a couple more questions for those with knowledge

[sneakygroundbuz]

i have a couple more questions
i have searched the site and didnt find answers for them.

our travel trailer is a 2017 heritage glen 282rk
we are new to this type of camping(our first travel trailer)
it has a residential fridge. 30 amp service.

first off, i am wondering will the batteries in my travel trailer will charge when plugged into shore power?

second, i am wanting to get an extension cord so that i can plug the trailer in when it is at home(we dont have a 30 amp connector),we want to be able to plug it in and cool the fridge down before we head out on the road.
i need one that i can plug into a standard house hold outlet. it needs to be about 50-75 feet as the trailer will be parked on the street(when not at the storage unit) because we dont have room in our yard for it.
i have done some research and found that it says i need it to be a 10 gauge wired cord.but all of them that i look at say they only handle 15 amps. so i am confused to what i really need to get.

i know i would need to also get a dog bone adapter to make it work on the trailer.

as always i thank you in advance for your input

[myredracer]

Here's what I think on extension cords. I'd start with investing in a good quality one.

Get one in a single length if possible to avoid using several shorter ones to make up your 75' length. Every plug/connector connection is a potential source for adding resistance and increasing voltage drop, and overheating (see below). Standard lengths are 50 & 100' so better to use a 50' cord if you can.

Get a cord that is UL/CSA listed. Extension cords are not required to have UL/CSA ratings. If not "listed", a manufacturer can make any claim they want about them and labels like "extra heavy duty", "commercial grade", "durable", etc. can mean nothing. There are a number of different insulation jacket types as explained here.. The best extension cord (besides the time & money) would be to buy the cord with the jacket type you want and then add your own commercial spec-grade plug & connector. You could do a custom length this way too.

Always turn power off before plugging in. If you don't, there is an inrush current caused by the converter/charger that will cause pitting and attract dirt on plug & connector contact surfaces and eventually lead to an overheating connection. In the beginning, I had two (cheapo ones) go up in smoke where I plugged the 30/15 adapter into the extension cord and I only had max converter/charger + fridge running. Keep all your plug blades clean with sandpaper as needed.

A fridge on electric has a 300 watt element and will draw less than 3 amps on 120 volts. But if the converter/charger happened to be in charging mode (like after using elec. jacks or not kept plugged in) you could be drawing 10+ amps. A cord should be min. 12 gauge for 50-75'. On voltage drop, you also have the length of wire from the house's receptacle to the main panel (*could* add another 50-100'), plus extension cord plus the shore power could and you might have 200' or so of overall wire. A #10 cord would be better but would be a pain to lay out every time just for the fridge.

A permanent voltmeter inside your TT is a very good "tool" to have to keep an eye on voltage. Could be plug-in or hardwired and LED type is better. I would never camp without one since CG voltage can vary a lot and sometimes be dangerously low (below 102-104 volts).

On charging, if a WFCO converter/charger, they are known to sometimes fail prematurely and can even damage batteries (happened to us). Over the winter I would take the battery(s) inside and keep it/them on a maintainer. You want your converter/charger running all the time otherwise there are parasitic loads that will discharge the battery in a matter of days. If you can't plug into 120 volts, disconnect the battery (some add a battery switch).

[wa8yxm]

sneakygroundbuzzard wrote:
i have a couple more questions
i have searched the site and didnt find answers for them.

our travel trailer is a 2017 heritage glen 282rk
we are new to this type of camping(our first travel trailer)
it has a residential fridge. 30 amp service.

first off, i am wondering will the batteries in my travel trailer will charge when plugged into shore power?

They SHOULD though if something is broken they will not, OH if you have a battery disconnect switch (Use/store or Disconnece) I m ust be CONNECTED (use) to charge

second, i am wanting to get an extension cord so that i can plug the trailer in when it is at home(we dont have a 30 amp connector),we want to be able to plug it in and cool the fridge down before we head out on the road.

I would recommend a 12 gauge. You can find those at the big box stores. SEARS and K-Mart sell one with a push button on the outlet. That is what I use. I like that button.

i know i would need to also get a dog bone adapter to make it work on the trailer.

