Electrical Breaker for Air Conditioning

[thepiffs]

I have a problem with the electrical breaker for the AC on my 2012 R-27. There is a small panel on the
bulkhead next to the generator which says it's a "120v/AC" electrical breaker. The is also an AC breaker
on my main panel by the helm station which says "AC" also. When I try to operate my AC, it trips the breaker on the small panel after operating for 3-4 seconds.
What am I experiencing and how do I fix it?
Thanks

 

[Matty]

Not sure if it is different on your year R27 but I think the smaller panel breaker AC stands for alternating current so it is the breaker that would shut off all 120 V appliances and outlets if tripped (as opposed to 12V DC current) . On the larger panel the AC may just mean Air Conditioning and it is the dedicated breaker for only the air conditioning unit. I assume this happens when you are hooked up to shore power?

Do you have a generator as well? If so I am wondering if the same thing happens when you run generator power? that may help narrow the issue down.

 

[ALICE J]

If too many 120V electrical things are turned on at the helm, then maybe the generator is overloaded. I would turn off all the AC panel breakers, then turn on only the air conditioner. Remember the generator on the R27 is a small unit and will not run the entire boat, ie the hot water heater, battery charger, air conditioner, etc., and that the start up load on the air conditioner can be very large and cause the breaker on the generator to trip if other items are also left on at start up.

 

[Red Raven]

It sounds like the small panel you are referring to may be the ELCI (Equipment Leakage Circuit Interruptor). This breaker is similar to a household GFCI but protects the whole boat instead of one branch circuit. If the hot and neutral currents don’t match within 30 mA it will trip and that means something is leaking current to the safety grounding wire on your boat which is unsafe.

To troubleshoot the problem disconnect everything plugged into your 120v outlets including the Air Conditioner and shut off the AC Mains (120 Volt AC) breaker. Then turn on the shore power and the ELCI breaker and wait a minute and then check the ELCI. If all is good, then turn on the AC Mains breaker on the panel with no other breakers on. If all is good, then turn on one of the load breakers at a time and check the ELCI after each is turned on. When it trips then you know what device/system is causing the problem and it needs to be repaired or replaced.

Curt

 

[Boatdreamer]

We had similar problem on our R27 at our new dock. It turned out that the previous owner had changed the shore power from 30 amp to 15 amp but left the 30 amp plug so I had no idea I was working with only 15 amps. Every time the air conditioner would try to start it would trip the breaker on the small panel in the generator compartment. I had a marine air conditioning tech come out to check the unit and he found the shore power problem right away. We used the generator to check the air conditioner and it was fine. Sorry for the long winded response but make sure your power source is truly 110v 30 amps.

Tim and Donna
Gratitude