50 amp auto reset Circuit breaker

[Dixie Flyer]

At the start of the cold weather the reset circuit breakers for the slide outs and the landing gear are tripping. I called Camping World and talked with a technician and was advised that when the hydraulic fluid gets cold it thickens causing the pump to labor harder pushing it through the lines. The 50 amp breaker isn't strong enough to handle the load and it trips. The solution is to add new 80 amp circuit breakers in their place. Looks like another engineering failure for Key Stone.

Anyone else experience this problem.

[BuilderBob]

I have seen that problem many times and it's a common problem not just with keystone
products they all have that problem!

Bob & Carol
Washington St
2017 352RL 2008 Dodge 3500 DRW crew cab 4x4 LB 6.7L

[BB_TX]

Been a common problem for years. Many of us have replaced the 50 with an 80 or two 40s in parallel.

[DQDick]

Keystone made that change in our old rig under warranty.

[mlh]

It’s a common problem. Like has already stated. Get a 80 amp breaker and stick in it. Unless you work really cheap it’s not worth worrying about.
Lynwood

[rohrmann]

Buy one of these, and it can be either an auto-reset style of a manual reset. We have the manual version and have never had to reset it.

https://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Bussma...ircuit+breaker

[artfuldodger]

If you price out the stock breaker and the 80 amp breaker, you'll know why Keystone and other manufacturers use the one that barely works.

[Dixie Flyer]

Originally Posted by mlh

It’s a common problem. Like has already stated. Get a 80 amp breaker and stick in it. Unless you work really cheap it’s not worth worrying about.
Lynwood

Just ordered the 80 amp breaker from amazon for $32.00. Checked locally and the price was $148.00 each. It pays to shop before buying.

Thanks for the help.

[Texan]

This looks pretty simple to install. Any pictures? I have the model 3402rl.

[Texan]

Just ordered mine at amazon for 31.95 This forum is going to be the death of me.lol.My wife thinks if it's not broke don't fix it but many times it's not if but when something breaks down and i hate doing anything to the rv when away from home.Thanks for the advice .

[rohrmann]

This is the breaker as installed in our 3402. I did not replace the other 40 amp breaker because it has never tripped.

[Texan]

Thanks for the picture. I'll look at mine today and see how it installs. i should get my new breaker next week and i'll install it then. I wouldn't add this breaker but i like to travel in the mountains in the spring and fall and sometimes it gets below freezing so i could have problems so maybe this will advert a potential problem.

[Texan]

Is this using the existing wire or do i need to add some short pieces for connections. Thanks.

[Dixie Flyer]

Does this look like it already has an 80 amp breaker in line before the two 50 amp breakers?

[BB_TX]

If that wire coming down from the top comes directly from the battery then, yes, the 80 is feeding the two 50s. Makes no sense to be installed like that. Would not prevent the individual 50s from tripping.

The 50 on the right looks odd also. A number of small wires coming from it. And what appears to be a large black wire from the bottom left side of that same 50. Which would mean that whatever that large black wire connects to would not be protected by the 50 amp breaker, although it would be protected by the 80. Which of those black wires goes to the hydraulic pump?

[rohrmann]

I would not recommend re-engineering the wiring. In the photo of my rig's connections at the breakers, the battery wire is feeding the old 40 amp breaker, (the one with the red protector cap) at it's left end and a short jumper is coming off that same connection to feed the new 80 amp breaker, so the battery is feeding the line side or input side of both breakers. The load side of the 40 amp breaker has a few small wires that go to devices that was determined to need power ahead of the main 12 volt electric panel. On my 80 amp breaker, there are two load wires, one to the hydraulic pump and the other to the main electric panel that has all the 12 volt fuses. It all works, so I didn't want to screw things up.

[BB_TX]

Makes you wonder how many different ways these things can be wired. My left breaker feeds only my hydraulic pump. The right one feeds all else, except the front jacks (don’t have auto leveling). A wire with an in-line fuse connects between the breakers (direct from the battery) and goes to the jacks.

[rohrmann]

Originally Posted by BB_TX

Makes you wonder how many different ways these things can be wired. My left breaker feeds only my hydraulic pump. The right one feeds all else, except the front jacks (don’t have auto leveling). A wire with an in-line fuse connects between the breakers (direct from the battery) and goes to the jacks.

That's exactly why there is not a wiring schematic for any of these rigs. I guess, as long as most everything works, Keystone doesn't care how the rig is wired. When I had to drop the coroplast belly to repair the gray tank, I almost couldn't believe how sloppy all the wiring, hydraulic lines, and water lines were down there. They install all that stuff with the frame flipped over, cover it with the coroplast, and then flip it back upright, never to be seen again unless something goes wrong.

[mlh]

I think the real reason there is no wiring diagram is it’s expensive to produce the blueprints and then go by them. You haft to produce the print look them up on paper or on a computer and the make sure you follow them. It’s expensive and not necessary to build a camper.
I have a machine shop, make hundreds of parts, dozens of products without a single blueprint or computer drawing. To have them would only slow things down and not in any way add to quality. Any time we needed to change something we would haft to modify all those prints now we just do it, with no time lost. Montana does it the same way.
Lynwood

[Golfmedik]

We had the same problem. Keystone then told the dealer to wire two 50s in series, which worked for the first winter. Then this fall it started happening again and an 80A was put in under warranty as they have a TSB out about it. No problems even in below freezing temps here last week.