I have recently built an RV port in which my Mini Vista Cruiser is happily ensconced. However, I haven't had a chance to get a 30 amp circuit to it and it will be a while before I can. For now I have it plugged into a standard 110v outlet in the adjacent garage, connected by a 10gauge outdoor extension cord with the proper adapter. I also have placed between the extension cord and RV my Camping World "Portable Surge Guard With LCD Display - 30 Amp." I understand I will be limited by amps in appliances used, but are there other issues I should be wary of, e.g., effect on the batteries (I have three house and one engine battery) or on the surge protector? Everything seems to be fine right now, but I don't understand the complexities of these systems.

Other than the limited current you will have no other issues and the battery should charge as it does on a 30A service.

You are now on limited Shore Power.You will be limited to amps that are feed into that receptacle from the house circuit breaker. Most likely 15 amps.I keep mine hooked up the same way.The Converter keeps the house batteries charged and I addeda small battery maintainer that I plug into the coach thatgoes into the dash power port and it keeps the chassis battery topped off. You will have limited use of items in the RV. Such as as the heater fan, TV, refrigerator. Heavy amp items like the A/C, or combinations of several may/may not work as the house breaker will trip.Many RV have monitors, etc that run off the chassis battery.After several weeks it is not unusual to find the chassis battery discharged to were it will not start. That is why I have the small battery maintainer inside. I starred this almost 2 years ago, with no problems.

As above have stated. Also remember to check the water in the batteries occasionally. They have a tendency to sometimes boil dry if not checked once in awhile. JMO

Batteries do not need to be charged all of the time. Overnight once a month should be enough. Maybe you are keeping refrigerator cold?

First our 5'er and now the MH have spent their "life" plugged into a 20amp outlet in my shop. I have ran A/C on a very rare occasion but mostly just let it kept battery charged and fridge cold. I'll also run a 1500watt electric space heater overnight if temps are marginal as far as freezing and I've got water in plumbing system.

RV Plugged Into Household 110 Circuit | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

cjalphonso
Explorer
Mar 11, 2014
You do need to be a little careful. The weak link is the adapter. Everything else is rated for 30 amps and will be fine. The adapter is rated for 20 amps. Put your hand on the adapter and see if it gets hot. The house breaker should trip, but sometimes those cheap adapters really aren't rated for 20A's.
Dakzuki
Explorer II
Mar 07, 2014
There is a down side. If you lose power to the RV, the batteries will drain. I keep mine on a separate charger/maintainer plugged in to an RV AC outlet with the battery switch set to OFF. If power fails the charger will just stop but the batteries are disconnected from the parasitic loads of the RV so no discharge. You can guess why I do this...yeah I had a power failure and the batteries drained.

I also have a Trik-L-Start for the chassis battery.
OldRadios
Explorer
Mar 06, 2014
tenbear wrote:
Another thought, make sure you use a 3 wire extension cord. There have been several posts by people getting shocks from their RV as a result of using a 2 wire extension.

Mine's on a 20 amp breaker with a ground fault interrupter. Runs the furnace, lighting (LEDs) and TVs with no problem. Don't use the AC or fridge when parked at the house.
Cobra21
Explorer
Mar 06, 2014
BB_TX wrote:
Unless you plan to run the AC while in storage, you do not need anything other than a basic 15 or 20 amp outlet.
Mine stays at a rental storage facility. I have to pay extra for electric so it stays plugged in any time it is there, which means all winter. It is 15 amp.
I can run one 15k AC on 20 amp outlet, but not on a 15 amp outlet.

I totally agree with this comment!
Brian
tenbear
Explorer
Mar 06, 2014
Another thought, make sure you use a 3 wire extension cord. There have been several posts by people getting shocks from their RV as a result of using a 2 wire extension.
Bordercollie
Explorer
Mar 06, 2014
If your household receptacle is properly wired, there should be no problem.We had one that wasn't right and got a shock when touching the rig. Could have been dangerous if standing in water. You can't run heavy wattage items like the roof AC, microwave, or electric space heaters.Good to have a plug in AC meter to check line voltage.
tenbear
Explorer
Mar 06, 2014
I have done this for years. The only difference is I turn the converter off and have a Battery Minder Plus on the coach battery and a trickle charger on the chassis battery for over-winter storage.
kalynzoo
Explorer
Mar 06, 2014
When visiting friends up North I have often camped at their ranch and plugged into their 15amp garage outlet. My current rig shows my usage in the display, but older RVs did not. I was just careful to only use the Frig and a few lights. No heaters, naturally no air-conditioners, a fan was ok. basically just careful not to overload the system. If I did I think the garage breaker would go first, but it never happened. On a few occasions, when using the RV as a base for Scouting functions we used a power cheater screwed into a light socket to draw basic power...never had a problem.
Just sayin.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Mar 05, 2014
I keep mine plugged into a timer so it only comes on for a few hours a day.
bumpy
jdog
Explorer
Mar 05, 2014
Sandia Man wrote:
No issues as we have been doing this for many years. Our rig's converter has smart charging technology built in and does a wonderful job of keeping batteries charged and conditioned without fear of boiling batteries dry, although I routinely check battery fluid levels as part of my maintenance regimen. Best not to run AC unit as voltage drop may cause damage to compressor, but most everything else will run fine up to your 15 amp limit.

Same here. House battery charger with smart charge Technology and battery maintainer for chassis batteries. Stays plug in all the time when in storage.