Extension cord question

[Pixguy]

So here's the latest. Storage unit resist the panel breaker this am and reset my gfi. I get there hours later and gfi and panel is blown again. The guy next to me who pays for 30a plug-in says, try mine. I did and everything runs and I watch the ems on the surge protector. L1 121 volts(?) 0a, L2 says 117v and 21a. What.....? I go in and start hitting rv breakers and nothing is drawing those amps til I get to the inverter and basement breakers. Shut those down and 0amps at ems. 6amps with inverter off but I don't need that on while in storage so I've left both off. I then rolled the 100' 14 wire around the coach to eliminate coils and plugged that in. Waited 15minutes, all is fine.
So I have to research to see what is on the basement breaker. Storage heat? I hear nothing. Macerator? No whining noise from there. Vacuum? Nothing. WTH?

So I'll look through the books and try to figure the rest out.

 

[LittleBill21]

your coach seems very expensive. I am surprised that the monitor panel does not indicate what the draw is. But at least you determined it was simply a overload. 21 amps should be noticeable.

 

[Pixguy]

your coach seems very expensive. I am surprised that the monitor panel does not indicate what the draw is. But at least you determined it was simply a overload. 21 amps should be noticeable.

My problem is I'm not sure how to read this.

This is actually only a 39' diesel. No biggie

 

[LittleBill21]

How many batteries do you have?

Based on the charger inverter status . it APPEARS you are charging at 110A's which is where you ac load is coming from and at 13.5 which may mean your battery's are very low on charge. it appears your using a magnum inverter, but I feel that display is custom made for your rig. I would need the manual.

do you understand that the inverter creates ac power from the battery's? this is usually a very high load, and will cause the battery's to burn their energy up shortly.

if this is what is causing it. you need to determine why your batteries are low (did you use the inverter alot, meaning did you use ac powered items when not plugged into the power pedestal? ) that said if the controller your using here, can't control the charge current of the charger (i think it should, its prolly in settings) then you need to charge the batteries back up via the generator, or make sure they are charged else where. your simply pulling more then you are capable of.

do you have a manual for this panel.

 

[Pixguy]

How many batteries do you have?

Based on the charger inverter status . it APPEARS you are charging at 110A's which is where you ac load is coming from and at 13.5 which may mean your battery's are very low on charge. it appears your using a magnum inverter, but I feel that display is custom made for your rig. I would need the manual.

do you understand that the inverter creates ac power from the battery's? this is usually a very high load, and will cause the battery's to burn their energy up shortly.

if this is what is causing it. you need to determine why your batteries are low (did you use the inverter alot, meaning did you use ac powered items when not plugged into the power pedestal? ) that said if the controller your using here, can't control the charge current of the charger (i think it should, its prolly in settings) then you need to charge the batteries back up via the generator, or make sure they are charged else where. your simply pulling more then you are capable of.

do you have a manual for this panel.

I do understand the concept that the inverter creates the ac power.
I suspected that when the gfi/breaker flipped the draw drew down the batteries which I assumed why they're are low

Next time I go to the coach I will look for the inverter manual

 

[LittleBill21]

I do understand the concept that the inverter creates the ac power.
I suspected that when the gfi/breaker flipped the draw drew down the batteries which I assumed why they're are low

I don't know, thats hard to determine. instead of turning off the inverter via the breaker, which will prolly kill the charger. can you tell the inverter to stop inverting and just go into charge mode?

if the inverter powers the entire rig, and your basement was pulling amperage like you indicated, this would cause the battery's to be very low.

I strongly recommend you get the battery's charged before you ruin them. they appear to be lead acid.

 

[ponytug]

The inverter alone is pulling more than can, or should be supplied by a 120V 15A circuit, so your breaker is doing the right thing.

As @LittleBill21 wrote, you need to charge your batteries using something other than a 120/15 input; generator, 30/50A pedestal, solar...

All the best,

Peter

 

[Bill Guenthner]

you can run 2000 feet. it shouldn't trip a gfci or a surge protector

No, you’re wrong. The fault circuit will think there’s current bleed and trip if an extension cord is too long. 100 feet is too long.

 

[LittleBill21]

No, you’re wrong. The fault circuit will think there’s current bleed and trip if an extension cord is too long. 100 feet is too long.

this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I use a 200 foot cord in a gfci for my rv, its been plugged in for 2 years 24/7. Try again.

house's now have GFCI breakers in their panels. you think every run in a house is under 100 feet? Try again.

 

[erikjohn67]

My experience is that a 15 amp standard circuit breaker and a 15 amp GFCI circuit breaker is that the GFCI will trip under load before the standard circuit breaker will. They just seem to trip easier, and it is usually on motors starting.

 

[Pixguy]

My experience is that a 15 amp standard circuit breaker and a 15 amp GFCI circuit breaker is that the GFCI will trip under load before the standard circuit breaker will. They just seem to trip easier, and it is usually on motors starting.

and that's what I thought and wondered why the panel breaker would trip as well.

 

[Pixguy]

This is Entegra's instructions with inverter and storage.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I use a 200 foot cord in a gfci for my rv, its been plugged in for 2 years 24/7. Try again.

house's now have GFCI breakers in their panels. you think every run in a house is under 100 feet? Try again.

In the real world, a 100 foot Chinese made extension cord plugged into a made in Mexico GFCI outlet is going to be prone to tripping. You personal experience with one setup is not conclusive. For safety you might want to consider running a permenant circuit to where you park your RV rather than using a 200 foot extension cord.

 

[LittleBill21]

In the real world, a 100 foot Chinese made extension cord plugged into a made in Mexico GFCI outlet is going to be prone to tripping. You personal experience with one setup is not conclusive. For safety you might want to consider running a permenant circuit to where you park your RV rather than using a 200 foot extension cord.

I sleep peacefully at night. by the way its also a 16 gauge cord. Thanks

 

[LittleBill21]

This is Entegra's instructions with inverter and storage.

View attachment 741372

what model vega is it, your book is not providing enough yet.

 

[Pixguy]

what model vega is it, your book is not providing enough yet.

My main manual says Lyra 7" which uses the Mira app. Any other info is at the screen in storage or in the big manual bag also not on me.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Defective cord. There is a ground fault.

 

[LittleBill21]

My main manual says Lyra 7" which uses the Mira app. Any other info is at the screen in storage or in the big manual bag also not on me.

So Pix,

I will leave it at this.

You appear to use a Magnum Inverter, tied through a Magnum ME-RVC bridge, tied through a FireFly Integration system, tied to a Vegatouch Lynx touch panel...sigh....

that said after some limited googling, it appears you can't limit the charge controller, without a remote control panel made by magnum. This appears to be a limitation of the Firefly system.

you can A buy a remote learn how to tie it in to control the charge current when at 15 amp rated sites.

B charge it via a generator

C charge it via the coach engine if this is an option

D get a 30 amp site

E borrow the 30 amp guys connection, until the amperage gets down to a level below 14A.

F you can lower the battery absorb voltage down till the charger tapers the amperage, but you must slow step this back up. which will be a pain

Good Luck!

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

you can run 2000 feet. it shouldn't trip a gfci or a surge protector

I have spent my whole life working for a dad electrician. Just go ahead and put your freezer on a gfci plug and see what happens.

 

[LittleBill21]

I have spent my whole life working for a dad electrician. Just go ahead and put your freezer on a gfci plug and see what happens.

who said anything about a freezer? and I have seen them trip, i have also not seen them trip.

but feel free to take my comments out of context. a cord regardless of the length should not trip anything if there is no load on it, which was my point

FYI we have already discovered his problem, but lets keep this convo going!