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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 ca...
  • 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.

naturist's avatar
naturist
Nomad II
May 05, 2025

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
    May 05, 2025

    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
    May 05, 2025

    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. 

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