Breaker started tripping while charging

[scottyb]

Just at a quick note on GFI breakers. They interrupt the neutral side of the circuit when tripped. So if the cord was plugged into tripped GFI outlet at the time of the test then you were reading the breaker - not the cord.

I could be wrong may be you had already reset the breaker and the out let the charger extension is in tests good? and the cord has a continuity problem? Then you need a cord repair.

[radioman]

Originally Posted by beach cart

The circuit your using is certainly being maxed out or close. A 100 ft extension cord, even heavy duty which is 10 ga not 12 or 14 will have a significant drop of voltage. The service manuals all recommend dedicated 20 amp circuits. Just some thoughts.

Some other thoughts...A typical charger charging a set of 36 volt batteries full rate in a golf cart (40 volts at 25 amps) would not overload a 20 amp 120 volt circuit. 25 amps at 40 volts = 1000 watts. A 120 ac volt source furnishing 1000watts would only be about 8.33 amps. Although a separate circuit is recommend for each charging station for a golf cart, two could be charged at the same time without overloading a 20 amp circuit.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Just at a quick note on GFI breakers. They interrupt the neutral side of the circuit when tripped. So if the cord was plugged into tripped GFI outlet at the time of the test then you were reading the breaker - not the cord.

I could be wrong may be you had already reset the breaker and the out let the charger extension is in tests good? and the cord has a continuity problem? Then you need a cord repair.

Just interrupting the Neutral would increase the electrical safety hazard.

All GFCI breakers that are installed in a breaker panel only interrupt the Hot wire.
GFCI outlets either interrupt only the Hot, or interrupt both Hot and Neutral.

[JohnnieB]

Meant to preview that, but fumble fingered and hit Post button instead.
Post#13 Continued.

GFCI's measure the amount of current going out on the Hot wire and the amount of current returning on the Neutral wire. If more current is going out that what is being returned, it is going someplace it hadn't ought to be going and if the difference is 6ma or more, the Hot wire (Power Source) is interrupted.

House wiring and extension cords have what is called distributed capacitance and there is a small amount of leakage between Hot and Neutral, and between Hot and Ground for every foot of the house wiring and extension cord. Basically, the longer the cable run is, the less of a ground fault it takes to reach the 6ma trip point.

If moisture gets into an outlet (or outlet end of an extension cord), it can trip a GFCI.

Which GFCI is tripping, the one in the breaker panel or the GFCI in the outlet?

[radioman]

I don't know anything else we can add. This is a simple problem to locate what is causing whatever it is to trip. Extension cord, charger, GFI outlet has ants in it. If golf cart was drawing enough current charging to trip a breaker the power supply fuse would probably blow. I would guess the cart is not at fault. There is most likely a power to ground leakage somewhere.

[Silverstreak]

Thanks everyone. I'm operating from a very low-knowledge-of-electrical-things here.
This morning, I moved the charger from my Shelter Logic shed, where I keep my cart and charger, to closer to the house's exterior GFCI outlet. I had to use another extension cord, but so far, so good. I'm lucky in that the bathroom outlet is on the same circuit, and it has a nightlight, so as long as that light is on, I'm okay.

Johnnie........When I tested the exterior outlet, the breaker was on, and it tested good.
Then I plugged in the long extension cord and tested the end of the cord, and it tested "open neutral". I also tested the end of another cord into that same outlet, and it was good.
I had charged the cart for 8 hours, prior to the breaker being tripped. Why would it have taken so long?
I really think its the cord's problem.
I appreciate everyone's replies.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Silverstreak

Johnnie........When I tested the exterior outlet, the breaker was on, and it tested good.
Then I plugged in the long extension cord and tested the end of the cord, and it tested "open neutral". I also tested the end of another cord into that same outlet, and it was good.
I had charged the cart for 8 hours, prior to the breaker being tripped. Why would it have taken so long?
I really think its the cord's problem.
I appreciate everyone's replies.

When an extension cord with an open neutral is used, it will trip a GFCI, but it won't run whatever electrical device that is plugged into it, so the neutral in the extension cord is intermittent, or marginal enough to show as open on the outlet tester, but not bad enough to trip the GFCI breaker immediately.

I agree that extension cord is bad.

[Silverstreak]

Thanks Johnnie!

[jacksdad3]

Having a GFCI breaker feeding other GFCI breakers may be the problem. Typically, you have a standard breaker in the cabinet feeding individual GFCI breakers at each outdoor location. Of course, you should have those external breakers in boxes with weather-proof covers.

[Silverstreak]

I wondered that too, but it has never tripped before. Our exterior GFCIs do have covers, but if I need to plug in the cart, the flip-top cover has to stay open.