Electric for air conditioning
Hi folks, I've never had the need to use my air conditioning in the rig while parked beside my house. Only used the outside receptacle off the porch when I wanted to turn the fridge on before trips. N...
Forum Discussion
A couple of things that haven't been mentioned here that might be useful for the OP:
When you're trying to run the AC and/or microwave, don't worry too much about the fridge. It's only going to use ~200W (<2A) when it cycles on.
Depending on how long you expect the RV arrangement to last, you may want to consider installing a new outlet like some have suggested. Regardless of who does it, you should check for yourself to see that it's done right. Given the relatively small difference in cost between a 30A and 50A installation (a little more in wiring mainly), I'd probably install 50A. You'd have to run new wiring and pay about as much in labor to upgrade at a later date.
Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind (and that's often overlooked) is what the converter is drawing to keep the batteries charged. On a normal 30A service, I regularly run two air conditioners--but I do it with the converter either off or plugged in to a different circuit. In your case, with only 15 or 20A to work with, you should be able to run one air conditioner (assuming sufficiently large wiring to the RV) without issue. You might consider a habit of turning off the converter in the morning, and letting the batteries recharge overnight.
That last bit--and power management in general--might sound a little bit complicated, especially for your mother to manage herself. But if you put together a list of appliances and what they consume, and explain to her what the connection can handle, I'm sure it could be done.
When you're trying to run the AC and/or microwave, don't worry too much about the fridge. It's only going to use ~200W (<2A) when it cycles on.
Depending on how long you expect the RV arrangement to last, you may want to consider installing a new outlet like some have suggested. Regardless of who does it, you should check for yourself to see that it's done right. Given the relatively small difference in cost between a 30A and 50A installation (a little more in wiring mainly), I'd probably install 50A. You'd have to run new wiring and pay about as much in labor to upgrade at a later date.
Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind (and that's often overlooked) is what the converter is drawing to keep the batteries charged. On a normal 30A service, I regularly run two air conditioners--but I do it with the converter either off or plugged in to a different circuit. In your case, with only 15 or 20A to work with, you should be able to run one air conditioner (assuming sufficiently large wiring to the RV) without issue. You might consider a habit of turning off the converter in the morning, and letting the batteries recharge overnight.
That last bit--and power management in general--might sound a little bit complicated, especially for your mother to manage herself. But if you put together a list of appliances and what they consume, and explain to her what the connection can handle, I'm sure it could be done.
