The 15 amp breaker keeps tripping on our 320 cs-s 2018, under the bench passenger side

Lawyerboy · November 4

Nothing unusual with the Tab plugged into the 30 amp service we installed years ago at the house. Noticed when I checked on it yesterday, no power to lights etc. Found nothing unusual outside, and when I checked the panel under the bench, noticed the 15 amp breaker right side of the 30amp it was tripped. Reset it and today, same situation, where it tripped. Any help would be appreciated. TY

pthomas745 · November 5

The Fuses For Newbies thread linked below shows the 15 amp breaker is assigned to the GFCI circuits in the trailer.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/3512/fuses-for-newbies/p1

How that might affect the lighting in the trailer is not clear to me, though.

You might want to check your GFCI outlet.

Sharon_is_SAM · November 5

What else is on that circuit? I think that GFCIs can wear out. I know you’re supposed to test them at intervals.

Bayliss · November 5

EDITED/UPDATED - - I went back and read through my personal notes about the electrical wiring in my trailer and felt I should revise and more clearly explain what I previously posted. I am very interested in how the described electrical issue is resolved, so am following this post. Thanks, and good luck!!

@Lawyerboy, I currently have a Progressive Dynamics power center in my 2019 T@B 320 S. However, my original power center was the WFCO 8735P, which I presume is what you have in your trailer. It had six AC breakers:

Main – 30A

Branch Circuits: #1 (15A); #2 (15A); #3 (20A); #4 (20A); and #5 (20A).

I do not know how many individual AC breakers your WFCO has, but the label that nuCamp affixed to my converter only listed five breakers. What I later determined after contacting nuCamp, is that (apparently) prior to my model year, nuCamp had installed a version of the WFCO that had only five breakers. Thus, they incorrectly affixed the wrong (previous version) AC breakers label to my converter box. The label confused me, so it took some time to sort things out.

I determined that Branch #1, which was located to the immediate right of the 30A breaker, was dedicated to protecting the converter.

Branch #2 protected (and sent power to) the interior GFCI outlet, front kitchen outlet, and the lights. If I recall correctly, it was also the circuit for the ceiling fan, CO2 monitor, tank sensors, water pump, stereo, and TV.

Branch #3 protected an outside GFCI outlet and the AC outlets at the rear interior of the trailer. I am not familiar with the wiring of the 2018 320 CS-S, so I do not know whether you have one or two GFCI outlets.

Regardless, "if" your WFCO is the same as mine was, in the event that the first 15A breaker trips, that will prevent the converter from providing AC (converted) power to the DC components, which include the lights. Therefore, my initial impression from what you have described is that there may be a problem with that 15A breaker. However, you will definitely want to rule out the GFCI outlet(s) first.

A few points to consider:

Are you getting power to any electrical items when the 15A breaker trips, or are ALL electrical components not receiving power? (From your description, it could be interpreted that you have no power, but I’m guessing you still have AC power to your Alde and air conditioner, but not to the DC components, including the lights).

Is your 12V DC battery connected and the battery disconnect switch turned "ON" (that is, allowing power to flow from the battery, regardless of whether the converter is working or not?) If so, the DC components should still have 12V DC power.

When you have your 30A cord connected and supplying 120V AC power to the trailer (and converter), and you reset the 15A breaker, do any interior lights come on, even if just momentarily? If the lights flicker on, then off, then the issue should not be with the GFCI outlet, because power would be getting past it, albeit only momentarily.

If you are confident that at least one light switch is in the "ON" position, and nothing happens when you reset the 15A breaker (other than the breaker again tripping), that tends to indicate that the problem is with the breaker. If not the breaker, the issue may be the converter itself. In any event, it might be worth contacting WFCO to see what they suggest. You may also want to check the WFCO website for troubleshooting suggestions.

ckjs · November 5

Lawyerboy said:

Nothing unusual with the Tab plugged into the 30 amp service we installed years ago at the house. Noticed when I checked on it yesterday, no power to lights etc. Found nothing unusual outside, and when I checked the panel under the bench, noticed the 15 amp breaker right side of the 30amp it was tripped. Reset it and today, same situation, where it tripped.

The overhead fan, lights, monitors, and all other 12 volt “appliances” run off the battery, which is recharged by the converter (or solar). If its breaker had been tripped for a few weeks, that would let the battery run down. What is the battery voltage?

When shore power is attached to our CSS, the converter’s fan turns on for a few seconds, then cuts off if the battery is charged. If you don’t hear the fan then it is unlikely to charge the battery, resulting in dead lights.

It may be that your CSS has the converter’s breaker adjacent to the 30A main. As Bayliss suggested, if the converter’s breaker trips immediately then the WFCO probably needs some service.

Bayliss: Re: “ …If I recall correctly, it was also the circuit for the ceiling fan, CO2 monitor, tank sensors, water pump, stereo, and TV.”

The 12v circuits all use fuses, not circuit breakers. Did you mean that the second fuse could be the one powering the ceiling fan, CO2, etc.,?

MuttonChops · November 5

Lawyerboy said:
. . . 15 amp breaker right side of the 30amp it was tripped.

Bayliss said:
Branch [Breaker] #1, which was located to the immediate right of the 30A breaker, was
dedicated to protecting the converter.

While there is some variation in 120VAC Circuit Breaker assignments across different model-years; in general as @Bayliss notes the First Position powers the WFCO Convertor/Battery Charger and nothing else.

So, if that breaker is tripping it's most likely that the WFCO Convertor has failed. However, with the Battery Cut-Off Switch in the 'On' position all trailer 12VDC would still function (until the battery is low) which adds confusion.

Try setting the Battery Cut-Off to 'Off' . . . expect all the trailer 12VDC items (cabin lights for example) will stop working.

Or . . . measure a 12VDC Outlet Voltage [cigarette lighter] if it is not 13.6'ish** voltages the convertor is not operating.

** assuming Solar Panels are not active

Bayliss · November 6

@ckjs, sorry for any confusion. I was actually just pointing out that those other devices would also be cut off from power when the circuit breaker trips, assuming that power is not being received directly from the 12V battery. Poor wording on my part, but thank you for the clarification.

Bayliss · November 8

@Lawyerboy, have you resolved the electrical issue you posted about? You have another post re replacing a light in your trailer, and that it works, so I presume that you got the power figured out. If so, I am curious what the cause was.

Lawyerboy · November 8

So I reset the breaker and it is still on. The shunt for the battery is off. The GFCI next to the breaker box or Converter/power center was fine, tested fine. I will keep an eye on it. Could not find any other GFCI issues, as I did not find one in the galley kitchen, nor anywhere else, like the outside outlet left of the door. I did notice the battery tender doesn’t seem to show the agm battery at full charge so wondering if somehow that was part of it. So far no tripping.

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The 15 amp breaker keeps tripping on our 320 cs-s 2018, under the bench passenger side

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