Brand new AC tripping breaker. Why?

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JayBird941

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Joined
Sep 13, 2018
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10
Hello everyone
I have just replaced and I believe upgraded my ac from a 13.5k to a brand spanking new 15k BTU dometic brisk2. I installed it myself and I started it up and blows cold air for about 5 min then trips my 20amp breaker for my ac. I reset it and same thing 5 minutes of joy and then its out again. One thing I've noticed as well is that right before it trips it gets a little bit quieter. Thank you for your time and any feedback is appreciated.
 
If the 120 volts going to the air conditioner is low it will draw more current and possibly kick the breaker. 

What is your source of power and have you measured the power with a voltmeter?
 
And are you running a cheesy thin extension cord from house to camper?  It sure sounds like a power issue, from your power source.
 
I definitely need to hookup a voltmeter to further investigate and I am using the right power source with the right cord.
 
In addition to the voltage check, see if there are any other loads on the breaker.
 
JayBird941 said:
I definitely need to hookup a voltmeter to further investigate and I am using the right power source with the right cord.
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Be careful, others will jump in.  Just because you have 120vac, doesn't mean you have the amps necessary. 
What is your power source? 
 
Im living on someones property had an eleactrician set up the 120 plug on the side of house and in their breaker in the garage. Everything has been fine electrical wise for a year now. I do not have a generator to hook up to maybe I can find someone who does.
 
Your new a/c draws a few more amps than the previous, so not terribly surprising.  I suspect the compressor start-up surge is just high enough to push the breaker past its limit.  If the voltage is a bit low (see comments from others), the amp draw is even larger.  What do the install instructions say about breaker and wire size? Are yours sufficient?

IF it is only the compressor surge that is causing the trip, I would consider swapping the breaker for a 20A. I wouldn't do that until I had verified the cause, though.
 
After I get home from work Im going to check if anything else is hooked up to the 20A breaker in the rv thats supposed to be for the ac alone.
 
If an electrician installed it on the outside of house, good chance he used a GFI breaker or outlet.  Those can sometimes go bad and/or act squirley?  Can you tell us what the breaker rating is from the House? 15amp or 20amp.  Your RV simply might be throwing a breaker because what's coming to it isn't good enough.
 
I'll have to check that as well when I get home. I wasn't there when he did it and never had to check it before. I just know its for the 30 amp plug to the rv.
 
Fridge has been on for longer than 5 min now and the ac still runs. Maybe the compressor was shaken up a bit yesterday after I got it on the roof?
 
What make/model of fridge?  I doubt if the fridge even has a compressor. It's an RV absorption fridge, right? But it still consumes 120v power when in electric mode.
 
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