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Old 03-07-2019, 11:00 AM   #1
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RV park power outages

We are about ready to head out on our full time RV adventure. We have a 5th wheel Riverstone with a residential fridge. Our concern is the possibility of power outages in RV parks. Has anyone experienced this? What do you do when it happens? Do RV parks allow the use of generators during an outage? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 03-07-2019, 11:12 AM   #2
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Been there before. IF your generator has an auto start feature you should be good for a number of hours if setup correctly.

What happened to me. Plugged in to shore power. Power outage occurred. Electrical system switched to battery and inverter. Frig was powered up continuously. A/C dropped off line but was not needed. Was on inverter for 10 hours batteries depleted to 12V and generator auto started. Life's good. And the generator didn't come on until daylight hours so no issue with campground.


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Old 03-07-2019, 11:17 AM   #3
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RV parks and campgrounds, and everyone else for that matter, can and will have a power outage, even if just for a second, or for hours, though very infrequently.

No rv park or campground is going to penalize you for using a generator if the power is out for an extended time, especially during the daylight hours. They would probably be using their own generator, as well.

It's not something that you should worry about, though. No one is going to die... matter of fact, many rv parks and campgrounds are the places folks WANT to go when the power is out - such as after weather events - they are then full of power line workers and others, working to restore power in the area, all running their generators!
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Old 03-07-2019, 11:20 AM   #4
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and yes, if you have an onboard generator, like many of us do, and an AGS(auto gen starter), you can easily manage 'power outages', whether accidental while parked and plugged in at an rv park, or intentional when just simply parked 'off grid'...

the Inverter will kick in when the power is lost - that's it's job, IF you leave it on when you are plugged in. The inverter will provide you 120v power to the fridge and maybe some of your other outlets during that time, and when the batteries get to a certain level, the AGS will start the generator, or you can manually.
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Old 03-07-2019, 11:21 AM   #5
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We are about ready to head out on our full time RV adventure. We have a 5th wheel Riverstone with a residential fridge. Our concern is the possibility of power outages in RV parks. Has anyone experienced this? What do you do when it happens? Do RV parks allow the use of generators during an outage? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I think it would be hard to deny the use of generators if their power "grid" went down. If I was parked close enough to their office I'd tell them to round up some extension cords and plug into mine. That way they could at least run their phone and computer system.

Now if it was just one pedestal that was down, probably won't want generator running. Just plug into the next pedestal. Another reason I carry an extension for my main power cord.
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Old 03-07-2019, 11:42 AM   #6
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I full-timed last year for six months and experienced over 10 power outages at RV parks.

Most were an hour or less, but a couple of them were an all day event!

Also, while up in South Dakota last June, the RV park was experiencing a power overload issue as it was over 100 degrees up there and everyone running their RV's AC units kept overheating their power panel.

As for the fridge...as long as you don't open it during an outage you should be good for 4-5 hours.
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Old 03-07-2019, 11:49 AM   #7
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We traveled extensively for 3 years and then have fulltimed for the past almost 4 years. With the RV parks I have been to, extended power outages were pretty rare. The longest that I recall was about 18 hours (around 3am to 8pm). A transformer went out on a holiday week/weekend and the campground had a generator towed in.



Other than that, there have been lots of little blips were the power goes off for less than 5 minutes.

A bigger issue is finding low voltage at parks. Some places will growl at you for running your generator then. I ended up adding in a Hughes AutoFormer to boost voltage coming into the rig.



Before I had it, I adapted down to 30amp power a couple of times because the voltage was only low on one leg.
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Old 03-07-2019, 12:34 PM   #8
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We traveled extensively for 3 years and then have fulltimed for the past almost 4 years. With the RV parks I have been to, extended power outages were pretty rare. The longest that I recall was about 18 hours (around 3am to 8pm). A transformer went out on a holiday week/weekend and the campground had a generator towed in.



Other than that, there have been lots of little blips were the power goes off for less than 5 minutes.

A bigger issue is finding low voltage at parks. Some places will growl at you for running your generator then. I ended up adding in a Hughes AutoFormer to boost voltage coming into the rig.



Before I had it, I adapted down to 30amp power a couple of times because the voltage was only low on one leg.
Get enough people running the AutoFormers and the voltage problem in the park can get worse. Yes, YOU get the higher voltage but in order to get it, your AutoFormer draws more current. Wattage in will always equal wattage out less whatever inefficiencies in the Autoformer. To get the same wattage in as the output, current HAS to increase if voltage is low. More current in the park system and more voltage drop in their distribution system.

As more and more people buy larger and larger RV's with multiple A/C units and parks get older and older with undersized power distribution systems, Low Voltage will become more common. Of course if they "blow a transformer" then the power company will install a larger replacement and things might get better.

I've stopped in some parks that have "No AutoFormers allowed" and also "No Electric Heaters" in their Park Rules. Usually older parks in out of the way locations with some pretty beat up power outlets.
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Old 03-07-2019, 01:21 PM   #9
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Get enough people running the AutoFormers and the voltage problem in the park can get worse. Yes, YOU get the higher voltage but in order to get it, your AutoFormer draws more current. Wattage in will always equal wattage out less whatever inefficiencies in the Autoformer. To get the same wattage in as the output, current HAS to increase if voltage is low. More current in the park system and more voltage drop in their distribution system.

As more and more people buy larger and larger RV's with multiple A/C units and parks get older and older with undersized power distribution systems, Low Voltage will become more common. Of course if they "blow a transformer" then the power company will install a larger replacement and things might get better.

