Using Camper in driveway el. power ? A/C

[gunther1369]

so this is my 1st camper with A/C, I'm assuming that I need to put a 30 amp outlet and fuse to run the a/c not just using a extension cord ?
a/c is a 13500 btu

2019 Gray Wolf 20RDSE

[A32Deuce]

Just make sure its wired for 30 amp RV, not 30 amp dryer which is 240 volt!

[aeblank]

I run my ac on a normal 20a outlet plenty of times. Just don't have everything else on at the same time.

[cavie]

you can also run your A/C on a 15 amp outlet along with some lighting and a tv not much else.

[itat]

It may work on a 15A home circuit but it would be better to have a proper 30A 120VAC circuit to plug into. If you hire an electrician make sure they know you want 120V not 240V. The plugs look the same as a dryer. Here is a guide for wiring it up.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by cavie

you can also run your A/C on a 15 amp outlet along with some lighting and a tv not much else.

Gonna have some really HOT wiring.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

Gonna have some really HOT wiring.

Sure will if you use a typical 16 ga extortion cord. I think outside the box and use nothing less then a 14 GA cord which is good for 15 amps. Most of the time I use a 12 ga good for 20 amps.

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by aeblank

I run my ac on a normal 20a outlet plenty of times. Just don't have everything else on at the same time.

Ditto, I finally put in a 25A and 50A though.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by mlmay12

Ditto, I finally put in a 25A and 50A though.

Are you sure it's a 25A or maybe a 30A?

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Are you sure it's a 25A or maybe a 30A?

Oops, just checked it was a 20A. Memory is failing : )

[ProfChuck]

How close are you to the house in your driveway? If you can wire in the 30A RV connector to your house you may be able to just use the connector cable for your trailer and not have an extension cable. You can get the outside boxes and connectors at Lowes and Home Depot (as everyone says make sure they are for RV hookups and not dryers - and make sure you get the weatherproof, in-use, cover) and run the cable from your electric panel in the house, if you have room. Check local regulations if you have to run a GFI breaker or not. Much better if you can have the regular RV hookup rather than trying to just rig something from a house 15A or 20A house plug. It isn't that hard to do, but, if you need an electrician don't hesitate to get one and remind him/her that the 30A is 120V, not 240V. You may want to run cable for a 50A service and just not use one of the leads until you need it (but, if you have access through the basement to put new wiring later, I wouldn't), although, we ran the cable for and installed the 30A and don't plan on anything else because we don't plan on getting another TT for the foreseeable future and things could change by then. Only other thing is to make sure your service panel can handle the added power and has the space for the breaker. If you are doing it yourself, I would recommend you wire it starting at the RV outlet and going back to the panel as the last thing you hook up so you are never dealing with "hot" wiring until you actually put the breaker in the panel. If you are doing it yourself, figure about a day to get the stuff, read up on installation, drill the holes and put in the box, and hook up the breaker (allowing for those things you didn't plan on going bump!). You will be very glad you put this in, though. Better doing it sooner than later.

[gradeless]

Just to keep things simple, when I had the garage built I had an RV plug put on the outside near where I was planning an RV parking pad. I had the 50 Amp plug put there. I could use an adaptor to adapt a 30 amp cord to the 50 Amp box. I put in the pad and when I bought the Flagstaff I got both airconditioners so have a 50 amp cord. I was set. I thought it was the labor and to do it once and do it correctly. So 50 Amps circuit with a 50 Amp outlet, no regrets for spending the extra money up front rather than having to redo everything later.

After 4 years of waiting, I backed the new Flagstaff trailer in and plugged the 50 Amp cord into the 50 Amp outlet. Plan ahead and get the 50 amp line and plug put in rather than the 30 amp.

Originally I thought I would only need a 30 amp Circuit for the Avions we had owned but wanted the 50 amp just in case I had an overnight guest with a motorhome and the new Flagstaff trailer was the first 50 amp. I have the 30->50 amp adapter and a 15 to 30 amp adapter if I would need to Plug into the 50 amp circuit.

Sure is nice when I hear both air conditioners kick on and no dimming lights anywhere. Never underbuy or underbuild as you will regret it in the future.

I can't explain the electronics but a 30 amp cord carries a total of 30 amps. The 50 amp cords have two hot lines at 50 amps each so it is like a total of 100 total amps can be drawn through the 50 amp cord because of the 4 rather than 3 wires in the cord. 30 vs 50 (total of 100 amp draw). So the 50 amp wiring was like a no brainer. Now if I had any rich friends with a motor home they can plug in when visiting.

