Power conditioner at koa campground
Hello all. We're staying at a koa in Seattle Tacoma. Running the a/c and microwave simultaneously makes the $250 power conditioner turn off. Upon inspection, the power level shows 109 or 105...
Forum Discussion
Hi,
Simple solution is to raise the A/C thermostat to 90F and leave the fan on while cooking in the microwave, then set it lower once you are done. Each will draw about 12.5 amps, and is nearly enough to trip the 30 amp breaker found in many campgrounds.
Another solution is plug in a Hughes Autoformer. I recently read that they run about $369 for the 30 amp version. The 50 amp version is rarely needed, as 50 amp campgrounds normally will not suffer from low voltage. Then the protection system will see the boosted 115 - 118 volts, not the 109 that the campground is giving you.
Bypass the protection system? In a campground where the maintenance crew says "We have power problems all summer long". Do what you will with that statement. No I would not bypass mine (if I felt the need for one).
I do have a voltage booster, and would be using it there. I also have voltage monitors, and it is plugged into a receptacle near my kitchen sink, so I can look at it from time to time. In the afternoons, if it is hot, I keep an eye on it, when at 108, I would normally plug in my booster. Yet I have run the A/C as low as 105 volts, it is safe at that level, but not 104.
Nominal voltage is 110 or 115. When you are getting 120, it is boosted by the power supply company to make things run cooler, and more voltage means less amperage across their lines, so they can install smaller copper lines. Motors are designed to run on 115 volts, + or - about 10 volts. When -10 volts, then the amperage of a motor will increase by about 10% while +10 volts will drop by 10%. However a heating element, like your refrigerator heater will increase in amperage when the voltage is higher, and decrease with low voltage.
So when you are using a voltage booster, it is best to switch the refrigerator to gas. The refrigerator will run cooler on gas, as it's burner is 2,200 Btu's and the electric element is only about 300 watts at 120 volts (250W at 108 volts) and that would be only about 900 or 800 Btu's to the boiler. When there was a recall on refrigerators, it involved electric heat elements that cracked the steel tubing, and they where rated at 350 watts, melted (due to overheating I guess?), and caused problems.
I noticed that when I change from electric on the refrigerator to gas, most times my voltage increases by about 1 volt.
Fred.
Simple solution is to raise the A/C thermostat to 90F and leave the fan on while cooking in the microwave, then set it lower once you are done. Each will draw about 12.5 amps, and is nearly enough to trip the 30 amp breaker found in many campgrounds.
Another solution is plug in a Hughes Autoformer. I recently read that they run about $369 for the 30 amp version. The 50 amp version is rarely needed, as 50 amp campgrounds normally will not suffer from low voltage. Then the protection system will see the boosted 115 - 118 volts, not the 109 that the campground is giving you.
Bypass the protection system? In a campground where the maintenance crew says "We have power problems all summer long". Do what you will with that statement. No I would not bypass mine (if I felt the need for one).
I do have a voltage booster, and would be using it there. I also have voltage monitors, and it is plugged into a receptacle near my kitchen sink, so I can look at it from time to time. In the afternoons, if it is hot, I keep an eye on it, when at 108, I would normally plug in my booster. Yet I have run the A/C as low as 105 volts, it is safe at that level, but not 104.
Nominal voltage is 110 or 115. When you are getting 120, it is boosted by the power supply company to make things run cooler, and more voltage means less amperage across their lines, so they can install smaller copper lines. Motors are designed to run on 115 volts, + or - about 10 volts. When -10 volts, then the amperage of a motor will increase by about 10% while +10 volts will drop by 10%. However a heating element, like your refrigerator heater will increase in amperage when the voltage is higher, and decrease with low voltage.
So when you are using a voltage booster, it is best to switch the refrigerator to gas. The refrigerator will run cooler on gas, as it's burner is 2,200 Btu's and the electric element is only about 300 watts at 120 volts (250W at 108 volts) and that would be only about 900 or 800 Btu's to the boiler. When there was a recall on refrigerators, it involved electric heat elements that cracked the steel tubing, and they where rated at 350 watts, melted (due to overheating I guess?), and caused problems.
I noticed that when I change from electric on the refrigerator to gas, most times my voltage increases by about 1 volt.
Fred.