Yes You will need that.

as always i thank you in advance for your input

You are welcome

[Gdetrailer]

sneakygroundbuzzard wrote:
i have a couple more questions
i have searched the site and didnt find answers for them.

our travel trailer is a 2017 heritage glen 282rk
we are new to this type of camping(our first travel trailer)
it has a residential fridge. 30 amp service.

first off, i am wondering will the batteries in my travel trailer will charge when plugged into shore power?

second, i am wanting to get an extension cord so that i can plug the trailer in when it is at home(we dont have a 30 amp connector),we want to be able to plug it in and cool the fridge down before we head out on the road.
i need one that i can plug into a standard house hold outlet. it needs to be about 50-75 feet as the trailer will be parked on the street(when not at the storage unit) because we dont have room in our yard for it.
i have done some research and found that it says i need it to be a 10 gauge wired cord.but all of them that i look at say they only handle 15 amps. so i am confused to what i really need to get.

i know i would need to also get a dog bone adapter to make it work on the trailer.

as always i thank you in advance for your input

Residential fridge does not require a long cool down period. It WILL be ready to go in one cooling cycle which should be no more than 30 minutes. Unlike a RV fridge which can tale 12-24 hrs..

As far as an 10 ga extension cord, yeah, the ones you are looking at are junk if they state 15A..

Some the 10 ga cords you find have standard 15A plugs on one or both ends which is often why the are rated as 15A. Those cords are sold for contractor use to reduce the voltage drop on extremely long extension cords with high current draw tools that might need to be used in construction.

What you are wanting is a RV extension which has the RV 30A plug/socket on the ends..

Like this..



Then for plugging into the house you want a 15A-30A RV adapter cable..

like this..



However, do not use this..



These tend to be of poor quality and often melt or damage your 30A plug..

The adapter cable gives space between the 15A plug and the 30A socket which reduces the heating on the 30A socket.

You may have an issue finding a ready made 75ft RV cord , 25ft and 50ft are.

Keep in mind, your trailer should have 25-30ft worth of shore cord so in that case, a 50ft extension should work.

However, if you need more extension, you may need to consider a 50A extension with appropriate adapters on each end.. The reason to upsize is if you want to run say your A/C unit you might want to reduce the voltage drop across the extension..

OR, you can by 75 ft of 8 ga extension cord wire and add your own 30A RV plug and socket (yes, you can buy the 30A plug and socket ends)..

[ppine]

Most garage circuits are 20 amps (12 gauge wire). Park your rig close to the hosue if you can to recharge and use a short extension cord to reduce voltage drop. Turn off everything you can to reduce the load. You can charge your batteries and run your refer at the same time with 20 amps on a 30 amp trailer.

[toedtoes]

I ended up buying a 30amp extension cord (50ft) and a dogbone to connect it at the household 15/20amp outlet. Worked much better than the 15/20amp extension cord as it allowed me to use a vacuum, fan, portable heater, etc., while I was prepping for a trip or cleaning up afterwards. The 15/20amp cord would get hot to the touch if I ran any two items. The 30 amp does not get hot at all.

I have since installed a 30amp pedestal and given my 30 amp extension cord to a friend who just bought a motorhome.

[Lwiddis]

Who talked you into a residential fridge? Avoid their advice in the future.

[sneakygroundbuz]

thanks everyone for your input

i will buy a high quality cord for this,now that i know that a 15 amp rated cord is enough.

naturist: if that happens,that knucklehead would be me doing it lol
wife already told me,its up to me to make it ready to go camping with.

[agesilaus]

BTW that residential fridge will drain your battery quickly if you try to run on the battery.

[naturist]

What they said. You only need a 30 amp connection to run the AC, microwave, TV, and lights at the same time. The fridge and converter to charge the battery will be fine on 15 amps. If some knucklehead flips on the AC, It'll trip the breaker in the house, and you'll have to reset it. Big deal.

[agesilaus]

Your household circuit is only 15 or maybe 20 amps, you would have to get a 30 amp circuit wired into your breaker box and then use a 30 amp extension cord: Amazon

Do not try to run the air conditioner in the rv on a 15 amp circuit. You can get a 15 to 30 amp adapter but it will still only supply 15 amp.

[kerrlakeRoo]

A heavy duty extension rated at 15 amps, with an adapter for your 30 amp connection is what you need. It will handle lights and the converter as well as the resi frige. Trying to run the AC at the same time likely won't work.

[MrWizard]

for just the fridge, a good 12ga cord is enough
just be sure the water heater is off, and NO air conditioning, no electric heaters
just the fridge, and the converter charging the battery

you only need 10ga and 30 amps to power the big stuff in the TT
that fridge will need less than 2amps running and about 10amps surge on startup