No 30 amp-Will Air Conditioner Run OK

[mlsa3]

I read a post somewhere (I think on this forum) that our air conditioners could run on 15 or 20 amp breakers instead of the 30 amp breakers like at rv parks and state parks.

I keep my camper plugged into my 110v at home to keep the battery charged. Yesterday, I turned the air conditioner on just to see if it would work and it turned on....the compressor turned on and the cold air was blowing in just a few minutes.

My grandkids are staying with us Friday night here at home and I thought they would enjoy sleeping in the camper but it's too hot without air conditioning.

My question is would it be ok to run the air conditioner even though it's not 30 amp....not sure if it's 15 or 20 amp...older house. This is not something I would do on a regular basis but would be nice if it works without hurting air conditioner.

Thanks

David

[TURBS]

Most household outlets are 15 amp rated.
Normal a/c uses 18 amps to start and run 12-14 thereafter depending on how hot it is.
A true 20 amp outlet has one prong vertical and one horizontal.

[TURBS]

I have ran my a/c on a 15 amp outlet with a short cord to the outlet.
Now my outlet was only a foot from the breaker box in my shed and the cord was 20' and 12 ga. Wire.

YRMV !

[rr retired]

amps are self protecting. it is voltage drop you should be concerned with. how much voltage is there when ac is loaded and running?

[Timex]

Originally Posted by mlsa3

I read a post somewhere (I think on this forum) that our air conditioners could run on 15 or 20 amp breakers instead of the 30 amp breakers like at rv parks and state parks.

I keep my camper plugged into my 110v at home to keep the battery charged. Yesterday, I turned the air conditioner on just to see if it would work and it turned on....the compressor turned on and the cold air was blowing in just a few minutes.

My grandkids are staying with us Friday night here at home and I thought they would enjoy sleeping in the camper but it's too hot without air conditioning.

My question is would it be ok to run the air conditioner even though it's not 30 amp....not sure if it's 15 or 20 amp...older house. This is not something I would do on a regular basis but would be nice if it works without hurting air conditioner.

Thanks

David

I have done it in the past. If you don't have LED bulbs in your light fixtures, don't turn the lights on. I'm with Turbs on the amp usage. You'll be drawing 12-14 amps with just the A/C running. Then the converter will pull 1-2 amps. You are pushing the limit on amps. Keep the power cord to no more than 20-25' and since you will be using an adapter for the receptacle, make sure the cord fits snug into the adapter and the adapter fits snug into the receptacle. If the cord, ends or adapter get hot, the party's over.

[thestrangebrew]

My AC will run for a few mins and trip our breaker on the 15 amp plugs outside. Which is weird because when we first got the trailer, we let the AC on for hours while we messed around with things and let my daughter play and watch movies. Never tripped it. Now I can't get the AC to run for more than 10 mins. plugged in.

[Timex]

You're cooking the goose with all those amps! I'll bet some damage has been done somewhere along the way to the outlet, adapter or the power cord. Do a search on here for the amp list for what each electrical item will pull. It may be in the library section. Print it out and pin it inside a cabinet for future reference.

[thestrangebrew]

Originally Posted by Timex

You're cooking the goose with all those amps! I'll bet some damage has been done somewhere along the way to the outlet, adapter or the power cord. Do a search on here for the amp list for what each electrical item will pull. It may be in the library section. Print it out and pin it inside a cabinet for future reference.

Oh man thanks! I'll have to find that list!

[Timex]

Try this. Found this on an earlier thread.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...aws-17300.html

[Herk7769]

FYI - My Colman Mach III 15K pulled 19-22 amps on start-up and about 15.5 amps running prior to installing the fan delay. Now it is 16 amps on start-up (but the peak stays longer due to the fan kicking in about when the compressor evens out.

My 20 amp garage circuit can handle it just fine, but the Yamaha 3000 watt (with 500 watt boost) generator will toggle in and out of overload (boost) as the compressor cycles.

[keith_h]

It's going to depend upon the type of AC unit you have in the trailer. My trailer came with a Frigidaire window mounted unit and was designed for 15 amp household outlets. Its cooling draw is 4.8 amps. They don't state the start up draw but it shouldn't be much more given it normal usage is in a house. I believe the unit in the A128S is a 9000 BTU Dometic Cool Cat so it should draw less power than the more common RV AC units. I couldn't find the model but other Dometic 9000 BTU units look to require a little less than 8 amps for AC.

