Hi folks I have lived in my 2017 Dutchman Coleman 31.5 ft TT about 6 months now and love it. However, we were 5 degrees warmer than the surface of the sun here in Cedar Creek Texas yesterday and it is only going to get worse. My trailer is 30 amp and thus has only 1 Duo Therm II roof a/c. I need more A/C.If I get a portable A/C I won't have any amps left if I use the trailers normal electrical outlets. Right now I have small portable A/C running on a heavy gauge extension cord I fished in from the pedestal's 110 plug, but it is too small. If I get a bigger portable A/C, say 10,000 BTU, it is going to pull 10 to 12 amps. Is that too much load on the pedestal's 110 plug?Would an alternative be to upgrade the trailer to 50 amp? The pedestal has plugs for 50 amp, 30 amp, and 110.Advice welcome.RonFSomewhere near Bastrop, TX

If the 110 outlet is 20 amp it should be fine.

bamaboy wrote:If I get a bigger portable A/C, say 10,000 BTU, it is going to pull 10 to 12 amps. Is that too much load on the pedestal's 110 plug?I'd check with management. It may be too much for the service as a whole. I take it you're stuck in this hell hole.

if the pedestal that you plug into has a 50 amp receptacle along with the 30, you can do what I did. first find out what is feeding your pedestal. If it is a 100 amp and wired for that, you are good to go. I installed a 100 amp panel in one of my compartments. Then I changed the 100 amp main breaker out to a 50 amp one. I installed a new cable port and bought a 50 amp extension one. I cut the female plug off and used that end to connect to the new panel. Now I have both a 30 amp, 120 volt supply and a 50 amp, 220 volt one. You can connect your new A/C unit to a 20 amp single pole breaker on the new panel and have plenty of extra capacity for a washer and dryer or what ever else you want. You can only do this if you own the power pole and are paying the electric bill like I am.jack L

The problem with those portable A/C units is they exhaust air out. An equal amount of air has to come in to the RV to replace the exhausted air. That incoming air is HOT... so the A/C units are fighting a loosing battle.

Yep the breaker on the 110 is 20 amp, and I will double check with management to be sure. Thanks to both of you. Just what I needed to know.

How to power portable a/c | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

bamaboy
Explorer
Jul 03, 2017
Yeah I knew about the dealers but new ones are out of my budget right now. I hadn't thought about the temporary carport idea though. I see a lot of those online right away. Thanks for the tip.
TomG2
Explorer
Jul 03, 2017
bamaboy wrote:
Can you give me a rough idea of what a carport would cost? And if I move, can I take it down and move it?

There are dealers all over for the metal carports, some specifically for RV's. Mine cost about $1,500 and I save about $100/month in electricity. My buddy can't get his trailer below 90 degrees until late at night without one. His electric bill is over $200/month, mine is half that.

There are temporary carports available for a couple hundred dollars which would accomplish the same thing.
bamaboy
Explorer
Jul 03, 2017
Can you give me a rough idea of what a carport would cost? And if I move, can I take it down and move it?
TomG2
Explorer
Jul 03, 2017
My roof was 135 degrees Fahrenheit before I shaded it with the carport. After, 95 degrees F.
travelnutz
Explorer II
Jul 03, 2017
The real way to keep comfortably cool inside an RV is to make those RV wheels turn with the front of the rig pointing north for at least 6 months. That's why those wheels are on there! Then you can do a 180 and point rig back south. Saves not only the cost of an additional A/C but your built in A/c will love you too as it needs a break also and lets you see a lot of your gorgeous country without suffering inside or outside your RV.
bamaboy
Explorer
Jul 03, 2017
Putting up the blackout thermal curtains today. Man cave will take on a whole new meaning. Cave being the key word.

Also I think I am taking in a lot of heat through the top of the slide. Thinking seriously about covering it with reflectix. Just trying to figure out how to do that in a way that the wind won't blow it away and how I can remove it if I have to pull in the slide.
Jay_Pat
Explorer
Jul 03, 2017
Have you added reflexticx over your windows?
Anything you can do to create shade on the rv.
Pat
bamaboy
Explorer
Jul 02, 2017
Hey guys thanks for all the replies, I tried to talk too but the forum website would just stall on me for a while. I was looking at the De'Longhi, thanks for the feedback on that. I don't think the park will let me have the window a/c, which I would much prefer.

TomG2 asked about what it's like here. I used to love the Austin area in the 1990s, great place to raise a kid, but because the job market is so good here, the population has almost doubled in the last 10 years and the infrastructure has essentially collapsed because the city either won't or can't build new roads, housing prices have gone through the roof, and the millions of people from San Jose CA who live here now drive like lunatics. Add that to the 5 months of high 98 degree or better temperature every day and it's appeal begins fade.
DownTheAvenue
Explorer
Jul 02, 2017
bamaboy wrote:
If I get a bigger portable A/C, say 10,000 BTU, it is going to pull 10 to 12 amps. Is that too much load on the pedestal's 110 plug?

No that is fine, just be sure your extension cord is as short as possible and 12 gauge.
colliehauler
Explorer III
Jul 02, 2017
If at all possible try to get a spot in the shade, this will help a lot.