What effect does an electric heater have?
I have a lack of electrical knowledge so.......with a 30 amp rig, what effect will an electric heater have on my electrical capabilities? What else can be used at the same time? The box says 1500 ...
Forum Discussion
Hi,
My breakout box consists of one thirty amp outlet with a 30 amp breaker on one leg, and two 20 amp outlets on two 20 amp breakers on the on the other leg. It can lead to some imbalance--but not enough to concern me, and it is more balanced than just a 50 to 30 adapter.
I use the auxiliary power cords in summer time to run the water heater and the converter. Basically I no longer need to load balance, particularly if I add the inverter into the mix.
In the summer time, if I'm boondocking and need the air conditioner I can manage to run the water heater via the inverter/battery bank and recharge later from the generator while running the air from the genny. This works well when I'm in the mountains as generator output is reduced.
I love the flexibility I have to use minimal shore power of just 15 amps while having nearly fully capacity. It is also wonderful when I can find a location that has more than one 15 amp circuit. I often do not have access to the shore power breakers, so I monitor voltage closely.
Here are the formats I can run because I chose to use standard plugs:
OEM 30 amp
#1 Aux 20 amp
#2 Aux 15 amp
Or any combination of the above it there are a sufficient number of outlets, or a 50 amp outlet.
In the winter I use the same auxiliary cords to run extra heaters. I have a watt meter installed and have seen 6500 watts flowing into the rv, or about 55 amps. It does drop down from that number after the heaters begin to cycle. I think that's a pretty good "hat trick" for a 30 amp rv! *grin*
My breakout box consists of one thirty amp outlet with a 30 amp breaker on one leg, and two 20 amp outlets on two 20 amp breakers on the on the other leg. It can lead to some imbalance--but not enough to concern me, and it is more balanced than just a 50 to 30 adapter.
I use the auxiliary power cords in summer time to run the water heater and the converter. Basically I no longer need to load balance, particularly if I add the inverter into the mix.
In the summer time, if I'm boondocking and need the air conditioner I can manage to run the water heater via the inverter/battery bank and recharge later from the generator while running the air from the genny. This works well when I'm in the mountains as generator output is reduced.
I love the flexibility I have to use minimal shore power of just 15 amps while having nearly fully capacity. It is also wonderful when I can find a location that has more than one 15 amp circuit. I often do not have access to the shore power breakers, so I monitor voltage closely.
Here are the formats I can run because I chose to use standard plugs:
OEM 30 amp
#1 Aux 20 amp
#2 Aux 15 amp
Or any combination of the above it there are a sufficient number of outlets, or a 50 amp outlet.
In the winter I use the same auxiliary cords to run extra heaters. I have a watt meter installed and have seen 6500 watts flowing into the rv, or about 55 amps. It does drop down from that number after the heaters begin to cycle. I think that's a pretty good "hat trick" for a 30 amp rv! *grin*
