Breaker Trips on RV Air Conditioner

Question: What would cause my breaker to trip when using the air conditioner in my rv when it is very hot outside? I am in Arizona in an rv park with no shade. The air conditioner will only run for about five minutes when it is very hot outside before it trips the breaker. I can flip it back on and it comes back on, but will do the same thing. It does not trip the breaker when it has cooled down outside.


Robbie: The available voltage might be low during the peak hours of the day because everyone in the park is running their air conditioner. It returns back to normal when not as many air conditioners are running. It is a very common problem that happens in almost every RV park.

You can buy an inexpensive voltage meter that plugs into any outlet inside your RV that shows if you are receiving the proper voltage.

If you've been in the park for a long period of time, check the plug where you plug your RV in and make sure the prongs are clean and not burnt.

Finally, you could have a problem with your air conditioner for a few different reasons; it could be a compressor problem, start and/or run capacitor issue.

If your available voltage is good and your plug is clean, you should have a professional look at your air conditioner.

Robbie

Comments for Breaker Trips on RV Air Conditioner

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Jul 03, 2011
 Weak Breaker Possible
by: Bud Corwin

Hi Robbie,

Just a quick comment on the article about the guy with the air conditioer problem. Your answer to him was true, but it is possible the problem could be either a weak breaker in his coach or the breaker at his pedestle. I had this same problem years ago in another coach. Once I replaced the breaker, the problem was solved.

Just my two cents worth.

Bud Corwin
Jul 05, 2019
 re:Breaker Trips on Air Conditioner NEW
by: FrankEB

A few things we need to know, hoave you cleaned the fins on the coil and evaporator. In hot weather it's working harder and if it can't breath it will try harder until the breaker trips. Look up on utube the different ways to clean them.

Second you could be drawing to much power by running a lot of appliances at once. A/C, Hot water heater, Microwave.

Hope this helps
Sep 26, 2019
 Somewhat similar issue but trips inverter NEW
by: Anonymous

Hi there - I have camper and I'm using a 3500 starting watts inverter generator. It runs fine for 30+ minutes, but then there's a spike in amps the camper is drawing - if I don't turn off the AC, the 120 breaker on the inverter will trip. The odd thing is that even after I turn the AC off, it's still drawing 12 amps and there's absolutely nothing in the camper on.

I'm a little baffled.

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Robbie Warford, San Diego RV Repair

Hi, I'm Robbie. Welcome to Money-Saving-RV-Repair.com!

Like the name implies, this site is all about helping you save money while keeping your RV in tip-top shape--and that is all about you having the knowledge to do so.

I've been a technician in the RV industry for 30 years, operating out of San Diego, California. And let me tell you, I love my job.

But I also love empowering RVers with the knowledge they need to make the right decision on repairs, or to make the fix themselves--and that, my friend, is the reason for this website. I hope you enjoy.

Or, learn more about me, my RV service practice, & this website here.