No AC unless 30 amps

[beaubeau]

Posting for a friend ...
She has a new Jayco Melbourne. It’s on a Sprinter chassis.
Her AC works fine if she’s plugged into a 30 amp circuit (her RV doesn’t have a 50 amp plug).
But plugged into 20 amp it will run for a few minutes only.
So her husband bought a splitter from camping world meant to plug into to 2 110 outlets and combine them into 30 amps.
Same problem.
Any ideas?
This is what the splitter looks like in use

[Isaac-1]

Just to clarify here for those that are following along, that combiner cord is designed to let a 50 amp 4 wire (2 hots, 1 neutral and 1 ground) RV plug to plug into a pair of 30 amp 3 wire (1 hot, 1 neutral and 1 ground) outlets, in this case with a pair of 30 to 15 amp adapters. The 2 hots would feed to each side of the 50 amp RV, they would not be combined, half the breakers in the breaker box would get power from one side and half from the other.

Now where the problem comes in is the next dogbone adapter in line is to let a 3 wire 30 amp RV plug into a 4wire 50 amp outlet. This works by connecting the single hot line in the 30 amp plug to only 1 of the 2 hots in the 50 amp outlet. If it were to connect to both we would have a direct short and and instant breaker trip since there is 240volts across line to line in a 50 amp RV outlet.

[CA_Traveler]

BTW 30A RV extensions cords are available in Walmart etc and 25' should be OK.

[CA_Traveler]

time2roll wrote:
With the extra adapter I assume the splitter is 2x 30a to 50 amp. This will not combine power. Actually you are drawing power from only one side of the 50a and likewise from only one cord.

I don't think amps is the issue as much as voltage. Those extension cords look a bit thin and maybe too long. Red cord is maybe OK but should be #12 wire minimum. Check and monitor voltage in the RV. You are looking for 108+ when running. Post your findings.

X2 Good and correct advice. The splitter also known as a cheater cord is for a different application, namely 20A and 30A pedestal plugs to a 50A RV power cord and not adapted to a 30A rig.

Use a 20/30 adapter and plug the rig into a 20A plug especially a dedicated 20A plug and the A/C should be OK. Or use a 10 gauge extension cord as short as possible and not those more common extension cords in the picture.

[newman_fulltime]

To small of extension chords

[ksg5000]

When I run air conditioner on 20 amp I make sure that the hot water and fridge are running on propane and turn off high demand items like microwave and hair dryers etc.

[j-d]

I couldn't find that A-Dapter on CW, so let me check:

The Orange and the Red extension cords are plugged into 15A/120V outlets...
The RV's 30A/120V campground power cable runs off the bottom right of the picture...

Now my questions...
In front of the man's right foot, is that TWO adapters plugged together?
Are the outlets the Orange and Red cords plugged into, on SEPARATE 120V circuits?

When it quits on the 20A circuit, what kind of adapter(s) and extension cord(s) are being used?
Is anything but the RV on the 20A circuit?

Have your friend look at the "A/C" Breaker in the RV's load center. If it's 20A, the A/C should run on a 20A circuit with a good breaker and no other loads but the RV. IF it's a good adapter and connected to the RV's cable. Cheap adapters and light duty extension cords won't pass enough current for an A/C.

I find it hard to believe a gizmo exists that'll piggyback two 15A circuits into one 30A circuit, all at 120V.

[Isaac-1]

My guess is too thin and too long of extension cord causing voltage drop when the air conditioner comes on, then there may be an EMS system that shuts it down on low voltage to save the air conditioner from burning out.

A better solution would be a 30 amp rated extension cord with the 30 amp to 15 amp dogbone located near the outlet. Don't use one of those 30 to 15 puck adapters running an air conditioner as they tend to overheat.

p.s. that 30 to 50 amp dogbone in the middle only draws power from one side of the 50 amp plug. So no power is coming through that second extension cord.

[BB_TX]

What do you mean by “run for a few minutes only”? Does it trip a breaker?

[donn0128]

If he is attempting to plug into two 20A outlets that are next to each other, he is still plugging into a 20A breaker. Likely any outlets in his garage or outside will alp be on a single 20A breaker. So, he wasted his money. 13.5K BTU AC will have a locked or starting rotor draw of around 3000 watts. Add in the converter drawing XX amps, the refer drawing 600 watts and its no wonder it trips.

[sgip2000]

beaubeau wrote:
Posting for a friend ...
She has a new Jayco Melbourne. It’s on a Sprinter chassis.
Her AC works fine if she’s plugged into a 30 amp circuit (her RV doesn’t have a 50 amp plug).
But plugged into 20 amp it will run for a few minutes only.
So her husband bought a splitter from camping world meant to plug into to 2 110 outlets and combine them into 30 amps.
Same problem.
Any ideas?
This is what the splitter looks like in use

If both are plugged into the same circuit, it won't make a difference.

[time2roll]

With the extra adapter I assume the splitter is 2x 30a to 50 amp. This will not combine power. Actually you are drawing power from only one side of the 50a and likewise from only one cord.

I don't think amps is the issue as much as voltage. Those extension cords look a bit thin and maybe too long. Red cord is maybe OK but should be #12 wire minimum. Check and monitor voltage in the RV. You are looking for 108+ when running. Post your findings.

[Mich_F]

An air conditioner should work fine on a 20 amp circuit unless it's a GFCI protected circuit or something is wrong with the air conditioner or other things are also running on the same circuit.