2022 Astoria 2533RDF Electrical Issue

[Sgtstriker]

I just found that if I run the hot water heater on electric, and turn on the electric fireplace, it consistently trips the 15 amp circuit breaker that both appliances are connected to. So, is this the wrong breaker rating, or do I need to separate the appliances on two different 15 amp circuit breakers?


Would this be a warranty item?



I realize that I could just run the hot water heater on propane instead, but if I'm paying for the electricity I shouldn't have to waste my propane....


Thanks in advance for any advice....

[persistent]

The breaker is designed to protect the wire that connects to it. Installing a higher capacity breaker requires higher capacity wire.

A 15 amp breaker requires 14 gauge wire.
A 20 amp breaker requires 12 gauge wire.
A 30 amp breaker requires 10 gauge wire.

Normally, each of those heating devices require their own 15 amp breaker and 14 gauge wire.

I would protest vigorously to the dealer who sold it to me. However, you would probably need to be persistent to get results.

Of course you could just refrain from using both at the same time.

[Sgtstriker]

Thanks "Persistent"... I'm going to be talking to the dealer. I was seeking some input on the issue first... Quality Control on these units coming of of the manufacturers floor seems to be getting worse and worse.... When I picked it up the hot water heater wouldn't work on electric. I brought it back for repairs then and the dealer found the bare 110 wires just hanging in the area of the water heater, not connected to anything....!



Happy Travels...

[dsol]

The dealer will likely have a hard time fixing it if the design was improper. If the manufacturer only has one breaker to cover both and no room in the panel to add a second then it will be a challenge. However, maybe the dealer connected it incorrectly when they found the bare wires and routed to the wrong breaker.

Hopefully the panel has room to add a second breaker. I would be surprised if the existing wiring was sufficient to support the higher amperage breaker you might need as these rigs tend to have the bare minimum everywhere.

Good luck.

[Sgtstriker]

Originally Posted by dsol

The dealer will likely have a hard time fixing it if the design was improper. If the manufacturer only has one breaker to cover both and no room in the panel to add a second then it will be a challenge. However, maybe the dealer connected it incorrectly when they found the bare wires and routed to the wrong breaker.

Hopefully the panel has room to add a second breaker. I would be surprised if the existing wiring was sufficient to support the higher amperage breaker you might need as these rigs tend to have the bare minimum everywhere.

Good luck.

I'm having trouble getting the dealer to respond... shocking right?
There's a real electrician coming tomorrow to check it out...

[Sgtstriker]

Upon further research and investigation...


I had a local electrician take a look. He found that the fireplace was drawing over 2200 watts, (About 19 amps on a 15 amp circuit breaker), The fireplace is rated at 1500 watts and should operate at about 1250 watts...


I did get a hold of the Warranty Manager at the dealership, explained the issues, and she says she'll order a new fireplace and call me in for the swap when it arrives.... We'll see....

[larrypride]

Look at the name plate of the fire place and water heater and do the math. If the two add up to more than 1,800 watts that’s your problem and that is running the circuit at 100% which we normally don’t like to go over 80%. Maybe the circuits are tied together at the panel and you could separate them on two separate breakers. Like persistence said the breaker is to protect the wiring and you don’t want to over load the wire they can become toasters and cause major problem. I have room in my panel to add breakers but I don’t have a fire place.

[Sgtstriker]

Thanks Larry...
The electrician that took a look said that the fireplace alone was drawing 2200-2300 watts... Way over the max operating rating of 1500 watts....
I'm hoping that the replacement of this no longer made Covenant fireplace will eliminate the problems....

[Sharpeink]

Just want to add in, If both are running on the same circuit, you still need to do the math on the amp draw, If they run @ the same time and exceed the limits of 15 amps you are still going to have the problem of a tripped circuit breaker.

[Sgtstriker]

Copy that......