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Faribo
Explorer
Jul 08, 2013

Air Conditioner Power Question

We will be camping out at my parents place this weekend and they do not have a 30A plug. I can plug into a 15A outlet and my question is regarding the air conditioner. I know it will not have full power but will it damage the air conditioner at all to run it a bit at night?

15 Replies

  • Make sure the fridge is on gas, water heater is on gas if even needed, don't use the microwave, or any other 110v appliances.
  • Make sure that nothing else is turned on either in the house or in your trailer that is on that circuit, and don't have a long extension cord and you should be Ok.
    1. If there are other things on that circuit turned on and you overload the circuit, it won't hurt your AC, but you will trip the breaker. ( it is doing it's job protecting you from a fire)
    2. If you run a long extension cord and it is #18 or #16, you will get a voltage drop, and that will hurt any motor that is on the circuit.

    Jack L
  • If it doesn't have "full power" you will damage it.

    Use a very short 15->30a pigtail and your shore cord.
  • I would think that you could cut off the other circuits, and be able to run the A/C. And hopefully, the outlet is a dedicated circuit, without other things drawing off it.
    You may want to buy one of those "Kill a Watt" watt meters, and check to see what the load is actually being drawn by your system.
    After all, your lights and such will be on the batteries.....and you can charge them with the converter when the A/C is off during the day.
    Of course, if you do run just the A/C, you don't want to run any other 110VAC item (such as microwave).
  • Hi,

    So long as the voltage stays above 108 while the air conditioner is running it will be fine.

    kill-a-watt

    watt meter