Running A/C on 20 amp circuit

[ddschuman]

Friday afternoon at approximately 4:30 I received a call from a man who lives in an RV 30 miles outside of our town (we own an HVAC business but DO NOT specialize in RV's...only if a simple fix will we even attempt to fix them due to liability issues but we will usually assess them before making that call if requested). I explained to the man our OT rates and he agreed. He told me on the phone that his unit wouldn't come on and he thought it was out of freon. My tech gets out there and finds the breaker tripped. The guy is walking around with a bottle of whiskey and drinking it the entire time the tech is there. Tech turns breaker on and checks unit. The unit blew all kinds of dust out of the vents. Guy tells tech that he bought fifth wheel from another state and had it delivered to his land by a friend so he can live in it and had never tried a/c till now. Tech tells him unit has not be used in a very long time (if ever). Tech also goes on roof and cleans unit from dirt dobbers. He goes back in to check a/c sub-cooling temp and everything is good. As he was leaving, he decided to check to see what he was plugged into and found only a 20amp circuit. He goes back in and tells the guy that he needs to install at minimum a 30amp circuit if he is going to run the A/C but a 50amp would be better as his fifth wheel is wired 50amp. The guy is slurring his words and doesn't seem to care or believe tech. Tech writes everything up on service ticket invoice, the guy pays and tech leaves. Remember this was on Friday. On Monday afternoon (a holiday) at 4:00 PM the guys calls again but this time screaming and cussing me for a pitiful job my tech did and claiming his unit is tripping the breaker continuously and as all weekend. I have already seen what the tech wrote on the invoice (which customer has a copy of) and know he was advised he needed at least a 30amp circuit to plug into. I asked the guy if he turned on the microwave while the a/c was running and he informed me that was none of my _____ business. I tried to be as professional as possible with this obviously mad but possibly drunk man. I explained that if the a/c was running and he turned on another appliance that it was very possible to trip a breaker if running n 20 amp circuit. He insist it is because he needs freon. I asked if the unit was freezing up? He didn't reply to specific question but continuously cursed and somewhat bullied me on the phone. This morning my tech went back out there, the guy is still drinking straight whiskey btw (carrying his bottle around). Tech checked a/c out and couldn't see a problem with it. Sub-cooling is registering fine and unit does not need freon. He let it run 45 min while he was there and it didn't trip breaker. The guy turned on microwave and BAM, he lost power to fifth wheel. He started cussing tech and told him that he used the microwave all the time before and never had a problem until he turned on a/c so it has to be the a/c. Tech told him "NO, it is your electric service". Now he is mad at electric company and doesn't seem to understand he just needs an electrician to install an larger circuit for him to plug into but he's off my back! How do you get a drunk to understand??? OMG, it has been experience dealing with this man. Sorry, I just needed to vent...

[jetboater454]

Yes,your tech was wrong for not fixing the main problem. He should of just unplugged the microwave.:B:B:B

Sorry just had to say that.You and your tech have way more courtesy than just about every place I've ever dealt with. You and the tech went way beyond what you had to do.Kudos to your shop. I wouldn't of been able to work at all with the drunk following me around.

[Dave_H_M]

Hmmmmm, all the more reason to keep an unopened bottle of diet coke in the tool box. :B

[FlatBroke]

Some bartenders make very good money dealing with stupid drunks. :W

[ryhed]

lol

[Reddog1]

Many times you can reason with a drunk, but seldom can you reason with stupid. If someone is drunk AND stupid not much chance for reason.

I see being stupid drunk as only a degree of being drunk. Very different than being stupid and drunk, which the stupid part is usually a permanent condition.

[ddschuman]

We live in a very small town (a lot like Mayberry on the Andy Griffith Show) and do our best to maintain customer satisfaction. You are all correct, you can't satisfy a drunk, nor can you reason with one. Trust me, that lesson will forever be embedded in my brain! I learned a long time ago that you have to handle certain people a certain way and do not normally let things get to me so bad but I have never been cursed the way this "dude" did. Lol...he is not a man as a man would show more respect than that. I handled him as professionally as I could and never lost my cool. My reason for posting here was 1) to vent a little, 2) I knew if my theory was wrong someone would correct me and 3) if I/my tech was correct perhaps it would help someone who didn't know and read this post. Thank you all for letting me vent.

[ryhed]

Ha, you called him a man. As george jones would say " A man can be a drunk sometimes but a drunk can't be a man". Walk away and chalk it up to experience is all I would do. You can block his number by landline or get mr number app for cell phones. I understand if you don't want to do that for good business practice but that boy already wrote himself off. You can't fix stupid and if you argue with stupidity it just brings you down to their level.

[greende]

Read through this post. Have to agree that the OP went way beyond the call of duty here. Having worked in an Emergency Room for 15 years I have realized several things: Can't reason with a drunk, Can't make a drunk listen and You can't fix stupid :).

[Tom_Diane]

Reddog1 wrote:
I am not so sure the issue was his being drunk, so much as it was his being stupid. A drunk will get over it, but stupid person rarely does.

You showed a lot of restraint in dealing with the guy. Had it been me, in your position or your Tech's, I could not have posted my response less it be deleted.

I too typically use a 20-amp service, through my Honda 2000 or when plugged in at home. If I run my A/C it is obvious I can't run the microwave, hair dryer or big power draw device. Makes no difference how much I drink.

Wayne

Uh, Stupid drunk or drunk AND stupid

[Reddog1]

I am not so sure the issue was his being drunk, so much as it was his being stupid. A drunk will get over it, but stupid person rarely does.

You showed a lot of restraint in dealing with the guy. Had it been me, in your position or your Tech's, I could not have posted my response less it be deleted.

I too typically use a 20-amp service, through my Honda 2000 or when plugged in at home. If I run my A/C it is obvious I can't run the microwave, hair dryer or big power draw device. Makes no difference how much I drink.

Wayne

[jorn]

Now we know why he was probably *sent* out there to live in a trailer alone. 😉

[time2roll]

I would have recommended verifying voltage in the RV.
Otherwise yes the whiskey man needs 50a service.

[ddschuman]

Yes, I know you can run a/c on 20 amps but you cannot run microwave simultaneously or it will trip. As well, you can't run blow dryer etc. at the same time. I truly believe this guy is overloading the circuit and doesn't believe us when we tell him he just needs a larger circuit to plug into. I don't believe I have ever said this about any customer but I really hope to never hear from this guy again unless he dries up and gains some sense about him. I don't take to kindly to being cursed at.

[workhardplayha1]

I have run mine on a 20 amp but that is all that can be run.