Shore Power Flipping House Breaker
Confirmed Issue:
The van is plugged into a house or building and the breaker is tripping.
Affected Units:
Any Vandoit Van
Issue Explanation:
House breakers often power multiple outlets within a house/building. Plugging the van into an outlet, while also running devices from other outlets tied to the same breaker, often requests more amps than the breaker is able to handle thus flipping the breaker. Most house breakers are 15 amps. Factory settings for any Vandoit will be set to pull 13 amps maximum from an outlet for this reason.
Resolution:
1. Confirm the breaker is flipping and not a GFCI outlet issue. A picture of a GFCI outlet is shown below.
2. If the shore power extension cord is plugged into a GFCI outlet, unplug the cord and press the TEST and RESET buttons.
Note: GFCI outlets can be very sensitive and sometimes do not work with the shore power extension cord. You may need to try plugging the cord into a non-GFCI outlet instead.
3. Check to see what other devices the circuit breaker is powering. Those devices, combined with the power the van is drawing, may be demanding too much power from the circuit and tripping the breaker. Therefore, one solution is to plug those devices into a different circuit.
4. If moving devices to a different circuit is not a possibility, try plugging the shore power extension cord into a higher amperage circuit.
5. If plugging the van into a higher amperage circuit is not a possibility, then follow the steps below to lower the amount of power your van is drawing while plugged into this circuit.
If your van has a lithium battery system:
1. Swipe to the second page on in your MasterVolt inverter screen and press the "AC IN limit" button.
2. Press the down arrow to lower the limit; try 5 amps to start, and adjust later if needed.
3. Press the green check mark in the upper right corner to save the setting.
If your van has an AGM battery system:
1. Turn the inverter on.
2. Make sure the small black arrow on the right side of the screen points to SHORE POWER and press the ENTER/SET button.
3. Press the down arrow button to lower the limit; try 5 amps to start, and adjust later if needed.
4. Press the ENTER/SET button again to save the setting.
Important: When you unplug your van from the circuit and would like to plug it into a new circuit, adjust the incoming power limit back to the factory setting of 13 amps using the instructions above for your battery system.
Related Articles
Understanding Your Shore Power Cord
Article Objective: In this article, you will get to know the shore power system. What is shore power? Shore power is connecting your van to a reliable power source, essentially allowing for an unlimited amount of battery life. It is similar to ...Adjusting Incoming Amperage - Lithium
Article Objective: In this article you will learn how to adjust your incoming amperage from shore power charging. Affected Units: Any Vandoit with a lithium battery system Issue Explanation: Plugging the van into an outlet to charge the van, while ...Understanding Your Shore Power Cord & Dometic Air Conditioner
In this article, you will get to know the shore power system, the Dometic Air Conditioner, and how the two interact in your Vandoit. How does plugging into shore power provide electricity to my Dometic Air Conditioner? How much shore power does it ...Charging the Van from a 30 Amp Plug
Confirmed Issue: A van owner/user would like to charge the van by plugging the shore power cord into a 30 amp plug. Affected Units: Any Vandoit van Issue Explanation: Some van owners would like to charge their vans from a 30 amp plug, which is ...Troubleshooting a Dead Ford Van Battery
Confirmed Issue: The Ford van battery is dead and the vehicle will not start. Affected Units: Any Ford Transit with a Vandoit upfit. Summary: The Ford van battery is dead and the vehicle will not start. The van engine is not able to run, but the ...