Forum Discussion
Jackathan
Mar 23, 2019Explorer
Thanks MEXICOWANDERER and pianotuna, I am not sure, but I believe this may be my first post on RV.net, although I have a lot of hard earned knowledge to share, but have only read and lurked!. I am no expert, but through experience, I have learned that low voltage affected my families camping enjoyment at least twice. The first was at Branched Oak Campground, South Shore, in Nebraska probably site 93 or 94, on a very hot and humid weekend. On Saturday morning, we woke up to AC not working. I mistakenly though that our AC unit had failed, and we struggled to decide whether to leave or stay. Go to KC and buy a portable AC, or go home? We packed up, convinced that the AC unit had failed, and went home. Guess what, the AC worked fine at home. Turns out that it was low voltage, so the compressor wouldn't start. But, being somewhat new to camping, with no way to check voltage, or even realizing that this could be an issue at all, we ended the trip early. The other incident was at Indian Cave, NE., still one of our favorite campgrounds. It was, again, a hot, humid weekend. Site 17 or 18, I can't recall exactly. This time, I had a voltmeter, and measured voltage as low as 104. Our AC didn't want to run, tripping the breaker repeatedly. As I had learned in the past, my family and dogs stayed outside, and most people in that loop had problems running AC. Eventually, in the evening as the temperature dropped, things were good again for all. That trip was all I needed to realize that an autoformer may be a good purchase for a person or family that regularly camps. Ohm's law prevails in these cases. Boost the voltage, and lose some amps. Stay cool, don't run the microwave or hairdryer in conjunction with the AC! Enjoy the trip.
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