Refrigerator question??

[stew9483]

Hey all, trying to get the Class C ready for a trip this weekend and wanted to plug our camper into our house receptacle so that I could cool down the refrigerator before we leave. I dont use propane that much. I have a 16 gauge outdoor electrical cord that is good to a 125 volts. Is this ok to use to just to cool down the refrigerator if I dont turn anything else on or do I need a bigger cord? Please help, I dont want to burn my camper down. Its a 2015 Thor Cheateau by the way and the refrigerator is a Norcold regular size, not residential size. Thank you all for any info you can share.

[Bordercollie]

Do you mean that you need 5o-foot extension in addition to your RV's shore power cable? If so, get a heavy duty extension from an RV supply place. The fridge, operating on electric mode, does not draw a lot of power. Buy a simple plug in line voltage monitor and keep an eye on voltage under load. Operating appliances below 100 volts may damage the appliance. I was able to run the roof AC unit on an extension cord except when local line voltage dropped on hot days when homes were running their AC units. I finally had a dedicated RV outlet installed on the outside of the garage during a remodel. Make sure rig is nearly level when running fridge for extended times, much off level running will shorten the life of the cooling unit.

[mlts22]

I would just use a 30 amp (10/3) extension cord, and if needed a 15/20 amp to 30 amp adapter (get a "dogbone" type... the ceramic ones can get hot.) I have a 25 foot and a 50 foot. Even with this, should I run my fridge on electric, I will lose about 1.25 volts, factoring in the 25 feet from the built in cord... which isn't that much.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Just get a 25 foot #10 and use it with the existing shore power cord.

For the fridge only #16 cord would be just fine. If the converter is a small one--it would also be just fine.

[stew9483]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Its about a 50 foot distance to my RV from the house. So I am going to go get a better electric cord.

[DrewE]

16 gauge should be okay if the batteries are reasonably close to being charged (and hence the converter isn't consuming a few hundred watts). Do double-check that the electric water heater is turned off (if you have one), and avoid using other high-draw items like the microwave or air conditioner or an electric space heater or an electric fireplace or....

I think it's worthwhile to buy a 10 or 12 gauge extension cord for the motorhome; there are times when you may want or need it when camping because the power available is not next to where you wish to park. It can also be handy for operating whatever devices might need operating from the exterior outlet of the RV.

[Old-Biscuit]

Plug in------turn on

Check cord/plug 1 hr later....is it getting hot?




And if you are going to run that RV Fridge..........is your rig LEVEL!!!!!

Off level fridge operation will KILL the fridge cooling unit.

[downtheroad]

Might be ok but then.....
You have an RV. Run over to Home Depot and get a decent extension cord and be done with it. A good, heavy duty extension cord to me is just a basic....can be used for lots of stuff beside the RV as well.

[Old_Crows]

I've done exactly that. Heavy / medium duty drop cord. Short as possible. If the fridge is cold it won't be on a lot. If coach batteries are well charged the charger will not use a lot of power.

Almost all the lights & amenities are 12V and the batteries will carry the load via the charger.

Do not use the microwave or AC.

[tpi]

A problem you have it is difficult to pin down exactly how much power the RV will consume. The refrigerator draws probably 350 watts max. But depending on battery charge level and installed power converter, the RV could draw over 1000 watts total.

Length of the cord is important as quite a bit of voltage drop under higher current applications. Also would be margin of safety of connector ends if they were not perfect.

I'd probably feel OK about it if I knew for certain the batteries were fully charged, or the converter/charger was turned off. And no other loads in play but the fridge.

[Perick]

16 gauge is really just a light duty cord. I think the lightest cord I would use is a 12 gauge. I use a 10 gauge cord to hook mine up to the house, but I can run the entire camper off of it.
Edit: Found a few links... you'll have to decide for yourself if you want to roll the dice with it.
http://rvandcamper.org/2013/08/04/rv-info-how-much-current-do-your-rv-appliances-draw/

Home Depot also has a handy chart that shows what different cords can handle:
http://www.homedepot.com/c/factors_to_consider_when_choosing_extension_cords_HT_BG_EL

I would still err on the side of caution and go for a 12 or 14 gauge at least but that's just me. My 10 gauge is handy because I can use it to hook the camper up when I'm just too far away for my normal cord.