi in the bathroom, haven't checked wiring at generator breaker's yet, mind you this is all visual at this time. The ats had burned wires was replaced. Trying to do this myself but not there yet
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Old 07-19-2018, 06:55 AM   #19
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So this problem is unsolved, generator 20 amp breaker trips, all connections including a/c control switch look good ,no obvious burning or arcing visually. I have an outlet by the kitchen sink that is dead, I believe it's tied to the gfi in the bathroom, haven't checked wiring at generator breaker's yet, mind you this is all visual at this time. The ats had burned wires was replaced. Trying to do this myself but not there yet
GFCI's have the reputation of failing.



With all of the breakers off in your service panel, does your generator 20A breaker still trip?
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Old 07-20-2018, 05:56 PM   #20
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GFCI's have the reputation of failing.



With all of the breakers off in your service panel, does your generator 20A breaker still trip?
Yes 20 amp breaker on generator trips when the main panel is completely shut down. Replaced faulty gfci, all good there.
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