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emarie1760's avatar
emarie1760
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013

Portable Air Compressor question

We have a Goodyear 120 Volt Multi-Purpose Air Compressor (it is used to fill our truck tires). My question is regarding whether or not we can plug this air compressor into the outdoor outlet of our Fifth Wheel while its parked in storage. And, is there a possibility of it blowing fuses if we do this. Of course our only source of power would be the Fifth Wheel' battery (assuming its has power).

Secondarily, if we needed to have the power cable connected to our truck (in the event the battery was dead), would it blow fuses in our truck?

Thanks, in advance, for your help with this.
  • mockturtle's avatar
    mockturtle
    Explorer II
    Jul 23, 2013
    I assume you mean the fifth wheel is plugged into shore power? If not, and you don't run a generator, none of the AC outlets will work. There are 12V air compressors but they are very, very s-l-o-w.
  • byways's avatar
    byways
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    No. A 12 volt battery will not produce 120 volts to run your air compressor unless you have a suitable inverter to handle the load (which I assume you do not). Either bring a generator to run it, or bring a portable air tank filled with air.
  • Devocamper's avatar
    Devocamper
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    emarie1760 wrote:
    We have a Goodyear 120 Volt Multi-Purpose Air Compressor (it is used to fill our truck tires). My question is regarding whether or not we can plug this air compressor into the outdoor outlet of our Fifth Wheel while its parked in storage. And, is there a possibility of it blowing fuses if we do this. Of course our only source of power would be the Fifth Wheel' battery (assuming its has power).

    Secondarily, if we needed to have the power cable connected to our truck (in the event the battery was dead), would it blow fuses in our truck?

    Thanks, in advance, for your help with this.


    You could check into a power tank, no power needed where everyou use it . google power tank and check it out
  • Tireman9's avatar
    Tireman9
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    Electric compressors should have either a Watts or Amps rating on their data plate. That will tell you how much you need.

    You didn't identify the max wattage or amp rating of your generator?
  • Tireman9's avatar
    Tireman9
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    mockturtle wrote:
    I assume you mean the fifth wheel is plugged into shore power? If not, and you don't run a generator, none of the AC outlets will work. There are 12V air compressors but they are very, very s-l-o-w.


    Mock is correct. But I am not sure what your real needs are. If your tires, wheels and valves are all in good condition You should see only 1% to 3% loss in psi per month. So if you start at tire max when you part the trailer in the Fall you only need a few psi to get back to the tire max you should be running on any tandem axle trailer.

    12v are slow but you didn't say how far you have to go to get to 120v power.
    Do you store the RV fully loaded? I would think not. Why can't you top up the tires after pulling the RV out of storage and before you load it up for the season?
  • Escargot's avatar
    Escargot
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    smkettner wrote:
    put "MV-50" into amazon for a good 12v compressor.


    X2
  • thomasmnile's avatar
    thomasmnile
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    mockturtle wrote:
    There are 12V air compressors but they are very, very s-l-o-w.


    Maybe an inexpensive 12v from the local auto parts, Northern Tool, or Harbor Freight. I have a 150 psi VIAIR, it is anything but slow, and was quite a bit faster topping off a 110 psi tire on our fifth wheel than the 120v 1.5 gal/135 psi Kobalt compressor I had (which gave its life filling those tires). :D
  • slarsen's avatar
    slarsen
    Explorer
    Jul 23, 2013
    Coincidentally, I just 'topped off' 4 tires to 80 psi using the Harbor Freight $60 12V air compressor. I've been using it for about three years, now. No problems. I've inflated tires to 100 psi in the past, along with air bags as needed.

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