I've stopped in some parks that have "No AutoFormers allowed" and also "No Electric Heaters" in their Park Rules. Usually older parks in out of the way locations with some pretty beat up power outlets.
The complaints about Autoformers have been around for a long time. If the Autoformer draws more current to increase voltage, it still won't be able to draw more than the pedestal breaker will allow so I don't understand the problem.

Are you suggesting that campground systems can't handle supplying near full amperage to all the pedestals on a line?
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Old 03-07-2019, 01:31 PM   #10
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We are about ready to head out on our full time RV adventure. We have a 5th wheel Riverstone with a residential fridge. Our concern is the possibility of power outages in RV parks. Has anyone experienced this? What do you do when it happens? Do RV parks allow the use of generators during an outage? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
We've experienced that a couple of times. We never "camp" without an electrical hookup so we aren't setup for that. We've only ever had a single Group 24 Interstate battery from the dealer. I can say that from that experience, that battery won't last too long. So you'll need to have a couple good quality true deep cell batteries and if the onboard generator will kick in automatically when the batteries get low, you should be fine. The only generator that people would likely complain about would be the open framed contractor style generator, but in a long power outage I'd think you wouldn't get many complaints about that if you ran it during the day and offered to share the power.
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Old 03-07-2019, 01:50 PM   #11
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The complaints about Autoformers have been around for a long time. If the Autoformer draws more current to increase voltage, it still won't be able to draw more than the pedestal breaker will allow so I don't understand the problem.

Are you suggesting that campground systems can't handle supplying near full amperage to all the pedestals on a line?
With the exception of Las Vegas, which was built for it, I don't think there are very many power grids that can sustain maximum demand for a prolonged period of time without something blowing.
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Old 03-07-2019, 02:15 PM   #12
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At a site where I paid for power: if the power is not sufficient, outage, brown out, EMS (fed by autoformer) shuts off for under/over volt, I use my gen as desired.


Next site over has asked me about my EMS/Autoformer setup, when I was running gen, but CG has never said a word (I think most already know they have power issues).


That said, in the summer, when I know I need AC, if reviews have a trend about power issues, I look elsewhere. I have knowingly stayed at sketchy power locations, one which had a full page handout asking to conserve, no auto former, etc., and I still used autoformer and gen. (This one place is well known for lack of power as owner does not want to pay the utility for new hardware - but it is in a convenient location for my trips in one direction.)


P.S. Autoformers cannot "draw" anything extra from the utility. They take what is there and "trade" amps for volts. (There is a small "cost", so I actually get less usable watts, since the AF has to use up a small amount of watts to trade amps for volts.) The actual wattage drawn from the utility is still the same... The "complaints" are from those who do not understand watts/amps/volts, and within that set, do not have an autoformer themselves, and cannot run their AC.
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Old 03-07-2019, 02:47 PM   #13
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We always wonder about leaving food in the refrigerators where the 2007 Cherokee 38P is stationed. We know there are outages since we have to reset the microwave clock sometimes when we arrive. (All the other clocks are battery-backed.)

Advice given on this forum is to freeze a Dixie cup of water, then place a penny or washer on it and place it in the freezer. When you return, inspect the cup.
--Washer on top-->No serious outage
--Washer on the bottom-->Sustained outage, discard all food
--Washer in the middle-->Medium duration outage, discard easily spoiled food

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Old 03-07-2019, 06:18 PM   #14
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With the exception of Las Vegas, which was built for it, I don't think there are very many power grids that can sustain maximum demand for a prolonged period of time without something blowing.
And if I understand your statement correctly you are talking about the "GRID", not just the campground system. Campground systems are often poorly maintained with individual connections at the sites often abused by ignorant or uncaring visitors.
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Old 03-07-2019, 06:22 PM   #15
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I have a residential fridge in my Heritage Glen, and I have been caught several times over the past several years, I have a Champion 3100watt inverter generator that i put in the back of the truck for emergencies. The 3100 will run 1 AC on full speed and some other small appliances or if I am careful I can run 2 ACs on low speed through the night.

I also use it in Walmart to keep the fridge and CPAP going through the night
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Old 03-08-2019, 11:50 AM   #16
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The complaints about Autoformers have been around for a long time. If the Autoformer draws more current to increase voltage, it still won't be able to draw more than the pedestal breaker will allow so I don't understand the problem.

Are you suggesting that campground systems can't handle supplying near full amperage to all the pedestals on a line?
If your Hughes or some such Boost Transformer is hidden how would they know? I doubt RV Park Sparky and Pool Guy would have necessary equipment to test for such.
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Old 03-08-2019, 11:55 AM   #17
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If an RV park asks us or requires us to NOT use one of those devices (autoformers)...

Then why is it OK for any of us to use them just because we want to...or just because you can get away with it?

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Old 03-08-2019, 12:24 PM   #18
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If an RV park asks us or requires us to NOT use one of those devices (autoformers)...

Then why is it OK for any of us to use them just because we want to...or just because you can get away with it?


Because some people lack principle and integrity. They then pass this behavior on to their kids. As they get older they sit around the campfire and complain how society has gone downhill.
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Old 03-08-2019, 12:29 PM   #19
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Because some people lack principle and integrity. They then pass this behavior on to their kids. As they get older they sit around the campfire and complain how society has gone downhill.

I think what lacks principle and integrity is to run an RV park where you know that your substandard electrical system that your charging for, is ruining your customers equipment.
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Old 03-08-2019, 12:29 PM   #20
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In our first year of camping we saw two outages in about 55 days.

One for 5 hours. One for 30 minutes.

Our ems functioned and restored power when it came back on.

Ours took about 5 minutes longer than the rest of the parks. Designed that way. But, automatic.
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