Why Do My Breakers Keep Tripping?
Take a moment and see how many AMPs you could use in your RVs 120 volt electrical system. It’s surprising to see how fast the AMPs can add up which causes the 120 V breakers in your RV or the breaker at the RV parks pedestal to trip, especially on a 30 amp RV.
Knowing the amperage (amps) of the appliances in your RV can help you manage electrical use and prevent the inconvenience of:
“MY BREAKERS KEEP TRIPPING!”
Below, is a list of some typical 120 V appliances that may be used in an RV and the average amps used to operate them.
(Power usage may vary depending on the appliance itself. The below list is for reference only)
Air Conditioner 13,500btu 23.3 Amps (start-up) / 15 Amps (running)
Electric Water Heater 12.5 Amps
1000 Watt Microwave 8.3 Amps
1500 Watt Electric Heater 12.5 Amps
Converter 1-8 Amps (depending on DC draw)
Toaster 10 Amps
Hair dryer 10 Amps
TV 2 Amps
Hand Vacuum 2 Amps
Electric Frying Pan 10 Amps
Crock Pot 1.5 Amps
Heating Pad 1 Amp
Coffee Pot 8 Amps
For example – if you start your air conditioner and then start your coffee pot and turn on the water heater for a shower – you are now trying to pull over 35 amps when those appliances are operating at maximum power. Guess what? – On a 30 amp RV, you’ve tripped your breaker!
Most electrical products show how many watts or amps it takes to operate the appliance, it will be printed on the product itself or in the user manual. If it only shows watts – divide the watts by 120 (volts) and that will give you the operating amps for that appliance.
Another thing to keep in mind, with 120 volts of available power,
30 Amp RVs have a maximum capacity of 3,600 available Watts for power use.
50 Amp RVs have a maximum capacity of 12,000 available Watts for power use.
15 Amp service (typical with household outlets) will only allow a capacity of 1,800 watts for power use.
It would be well worth your time to take a mental inventory of amp usage of your 120 Volt electrical appliances.
