Air Conditioner in RV Keeps Tripping the RV's Circuit Breaker

by Cory
(Louisiana)

AC keeps flipping my 20amp breaker in my travel trailer. I can put the fan on and its okay but when the compressor comes on it flips the breaker in a short time.

ANSWER: Greetings Cory thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

I am going to assume that this is a new problem and that prior to this the Air Conditioner was operating normally. I am also going to assume that you have not connected any new 120 volt electrical appliances to the circuit that the Air Conditioner is connected to.

If all of the above is true then there are several conditions that could be causing the problem you are experiencing. The most common causes of this problem are a bad compressor that is starting to draw too many amps on start up and/or while running, you could also have a bad start or run capacitor on the AC unit.

Leave your RV repair bills to us—Good Sam Extended Service Plan

Unfortunately the problems I mentioned above are not do-it-yourselfer repair jobs. Your best bet is to take your Travel Trailer in and have the Air Conditioning checked out by a Certified RV Technician.

I hope this helps.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

Protect your RV and your family while on the road: Join Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service Today and save!

Happy RVing

RVing Al

Don't Forget To Visit The Everything About RVing Stores.  If It Has To Do With RVing And The Outdoors The EARV Stores Have What You Are Looking For!

RV Accessories - Sporting Goods - RVing and Travel Books and How To Videos - Kindle Accessories and Books - The RVers Gift Shop - The RVer Mall - Buy or Sell An RV - The NASCAR Collectibles Store


Comments for Air Conditioner in RV Keeps Tripping the RV's Circuit Breaker

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Responding to Ac tripping the rv switch by: Anonymous
by: Dan

Its most likely an issue with the campground power supply or pedestal. If the shop cannot duplicate your issue its because the shop has no issues with their power supply to your AC unit. RV camp grounds are notorious for having poor power supply for every RV on their grounds. The more packed the campground is the worse the voltage is at each campsite. Try duplicating the issue at your own home. If the AC does not run at your home parked in your driveway then there is something being missed.
Rating
starstar 		TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION
by: Dan

People. If you post a question as ANONYMOUS then you will likely never get an answer to your question because 5 out of 9 people posted their question as ANONYMOUS. Which ANONYMOUS am I responding to?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Maybe try this first
by: Mstephens

My breaker started to kick the ac off. I got up on the roof and cleaned the fins (all the crud is on the inside). That was not it. So new unit or maybe replace the breaker first. Breaker was a cheap last try. I put the new breaker in and it's be running without incident since.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		A/C Tripps the breaker
by: James FTRVR

I just finished installing the new a/c unit on the roof. Total time including taking a lot of rest breaks because it's already got out, was 2 hrs and 20 minutes. At least half that was rest breaks, probably more. The hardest part was getting it up on the roof. Ok I left the old one up there for my son to deal with. I'm getting to darn old to work that hard twice in a day.lol. Seem to have fixed the problem. More than likely was the compressor going out. Good lock all. I recommend having help with moving the units up and down from the roof.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		A/C Tripps the breaker
by: James FTRVR

I am having the same problem with my a/c tripping the breaker. I just bought a new unit and I'm going to install it today. Hope this fixes it. The old unit is 8 1/2 years old.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Tripping breaker
by: Jcbogie65

Our air conditioner will run fine all night and during the mornings. Seems once it warms up outside the 20 amp breaker will trip. Thoughts????
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Ac Breaker tripping
by: Anonymous

we have it on and it trips the breaker, i have so many different opions it wills cause me a fortune to find the proble. what would be the best route to go get someone that is a electrictran or plumber.
.
What do you think?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rv AC trip
by: Herman

I have the same problem with my 30/20 amp breaker. If my water heater is on, it will pop the ac breaker and then it takes a while to get it back on. Make sure your not running the microwave either.Wish I could convert from 30 amp to 60 amp panel.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Ac breaker
by: David

I have a brand new travel trailer the ac can run high or low then all of sudden it throws the breaker.Itaken it to the dealer, they can't duplicate the problem !!!!!!One tech said move the 20 amp breaker away from the 30. Amp breaker. To much heat being side by side. Help
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Icing and.voltage
by: Anonymous

I will bet that the campground has a voltage regulating problem. We got a voltage monitor and found that in the campground voltage varies from 120 to 105. When the voltage is lower we are more likely to ice up.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Same problem
by: Anonymous

I have the same problem with my AC. I have taken it to the shop and it runs fine, bring it to the campsite and it’s tripping the switch every 5 minutes although if it’s just on "fan" it runs fine
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		ac keeps trippping
by: Anonymous

Try setting the AC back to 20 degrees. If we have it set to come on too cold it trips our breaker... so far this trick is working.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Ac tripping the rv switch
by: Anonymous

Ok, what happens when you take the rv to a service place and after several hours of the ac not turning off because they are testing it in their garage, the repair shop tells you there's nothing wrong with your ac but when you get to the rv camp and park under the sun the ac starts tripping the switch again. What do you do then?

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Ask an RV Question.

LEARN HOW TO RUN 2 RV A/Cs ON A 30 AMP CONNECTION