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DragonSpirit39's avatar
DragonSpirit39
Explorer III
Apr 30, 2025
Solved

Just looking for info.

I and my fiancee are transitioning from a rental home we can no longer afford to a travel trailer full time. I'm in the Mississippi area and need to stay between Batesville, MS and Hernando, MS. I can go east or west a little but looking to not be paying for a spot constantly as I'm trying to save money. 

Also I'm in an older (2006 Jayco Jayfeather LGT 29Y) 

We have lots of electronics and this thing is only a 30amp breaker and I was already warned that you can't even run the A/C and the microwave at the same time. 

Is it a must for us to get a generator or solar? 

Any and all suggestions would be helpful.

  • valhalla360's avatar
    valhalla360
    May 02, 2025

    Assuming you are on shore power (plugged in at a campground), it should be fine but you will have to manage your power. When you want to microwave something, you turn off the aircon for a few minutes and you will have to run the water heater on propane.

    A good item to have is a "kill o watt" plug in meter (or similar). This will allow you to confirm the actual wattage of devices. A gaming PC may have modifications so better to get actual data while running a processor heavy game. Also, a good idea to leave it plugged in to watch the voltage. Many campgrounds suffer low voltage on peak summer weekends when everyone is running their aircon.

10 Replies

  • A little known fact is that circuit breakers weaken just a tiny bit every time they pop. If the previous owner popped the breaker often, perhaps that breaker is now so weak it pops well before it should. And it sounds like that may be the case here. I, too, have a trailer with a 30 amp hookup, and have never had an issue running the AC while using the microwave along with lights and other stuff. Perhaps a first step would be to replace that breaker.

    Because of your need for lots of power, you will have to stay in campgrounds with at least electric hookups. As others have pointed out, neither solar nor gas generator is going to save you money. Your best bet is to find a campground that offers seasonal or annual rates. These rates are usually not advertised, you'll have to ask for them. 

    Good luck, happy hunting, and let us know what you find.

    • valhalla360's avatar
      valhalla360
      Navigator

      The exact amperage it will pop at is controlled by multiple variables.

      Yes, a worn breaker will reduce the amperage it pops at but so will temperature and more common is voltage. If you go from 120v to 110v, both in spec, your amperage goes up, so in a marginal situation may work...and then it doesn't. Also a surge can do it...when motors start, they take a lot of amps for a second.

    • Grit_dog's avatar
      Grit_dog
      Navigator II

      Weak breakers are a reality. And an easy fix. 
      In this case, the OP is merely surmising that she may not be able to run the AC, microwave, gaming puter, PlayStation and 55” (ceiling mount in a rv???yikes) TV at the same time. Which is a totally valid concern. In fact it sounds like a relative certainty. 
      OP needs to understand basic electrical circuits principle, as adding solar and/or generator on top of plugging in to shore power doesn’t just create more useable power without running separate 120V systems. Shore power to panel, gen can go direct (while it’s screaming outside your window) and solar = mo batteries and inverter (again separate from RV main panel). 
      it’s a little camper, not a house. Use it like a house you gonna gotta makes some modifications. 

  • Problem is in the SE, it's hot and humid in the summer and RVs have negligible insulation. The aircon is going to be running 24/7 and will need around 1500w when running.

    A generator is possible but running one 24/7 is a hassle and not so cheap. You are probably looking at $25-40 a day just in fuel. Once or twice a week, you need to do an oil change and within a year, it's likely worn out.

    Solar is technically possible but highly impractical for your situation. The aircon alone will likely use somewhere around 36,000watt-hours each day. A solar panel will generate around 4 times it's rated watts in watt-hours each day, so you need around 9,000w of solar panels (figure around 600sft of area - Your trailer roof is only around 240sft). Then you need a battery bank big enough to run from late afternoon until mid morning (figure around 20 - 12v 100amp-hr lithium batteries at $150-200each...double that if you go lead-acid). On top of that you need a large inverter to convert the DC power to AC.

    Even if you can figure out how to power it, east of the Mississippi, places to stay long term for free are much harder to find unless you know someone with property that will let you stay for free. Staying at walmart or cracker barrel is usually only good for a single night and then they expect you to move on.

    That brings you back around to organized campgrounds with shore power. 

    What electronics do you have? A 30amp outlet can peak at around 3600w but shouldn't be kept over around 2800w for long duration loads (it's actually only rated at 80% for longer duration). The reason they warn about aircon and microwave is 1500w(aircon), 900w(microwave), 600w(battery charger), and 500w (misc) puts you right around the limit and breakers can start popping. If they don't pop, you risk burning up connections. 

     - In practice, it's not hard to shut the aircon down for a few minutes while you make some popcorn.

     - If by electronics, you mean a TV, a couple laptops and a not over the top stereo, it's unlikely to be a problem. There should be a UL label that indicates the wattage. Go thru and look at what you are operating to get an idea if it's too much.

     - You will likely want to run the hot water heater on propane. Electric draws around 1200w.

    • DragonSpirit39's avatar
      DragonSpirit39
      Explorer III

      We are coming from a 4 bedroom house down into this RV/Travel Trailer full time. My fiancee has an Alienware gaming PC, a PS5, and we were wanting to ceiling mount a 55 inch TV. Also, the microwave peak power is 1.5kw on this thing so I believe if I'm converting that correctly is 1500watts peak power. And the guy I got it from said if you're running the A/C full blast and cut on the microwave it pops the breaker. I've looked up the PS5 they're surprisingly efficient, only about 350watts, the gaming PC is really my only concern because we haven't found the exact model of computer to figure out what the power draw is.

      • Grit_dog's avatar
        Grit_dog
        Navigator II

        Sounds like an apartment is the best RV for you. Considering you moved forward with the RV before knowing where you’re gonna park it, how much it will cost and how you’ll power it, an established residential abode seems to be the best fit. 

  • Welcome!

    Can’t comment on where to stay, but boondocking and/or sites with no hookups like a lot of state parks,   National Forests etc will likely be the least expensive option for actual campsites. 
    With summer coming on, you kinda have to plan to run the AC constantly which either requires a 3kw generator running basically full time or an electrical hookup. You’d have to put ALOT of $ into solar, batteries and a huge inverter to run your AC off of solar. 
    I’d advise trying to find the best deal on a long term fhu site from now until you don’t need AC. Then it’s much easier to boondock (free) if you have places to do that. 
    Regarding the 30A service, yes AC blasting and microwave or any other high power draw (air fryer elect skillet etc) will be about the max you can pull. 50/50 chance of not having to turn off the AC to microwave. My old toyhauler would do both but neither appliance sounded very happy for that 2 min making a hot pocket!

    Solar or a generator isn’t going to really give you more power to use without some modifications. You’re limited by the main breaker on the 120v panel. 
    However with decent batteries and solar/charging with the converter if you’re fhu, you could put in a dedicated outlet or 2 just hooked to an inverter and pull load off those while not affecting the OE 30A panel and outlets. 
    Good luck!!!