I hate trailer homes

[jerjwillelec]

Sorry about that... I'm having another issue in a trailer home. The other day I was called out because a 15 amp breaker would not hold. I isolated the circuit and was able to get 90% of that circuit to work and I just chalked it up to a bad wire. Today I get the same call on another circuit. Of course we can't have two bad wires in the same trailer at the same time so I dug deeper. I found that this circuit when turned on immediately pulls 62 amps for 3 seconds and trips. I took (I think) all of the load off line and it does the same. The SE is a 3 wire from the meter ped. There is a groud wire which is not bonded to the Neutral in the Trailer loadcenter. There is approximately 42 ohms resistance between ground and neutral. You guys haven't failed me yet so I'm counting on you.

 

[brantmacga]

Are there any motors that could possibly be on this circuit? Pool pump, etc. . . I suspect they would've noticed if a well pump is not working, unless its simply an irrigation well.

Could be locked rotor current.


How did you go about disconnected the loads? Were you breaking joints and isolated specific cable runs?


The ground wire you saw is probably the frame ground if there is no separate grounding conductor coming from the pedestal (that should've been a 4-wire feeder).

 

[Buck Parrish]

I to dislike working on trailer homes.
Thier must be a wall ac some where. Or perhaps a wire to a shed with a freezer over working with this heat.
Maybe a grow light for cannibis.
Did you ask them what stops working when the circuit goes off?

 

[LarryFine]

I found that this circuit when turned on immediately pulls 62 amps for 3 seconds and trips. I took (I think) all of the load off line and it does the same.

Sounds like a short on a medium-length circuit.

I suggest a 100w bulb in series with the breaker and circuit until you find the short, with all the loads you can find disconnected.

 

[jerjwillelec]

Sounds like a short on a medium-length circuit.

I suggest a 100w bulb in series with the breaker and circuit until you find the short, with all the loads you can find disconnected.

At the risk of sounding stupid I ask you to explain the bulb in series and what to expect... Thanks much.

 

[hillbilly1]

Is this a doublewide? I always found that the set up crew (non of which are electricians) would screw up the taps where the halves were put together, paralelling breakers, sometimes on opposite legs.

 

[LarryFine]

At the risk of sounding stupid I ask you to explain the bulb in series and what to expect...

Put a 100w bulb in a rubber socket, and wire it in series with the breaker. In other words, put the black wire on the breaker, and wirenut the white wire to the circuit's hot wire.

The bulb will do double duty; first, as a current limiter, so the breaker doesn't trip and have to be reset; and second, as an indicator, which will go off when you clear the short.

If you can't see the bulb, nor have a helper handy, use a receptacle instead, plug in an extension cord, and plug a lamp into the cord where you can see it and carry it around.

 

[hurk27]

Depending upon the trailer age, pre 1975s look for a bad outside receptacle after "75 they will be on with the bathroom GFCI, newer trailers have a receptacle under the trailer (around the water line hook up) that is used to feed a heat tape unit, check to see if there is one and if it is shorted, also many times this receptacle is used to feed post lights and or power to a shed, look for a bad underground cable plugged into this receptacle.

Turn off outside lights, sometimes the wires in them can short to the jagged edge of the trailer siding.

Wire tracers come in handy when trouble shooting this kind of problem.

 

[jerjwillelec]

Sounds like a short on a medium-length circuit.

I suggest a 100w bulb in series with the breaker and circuit until you find the short, with all the loads you can find disconnected.

Larry,

You ROCK...found it! Thanks :grin: