Author: The Buchanans Rolling Down The Road

What can be said, about a crusty old curmudgeon, with no fixed address … not much I guess.

30 amp connections explained

My breaker keeps kicking off!

Well here is why as simple as I can explain it. A 30 amp connection on a 120 volt line allows you 3600 watts of power. So if your RV was designed to operate on 30 amps, that was why it was built with a propane furnace and water heater, because electric heaters and furnaces just use too many watts!

I fully understand the urge that if your site fees includes electricity you would like to cheap out and use the parks power and not have to buy propane as often, that being the case you are going to need to figure out where your breaker is because you will need to reset it often.

So let’s look quickly at what uses that 3600 watts of energy, so let’s start by trying to be as thrifty as possible so turn the water heater on electric, keep in mind this is a tricky one kicking on and off to maintain the water temperature that it will most likely be the cause of kicking the breaker off at midnight when you think your safe to run that space heater. My research has found that most have a 1500 watt element so when it is heating now you only have 2100 watts left to play with, so now you need to play the Russian roulette game. Because most RV fridges automatically switch to electric power when plugged in there goes another 600 watts to operate the fridge, and that electric space heater your using to save propane another 1500 watts and already you have just maxed out you circuit. So let’s hope that extra bar fridge doesn’t start the same time the water heater does or off goes the breaker … so are you starting to understand? These are trailers not cottages, energy conservation must be practised and were designed to run on propane no just an electric connection period.

  • Microwave 800 watts
  • Toaster 2 slice 750 watts 4 slice 1500 watts
  • Space heater 1500 watts
  • Keurig coffee 1500 watts to heat, 200 – 400 to maintain, or 60 watts just sitting off
  • RV refrigerator on electric 500 – 600 watts
  • RV water heater on electric 1500 watts
  • RV air conditioner 2750 watts to start 1250 watts to run
  • 30” LED television 120 watts
  • Small bar fridge 100 – 250 watts
  • RV 12 volt converter 20 – 800 watts

These are just examples of draws, I haven’t listed all the small power draws that no one accounts for like your laptop, phone, iPad, recharging, satellite receivers, clock radios, stereo, DVD players. They don’t use much power individually but they still add up to be part of the total energy usage.

Just stop and think for a moment … why would the manufacturer of big park model trailers put in an $800 RV style water heaters as opposed to small $250 electric heaters? It’s not as if you are going to be out camping with no hookups in your park model trailer, no it is to allow them to operate on a 30 amp circuit. And some even have had to design limiting switches so that if it comes with an electric fireplace it won’t operate at the same time as the water heater on electric … because electric heaters draw large wattages … plain and simple.

So to answer the original question why does my breaker keep tripping? Because you are using more energy than you realize, stop being so darn cheap, use the unit as it was designed, and remember the reason the breaker keeps tripping off is because of YOU.

Big boy toys …

Monday June 8th 2020

It’s 7:08 Monday morning and the roar of heavy equipment, had most of the park up and awake! With loaders, excavator, dump trucks, and flatbeds loaded with “Armour Stone” in fact just a little more than 100 tons of stone has just been hauled in. Today is the day for the next phase of the beach area work at the resort, the addition of rock to shore up the bluff and some strategically places stones to make the water carry and deposit more sand onto the the beach area. These are not tasks for the faint of heart with some of the equipment actually working in the water on the edge of the shore to set the stones into the sand to get the best results, years of knowledge in working with the wave action of Lake Huron are put to use by skilled operators that move these huge stones into place with the skill and precision of masters.

By mid afternoon most of the 100 plus tons of stone have been jockeyed into place, this happening as the province of Ontario just announced that many regions of Ontario will be allowed to enter the second phase of reopening within the week. This will be welcome news for for many people, with restaurants being able to open their patios, hair dressers being allowed to reopen, and many beaches will be allowed to open as well. Now as long as your area is not a Covid-19 “hot spot” things look to be turning a corner to normal, or at least the new normal … and as long as people use “common sense” many people should be able to enjoy some of the summer pleasures like cocktails on patios in the sunshine with a few socially distanced friends.

Ontario still has many areas that will not be allowed to the second phase of reopen yet, most of these areas being the larger populated areas like the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and what is referred to as the Golden Horseshoe Area which encompasses around the west end of Lake Ontario through to the Niagara Falls area, along with a few other areas. We are hoping to get a go ahead from the local health board, so the timing on this work at the beach is almost perfect. As a few recent changes to the phase one rules have seemed to improved everyone’s outlook on life, being allowed to have a couple of friends to your site to enjoy a cocktail around the fire while still practicing social distancing last weekend was well received.

These are crazy times as we all struggle, with the changes to our style of life, hand shakes and hugs may well be things of the past, as we move forward I know that we are looking forward to the reopening of the patios and I sure as heck need a haircut. But as we wait to hear all the restrictions that will still be in place to ensure everyone’s safety, just the idea of a little taste of normality brings us to believe there is an end to this in site. I truly believe that live as we knew it will never be the same, and it has made us all appreciate much more what we had all grown to take as normal, meeting friends for dinner out, the happy hours, the gatherings, all have changed to some degree for ever.