Adding Second A/C to 50 Amp TT

The breaker is designed to take a surge on start up. It will trip if it continues to draw an excessive load, which means you have a problem somewhere.

ken56 wrote:
Wait, let me throw my wrench into the works here. A 50 amp unit consists of 2 legs of 110 volts coming into the unit. The distribution panel is like one in your home. Every other finger on the bus bar is taken off one side or the other so hooking up any 2 pole breaker will be staggered.....right?
….

Some have a breaker panel with the main 50 amp breaker at the left side and all sub breakers to the right. In that case the slots alternate on hot 1 and hot 2. Like a house.
Some have a breaker panel with the main 50 amp breaker in the middle. In that case the sub breakers on the left are on one hot and the sub breakers on the right are on the other hot.

Depends on the style of the panel. Some panels have the busses run sideways from the main breakers, while others are more like a residential panel with alternating breaker locations.
We should not be talking two pole breakers as the majority or RVs have no 240-volt items.

Wait, let me throw my wrench into the works here. A 50 amp unit consists of 2 legs of 110 volts coming into the unit. The distribution panel is like one in your home. Every other finger on the bus bar is taken off one side or the other so hooking up any 2 pole breaker will be staggered.....right?

I have a 37 foot TT and only has one 15,000 AC in the living area with ducted into the front bedroom. Mine gets hot too when it faces into the sun and on hot days. That front cap isn't insulated all that well is it. I've considered the Colman Polar Cub, a 9,000 btu unit for the front bedroom.....I know nothing yet of the requirements for it weather or not it's a 220 AC or a 110 unit, all I know is it's expensive therefore I will try the AC mod before I invest in a new air conditioner.

This thread is turning into nonsense real quick.
This is simple. Your camper is pre wired for an AC. Install one and hook up the wires and you’re done, y’all stop rvnetting it!

What I would do is buy a 15k AC and install it where the existing 13.5k is, then move that 13.5k to the new spot. And yes, you want each AC to be on its own leg, no reason to overload one line. Especially with how they wire RV’s. But it should be wired properly already.

ScottG wrote:

BB_TX wrote:

thegabrielles wrote:
….
I will check the power on the RV, just and assumption but wouldn't the manufacturer spread the current out evenly on a camper that is prewired for 50amp service... I know what assume means. :)

You would like to think that wouldn’t you? I think most are on separate hots but you would not be the first to report them both on the same hot.

Interesting discussion. I still don't see why there is any need to balance. A 50A leg can easily handle 2 AC's even if something like a water heater is running. All three of those running at the same time would still be less than 5000 running watts - well below the 6000 avail. The RV's panel doesn't care - you could max out one leg and have nothing on the other leg without any heat, etc.
………..

The NEC standard is for the normal connected load on a circuit breaker should be no more than 80% of the breaker rating. Two ACs, a water heater, and an outlet or two could easily exceed that.

ScottG wrote:

BB_TX wrote:

thegabrielles wrote:
….
I will check the power on the RV, just and assumption but wouldn't the manufacturer spread the current out evenly on a camper that is prewired for 50amp service... I know what assume means. :)

You would like to think that wouldn’t you? I think most are on separate hots but you would not be the first to report them both on the same hot.

Interesting discussion. I still don't see why there is any need to balance. A 50A leg can easily handle 2 AC's even if something like a water heater is running. All three of those running at the same time would still be less than 5000 running watts - well below the 6000 avail. The RV's panel doesn't care - you could max out one leg and have nothing on the other leg without any heat, etc.
How about those large class A's out there with 3 and even 4 AC's purring along in Las Vegas? Do they never run three or 4 at once? It sure sounds like they do when you walk past them..

If I'm missing something, I'd enjoy learning.


EDIT: found this old thread that suggests running three at once (so 2 on one leg) is no problem: Linkaroonie

Although I tend to agree on some Ways my particular case is different, and it may be for some others as well. My truck is a Powerboost, it’s a Hebrides F150 that uses the electric motor to charge up a 1.5KWhr battery, then an inverter. Inverts the signal into 2 3600watt legs. So my generator is 7.2KW on the truck but output is limited to 2X 3600watts. If the two AC are on the same leg I most certainly won’t be able to run both at the same time. A simple rewire to have them on different legs would definitely make sense in my situation.
That being said I can not possibly think of very many situations that I would need 2 AC while boondocking. If I have a power failure and move into the RV for a bit, maybe, but that’s doubtful as well because I wouuohook the truck directly to power my house.
My goal is to find out all the possible solutions, research them all and then make the decision that will work best for me.
I do appreciate everyone’s insight. I’ve learned a lot with all your help already.

BB_TX wrote:

thegabrielles wrote:
….
I will check the power on the RV, just and assumption but wouldn't the manufacturer spread the current out evenly on a camper that is prewired for 50amp service... I know what assume means. :)

You would like to think that wouldn’t you? I think most are on separate hots but you would not be the first to report them both on the same hot.

Interesting discussion. I still don't see why there is any need to balance. A 50A leg can easily handle 2 AC's even if something like a water heater is running. All three of those running at the same time would still be less than 5000 running watts - well below the 6000 avail. The RV's panel doesn't care - you could max out one leg and have nothing on the other leg without any heat, etc.
How about those large class A's out there with 3 and even 4 AC's purring along in Las Vegas? Do they never run three or 4 at once? It sure sounds like they do when you walk past them..

If I'm missing something, I'd enjoy learning.


EDIT: found this old thread that suggests running three at once (so 2 on one leg) is no problem: Linkaroonie

thegabrielles wrote:
….
I will check the power on the RV, just and assumption but wouldn't the manufacturer spread the current out evenly on a camper that is prewired for 50amp service... I know what assume means. :)

You would like to think that wouldn’t you? I think most are on separate hots but you would not be the first to report them both on the same hot.