GFCI circuit over kill

[Livin' the Dream]

Has anyone separated out a few of the outlets on the single GFCI circuit and add them to an additional circuit via a sub-panel?

One thing that has me scratching my head, is the fact that the single GFCI circuit in our unit has 9 outlets and a 15amp breaker. I had a Dyson heater on in the living room and Carla was going to heat up some water in the kitchen for tea. She no sooner turned on the hot pot and poof!!! there goes the breaker in the panel and not in the bathroom. Why I asked myself, are all those outlets on a single circuit? My city only allows one additional outlet in the bathroom that is GFCI protected. So how can the RV industry do this?

[Jkwilson]

A heater is going to use up nearly all of the power on a 15A circuit by itself. Most rigs have a dedicated heater circuit for the fireplace, so if you aren’t running it that would a good place to add an outlet to plug in a heater.

[Giesis]

So here is what I did. Since I disconnected the OEM converter charger and that was connected to a 120v plug in the back of the electrical box, I use that to power my portable heater. It has a dedicated 15 amp breaker.

[TucsonJim]

RVs must meet the requirements of the National Electrical Code. The NEC allows for up to 10 duplex outlets on a circuit with a 15 amp breaker. If the breaker is GFCI, all the outlets are GFCI protected. If the GFCI protection comes from a GFCI outlet, all the outlets past the protected outlet will be protected as long as the connections are made to the "load" side of the outlet and not the "line" side. So your RV appears to be compliant with the NEC.

The problem here seems to be the amount of power you're consuming off the 15 amp breaker. A 1500 watt heater will consume approximately 12.5 amps of the available 15 amps. So any other loads will likely exceed the 15 amp capacity and trip the breaker.

If you want to run a high draw appliance such as a heater, it may be possible to add a dedicated circuit just for that purpose. If you have an open spot on your existing panel, it could be wired there. If not, you may be able to wire in a sub-panel for that purpose.

And of course, please consult with an electrician if you have any questions.
Jim

[Ed Pauly]

U can load a circuit up to 80% or 12 amps on a 15 amp breaker, this is by the NEC 210 23. (a). U can load a 20 amp circuit to 16 amps still 80%.and yes the total numbert of rececptical on a circuit is 180 volt amps per devicem that is how most of us wire.

[steve&renee]

Has anyone separated out a few of the outlets on the single GFCI circuit and add them to an additional circuit via a sub-panel?

... Why I asked myself, are all those outlets on a single circuit? ...

I see you have a Solitude. If you didn't hook up a dishwasher and washer/dryer, you've got three 20 amp circuits that you can re-purpose for heaters, electric fry pans, and the like. Easy mod. Even a cave-man like me did it.

-Steve

[TheNescios]

Another way around the somewhat limited electrical capacity is searching out items that don't use much electricity.
I originally wanted a heater for the basement for those colder nights when it was below freezing and during the day not warming up much as a safety net against anything freezing.
Found this little heater on Amazon and after some research purchased it figuring it would either fit what we wanted or we'd return it.
Like that it's ETL rated (similar to UL), low wattage which equals low draw, adjustable thermostat and tip-over protection.

Then the ceramic heater we were using in the bunkhouse where our granddaughter is sleeping quit working so I took this one out of the box and plugged it in.
It's working so well I'm definitely going to order another one!
Very quiet, puts out a decent amount of heat, and no issues with tripping anything.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hope this helps!
Chris