[cavie]

There are 25 amp breakers. They are used on water heaters in residential construction.

[Kimber45]

The same folks posting it is ok to run your ac off a regular 15 amp household outlet are probably the same folks posting about fixing a/c units.
long term unseen damage can be done from low voltage/power situations.

I personally do not run my a/c on 15 amp.

[Bluepill]

Originally Posted by Kimber45

The same folks posting it is ok to run your ac off a regular 15 amp household outlet are probably the same folks posting about fixing a/c units.
long term unseen damage can be done from low voltage/power situations.

I personally do not run my a/c on 15 amp.

You can just squeek a 13500 BTU high efficiency home window unit with an EER of 11 or better on a single 15 amp. circuit, but the RV units are low efficiency and can draw over 17 amps while running. 20 amps is minimum with a 12 gauge extension cord no longer than 50 feet.

If you are handy, you can install a 30 amp outlet for under $50:

[Jakieboy]

Agree with the responses above. Your situation depends upon a number of variables. If you run your A/C off a 15-amp household circuit, you will experience frequent breaker trips. The extension cord will become quite hot, especially at the end connections. If you run the A/C off a 20-amp circuit, you are less likely to have many breaker trips.

However, I would advise you to invest in the installation of a 30-amp outlet configured so that it can directly connect to your RV power cable. Contact any reputable Electrical Services Contractor in your area, and they will do precisely what you want them to do.

You may want to consider what we have done at our own home. We park our RV in the driveway alongside the house behind a locked gate. We have upgraded our RV's steadily over the years from pop-ups to TT's to a beautiful 35-foot 5th Wheel with dual A/C units. We hired a local contractor to install a 50-Amp outlet near the driveway, and we have used our RV as a "guest house" for years for visiting family members and friends....when we are not on the road.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by cavie

Sure will if you use a typical 16 ga extortion cord. I think outside the box and use nothing less then a 14 GA cord which is good for 15 amps. Most of the time I use a 12 ga good for 20 amps.

Personally seeing two 30A to 15A dog bones smoked by running AC off a 15A circuit...that was enough for me to install a 30A in my garage with an access door to run the trailer plug into garage so I don't have to close the door on the cord.

[cavie]

13.5 units run at 11/12 amps. There is room for a few more things on a 15 amp circuit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DUOTHERM-RV...item546b79ebdc

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by cavie

13.5 units run at 11/12 amps. There is room for a few more things on a 15 amp circuit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DUOTHERM-RV...item546b79ebdc

I have dual AC on my Cherokee wired for 30A, when one is running. my monitor usually reads 13A. I tried running my AC on our old TT with 15A and the dog bone was hot enough that the lugs were loose in the plastic. I personally don't recommend it, but hey....that just me.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by gradeless

J

I can't explain the electronics but a 30 amp cord carries a total of 30 amps. The 50 amp cords have two hot lines at 50 amps each so it is like a total of 100 total amps can be drawn through the 50 amp cord because of the 4 rather than 3 wires in the cord. 30 vs 50 (total of 100 amp draw). So the 50 amp wiring was like a no brainer. Now if I had any rich friends with a motor home they can plug in when visiting.

It's fairly simple once you get your head around it, how a 50 amp 120/240 split phase service outlet can provide 100 amps (12000 watts) total of 120 volt power. It's all in the way of how the RV's distribution panel utilizes it. If you really look at a double pole 50 amp circuit breaker, you can notice how in essence it really is just two 120 volt 50 amp breakers tied together.




Start with this link, which explains 120/240 50 amp split phase service and how the two 50 amp legs (each at 120 volts) share the common neutral. Understanding the neutral is kind of key to getting it all sorted in your mind.


https://www.rvtechmag.com/electrical/chapter3.php


After you get that part in your head, then you follow these schematics that show how 50 amp 120/240 split phase service is provided from the power company to the pedestal, and then to the RV's electrical distribution panel.... all at 120 volts.









And now, in case you have to use an adapter to plug a 120/240 volt 50 amp RV into a 120 volt 30 amp service. this schematic shows how the adapter jumps/shares the one hot leg to both the L1 and L2 sides of the 50 amp RV, so everything in the RV panel is powered, although at a total 30 amps (3600 watts) for everything.