Electrical

[Caligirl]

Our power cord came with an adapter plug to plug into our home plug. What appliances should we not run while plugged into household current? We own a 2020 Salem 22 RBS model.

[darb]

Your air conditioning.

Avoid microwave unless everything else is off including converter.

That adapter supplies your TT with 15a of power (typically - but I don’t need to get into those details)

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by darb

Your air conditioning.

Avoid microwave unless everything else is off including converter.

That adapter supplies your TT with 15a of power (typically - but I don’t need to get into those details)

They can get a 30 to 20 amp adapter, which would help.
I have one and can run my a/c but nothing else is on.

[wmtire]

If you want the full understanding of this, the adapter itself does not provide power. It allows you to connect your RV to a 15 amp outlet at your home, whereas the outlet provides up to 15 amps of current (controlled by a 15 amp circuit breaker)


When connected to a 15 amp outlet, then you can run 120 volt AC items up to a total of 15 amps, but there is another consideration. If there are any items in your house that are also sharing this same 15 amp circuit as you plugged the RV into, then that has to be subtracted from the 15 amps total.


Usually, the 120 volt AC items in a RV will be the air conditioning, the microwave, televisions, water heaters if utilizing the 120 volt AC electrical heating element, refrigerators if the type that have an 120 volt AC option or residential style, and the 120 volt AC outlets with anything plugged into them (like coffee makers, toasters, hair dryers, etc. All of these items will require amps to work, and subtract from the 15 amps outlet you are plugged into via the adapter.


Now, as others have noted, you have a converter. This converter is what takes 120 volt AC and converts it to 12 volt DC when you are plugged into a 120 volt AC outlet. This allows you to run the 12 volt DC items in your RV (lights, pumps, thermostats, vent fans, furnace, slides, stabilizers, water heater on propane, refrigerator on propane, etc.) instead of the battery(s) providing this 12 volt DC power. The converter is also your battery recharger. The amount of 120 volt AC amps it requires is not a static number. It changes depending on how many 12 volt DC items you are using. To turn the converter off, you usually have to turn off the circuit breaker to it, located in your RV's electrical distribution panel. However, if you turn it off, then your battery cannot be recharged via the converter, and although your 12 volt DC items explained earlier in this paragraph will still function....they are running directly off of your battery now, and they will stop once your battery runs down. You may see your lights dimming as the battery depletes. The double edge sword here, is that your thermostat to the air conditioning is 12 volt DC but the air conditioning compressor is 120 volt AC. If you do not have a source of 12 volt DC (converter or battery), then the thermostat cannot function to turn the air conditioning on/off.


These threads/links may help you understand the amp draws for your 120 volt AC items, as well as how the converter amp draws fluctuate.


Basic RV Electricity - RV Information (RV Maintenance)


RV Converters and Amp Draw - RV Information (RV Maintenance)


https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...nt-152813.html

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Caligirl

Our power cord came with an adapter plug to plug into our home plug. What appliances should we not run while plugged into household current? We own a 2020 Salem 22 RBS model.

Caligirl, I see this is your first post and welcome aboard. If this is also your first RV, then this thread link may help out, as it's aimed at new RV'ers. It has all the links I provided above, as well as some others that may help in understanding your RV.


https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ts-157524.html

[Caligirl]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Caligirl, I see this is your first post and welcome aboard. If this is also your first RV, then this thread link may help out, as it's aimed at new RV'ers. It has all the links I provided above, as well as some others that may help in understanding your RV.


https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ts-157524.html

Thank you for all your insights, very helpful. Yes we are newbies! We will pursue those links you recommend. On this idea, we happen to have a 220 plug in my garage supported by two 30 amp breakers. Is there an adapter that will convert that 220 plug to a receptacle that we can plug our RV 30 amp cord into? Thanks in advance for all your insights!!

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Caligirl

Thank you for all your insights, very helpful. Yes we are newbies! We will pursue those links you recommend. On this idea, we happen to have a 220 plug in my garage supported by two 30 amp breakers. Is there an adapter that will convert that 220 plug to a receptacle that we can plug our RV 30 amp cord into? Thanks in advance for all your insights!!

CALIGIRL!!!!! DANGER DANGER DANGER.

Before you go plugging into 220 volt, we need to know why and what it’s used for. RV units are wired differently than electric clothes driers and other stuff.
I’ll let the experts explain, but talk here first.

[rsdata]

On this idea, we happen to have a 220 plug in my garage supported by two 30 amp breakers. Is there an adapter that will convert that 220 plug to a receptacle that we can plug our RV 30 amp cord into?

IF YOU PLUG INTO THIS CIRCUIT YOU WILL HAVE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO YOUR TRAILER.

