Convertor Breaker?

[bluepinecones]

The breaker on my convertor tripped again. This has happened several times. I contacted Thor about it the second time. All they told me was convertors tend to run hot and I had to be careful to be sure nothing was blocking air flow. I have been very careful about that and know there was no blockage. Mine is located almost on the floor on face of bench seat under table.
Any suggestions or ideas as to what might be causing this?

Don't know how long it had been tripped when I discovered it today but I barely had enough battery power to bring awning in so it had to be a good while. I was plugged in to electric and know there was not a power blip as the clock on microwave was still working (power blip will turn it off).

[Deeann]

Hey Blue,

Your house battery could be going bad. Listen for the converter to switch on and off while it is running. If it switches frequently it's because your battery isn't holding a charge and the converter has to keep cycling on to try to keep it charged. If you battery is going bad the converter will have to work extra hard to supply enough current to try to charge the battery. The more current that the converter is having to supply, the hotter it will be to the touch. Your battery will also be hot if it is bad.

If the converter and/or battery are hot turn your converter off (shut off the breaker) so that it's not trying to recharge your battery. Let your battery cool down. Then remove the positive lead from the battery (wrench required). You must tape the positive cable up so that the metal end of it does NOT touch any metal. Get some electrical tape for this, or in an emergency use some duct tape. Tape it up pretty good. Get help disconnecting your battery if you don't know how. And be careful with batteries. They are full of sulfuric acid. They can explode and blow that acid in your face and blind you. If you don't know anything about batteries, or electrical shorts, get help with this. Don't do it yourself. Once you have the battery unwired you can turn your converter back on. But you won't have a battery to power your lights, etc. if you unplug your camper.

You can usually hear your converter clicking when it switches on and off. Also, you will notice your house lights dimming for a second when it switches on and off.

This is the most likely reason for the converter to be tripping the breaker or overheating.

BTW, when my converted stared switching on and off frequently (every few minutes) I just got rid of my battery. My tt was permanently parked on a lake lot and I didn't need a battery. Just be sure to tape up the ends of the cables that go to the battery. You may also find that without a battery some things may not work on your trailer, such as your water pump, etc.

[Deeann]

I reread your complaint. Since you hardly had enough juice in your battery to pull the awning in I would say that your battery is the problem. Check it out asap. Your circuit breaker is doing it's job. It's shutting the converter off to protect it from getting burned up.

Keep me posted.

[bluepinecones]

Thank you. I do not know anything about battery or electrical and I am a novice at RVing. Will try to take closer look in the daylight - very dark here tonight.
It is not tripping that often but seems it should not trip at all unless something wrong.
Sadly I'm hard of hearing but will listen for cycle off/on as best my hearing aids will allow.

BTW: The temp here today was in the mid 70s and I'm parked in full sun but do not think it got all that hot inside rig. Windows were open. Not sure if that would matter.
I have two house batteries which are not quite 2 years old yet.

[Bethers]

if you are plugged into electric, your batteries should be charging. Sounds like maybe they aren't?

[Deeann]

You can check your battery by feeling of them to see if they are hot. Don't touch the terminals. Just try to feel the side of the battery. Give them a good looking over, too. Do you see any corrosion or leakage around them? If so, don't touch this stuff. It's corrosive!

Also, if you can't hear the converter switching on and off, pay close attention to your lights that are on. They will dim slightly for a split second when the converter switches. The lights will "flick".

Your windows being open wouldn't make any difference.

The converter should not trip the circuit breaker unless there is a problem.

Get some help to check the batteries since you aren't electrically minded.

If you have to replace your batteries make sure to buy the correct ones. Don't get auto batteries. Get deep cycle batteries.

If you can drive your rig, you can go to a mechanic and have the batteries checked. You might have just one that is bad instead of both of them.

If your batteries are good, you could have a serious drain on your electrical system. This should be checked.

[bluepinecones]

When I opened the battery compartment yesterday to check batteries discovered I had one badly corroded terminal. Since I was changing locations anyway, decided to let a pro clean it and check both house batteries before leaving town. He said both batteries are good. The breaker has not tripped again and everything seems to be working. So I still don't know what is going on with the breaker.

[Deeann]

A badly corroded terminal could have been your problem. I'd say to give it a few days and see what happens. If it keeps tripping you need to take it to an rv dealer and let them find out what is wrong.

[bluepinecones]

Thank you. I did not know if that might have been the problem or not.
I am trying to be more aware and look for signs of the breaker tripping so can at least catch it before running batteries down if happens again. No idea how long it was off this last time before I noticed something wrong. A little concerned that I cannot hear it cycling.

[VickieP]

Sarah, I hope that was the problem and everything goes good now.

[Acadianmom]

The corroded terminal could well have been the problem. I have had electrical problems before and that was the problem. If your converter breaker trips again I would have the convertor checked. Carolyn's went bad and her 5th wheel was only a couple of years old. You can bet the RV manufactures don't put the best of anything in when they can get away with something cheaper.

Martha