[Kaadk]

You've also gotta watch what else might be on that circuit. For instance, at my house I plug into the garage, which also has the Central Vac, an upright freezer, a second 'pop' fridge and the water sprinkler controls. My AC might be able to run as long as none of those also need power, but if say the freezer needs to kick it's compressor on, then I'll blow the circuit breaker.

Since you keep the trailer at home anyways, your best bet, in the long run, is to run a dedicated circuit for the trailer and put it on a 30 amp (or 50 amp if you ever plan to upgrade) breaker. If I was allowed to keep my camper at home for more than a day or two at a time then that's what I'd be doing.

[1A Camper]

Another thing to check is if the circuit is running anything else in the house. I know the circuit that is wired to the outlet in our garage is also the circuit that run the outlet to the refrig in the kitchen. The 20 amp breaker will not run both.

[HONDAMAN174]

This is what happens when you run your a/c for long periods on 15 amp.


2014 Stealth Evo 2850 "Woodstock"
2011 Toyota Tundra Rock Crawler TRD 5.7 "Clifford"

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by keith_h

I believe the unit in the A128S is a 9000 BTU Dometic Cool Cat so it should draw less power than the more common RV AC units. I couldn't find the model but other Dometic 9000 BTU units look to require a little less than 8 amps for AC.

as he said, the OP has one of the smaller A-frame folding campers that should have the 9000 btu Cool Cat a/c, so it should easily run on 15 amp hookups.

doesn't have a 13.5 or larger a/c, like most of the ones that posted here.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

Since you keep the trailer at home anyways, your best bet, in the long run, is to run a dedicated circuit for the trailer and put it on a 30 amp (or 50 amp if you ever plan to upgrade) breaker. If I was allowed to keep my camper at home for more than a day or two at a time then that's what I'd be doing.

This never hurts, and is good advice. As an aside kinda off-topic thing...if anyone does take this route, we keep a handy pdf file in the FAQ section here on Forest River Forums on how to properly wire a 120 volt 30 amp outlet for RV's. It is a sticky there.

We have had many an electrician wire it incorrectly for 240 volts. This pdf is good to print out, and hand out, to make sure.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...let-27223.html

[Timex]

If I'd had a camera back in the "old" days when I was a wee rv'er some 15 years ago, I'd have some pictures to show. We stayed at a state park(that will remain nameless). I had my TT plugged into a probably 15 amp receptacle with no breaker. Used my 25' extension and had the A/C, water heater on electric, refridge on electric, along with tv and lights. Had to pry the adapter off of the receptacle and replaced the end of the power cord that was completely melted. I still don't know why a breaker wasn't thrown until the BOSS turned on her hair dryer. Had coffee every morning. I'm laughing as I type this but it is all true! I had to replace 2 more power cord ends before I sold that TT and I believe this trip was the start of those troubles.

Can anybody count the no-no's I did back then?

I claim to be a little smarter now!

[68Triumph]

I would also get a time delay fuse for the 15 amp outlet, just in case. You could also shut off the breakers to the other AC draws in the camper.

I posted this in another thread. Read with a clamp on AC ammeter.

just the fan 2.25 amps
initial compressor kick in 18 amps
compressor running 9 amps

[Pooneil]

David, just remember when reading replies, many of the AC units being discussed are bigger than our Coolcats and pull more amps.

I have run mine for short periods with acceptable voltage drop from a 15 amp circuit with a plug that was a short distance from the breaker box. So it really just depends for you how far the wire run is from the breaker box and how much voltage drop there will be. If you need to add an extension cord, make sure it is 12 gauge and as short as possible, then measure the voltage. A 10 gauge cord may be needed for any substantial length, sorry that I cannot clarify "may" and substantial" for you here. I believe an abundance of caution is warranted when mixing homes, RVs and electricity. That said, I am planning to run my Coolcat off a 20 amp plug at the nearby state park in a week. Just my $0.02.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by wmtire

We have had many an electrician wire it incorrectly for 240 volts. This pdf is good to print out, and hand out, to make sure.l[/url]

The licensed electrician that installed mine did just that. "That big plug is 120V?" Then the dufas tried (and failed) to bill me for the additional time it took to do the proper wiring.