Your trailer is 120 V NOT 220 V... although the plug looks the same.

[El__Quijote]

Originally Posted by Caligirl

Thank you for all your insights, very helpful. Yes we are newbies! We will pursue those links you recommend. On this idea, we happen to have a 220 plug in my garage supported by two 30 amp breakers. Is there an adapter that will convert that 220 plug to a receptacle that we can plug our RV 30 amp cord into? Thanks in advance for all your insights!!

I'm going to caveat everything below saying that I am not an electrician. All of the information I'm passing along is what I've learned through years of DIY but, regardless, it informs you that you CANNOT do what you're thinking of doing; it just helps explain the "why."
There is a reason why the plugs, although they look similar, are different.
In an RV 30AMP plug, you have the two straight prongs that are the hot and neutral, and a "U-shaped" ground.
220v plugs come in two styles (older 3-prong, and newers 4-prong). However, in the US, it is not really 220v, but two separate 110v circuits on the same plug.
- 3-prong. The two straight prongs are hot (110v each) and the L-shaped (not allowing an RV 30AMP plug to fit) neutral. These are the old style that is being phased out no longer up to code. The reason behind it is that it doesn't have a ground prong. Having 2 separate 110v prongs allows for an electric dryer to have one 110v motor turning it, and one 110v heating element. That's why sometimes one will go out but not the other.
- 4-prong. The newer style of 220v plugs has the same as the 3-prong, but it also adds a ground prong, making it safer.

Even if you were to find/make an adapter, it wouldn't help you out, and it would be dangerous regardless.

[TitanMike]

A suggestion for all who are going to plug into a household receptacle to power their trailer and using a 30 amp to household receptacle adapter.

Try to plug into a kitchen or bathroom receptacle. Kitchen receptacle above the counter(s) . These are usually on 20 amp breakers instead of 15 amp like other receptacles along the walls or even on the outside.

Also, use the largest gauge wire extension cord you can find.

I used a trailer as an apartment for my late wife when she'd visit my Son or Daughter. She followed the "one at a time rule" when using appliances. Microwave and AC worked just fine as long as nothing else was used. Most of the time the water heater was on but the water was hot so no power was consumed.

"One at a time" worked well for her for over 10 years of her commuting from WA to CO to spend a month at a time visiting kids/grand kids.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by El__Quijote

I'm going to caveat everything below saying that I am not an electrician. All of the information I'm passing along is what I've learned through years of DIY but, regardless, it informs you that you CANNOT do what you're thinking of doing; it just helps explain the "why."
There is a reason why the plugs, although they look similar, are different.
In an RV 30AMP plug, you have the two straight prongs that are the hot and neutral, and a "U-shaped" ground.
220v plugs come in two styles (older 3-prong, and newers 4-prong). However, in the US, it is not really 220v, but two separate 110v circuits on the same plug.
- 3-prong. The two straight prongs are hot (110v each) and the L-shaped (not allowing an RV 30AMP plug to fit) neutral. These are the old style that is being phased out no longer up to code. The reason behind it is that it doesn't have a ground prong. Having 2 separate 110v prongs allows for an electric dryer to have one 110v motor turning it, and one 110v heating element. That's why sometimes one will go out but not the other.
- 4-prong. The newer style of 220v plugs has the same as the 3-prong, but it also adds a ground prong, making it safer.

Even if you were to find/make an adapter, it wouldn't help you out, and it would be dangerous regardless.

You realize you resurrected a post from the middle of June and giving advice to someone who hasn't visited this forum since the beginning of July?

[El__Quijote]

Nope, I did not; my mistake.
I'm new to this and, obviously, need to look a little more closely at those things before posting a reply.
Thanks for pointing it out.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by El__Quijote

Nope, I did not; my mistake.
I'm new to this and, obviously, need to look a little more closely at those things before posting a reply.
Thanks for pointing it out.

You are welcome and I hope my post wasn't taken as criticism.
I simply wanted to point out what you likely didn't know and your response was perfect!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by 5picker

You realize you resurrected a post from the middle of June and giving advice to someone who hasn't visited this forum since the beginning of July?

First time this has ever happened, right[emoji41]

[5picker]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

First time this has ever happened, right[emoji41]

No... certainly not... but part of our being on this forum is to help educate those with low post counts (I hate the word newbie) what to look for before jumping into an older thread that someone hasn't visited in months.

That and a reminder to those who don't read through the entire thread only to give an opinion on what they believe is the fix, when in actuality it was fixed 20 posts ago, never hurts in my opinion.

If that is worth nothing to you, you got exactly what you paid for it.