โMay-23-2013 09:33 AM
โMay-27-2013 06:54 PM
Olive600 wrote:
Thank you, your response helps a lot. Now I feel like I have the whole picture. I also understand my particular situation better. I need to:
1. find out if the /circuit I'm using has anything else on it. My washing machine is inside the house and too far away from the RV to be useful.
This is important if a fan or washing machine robs volts/drops your volts below 108 or causing an overload and tripping the breaker.
2. check the power in the RV when I'm running the RV from the house outlet by plugging in a voltmeter. The reading should not drop below 108v.
Absolutely correct.
I checked my extension cord. It's 30amp, 125v, 3750watts. The label says it's for RV use. I think it's about 25ft long. Maybe a bit longer.
Thank you to everyone who has responded. I feel fully informed now.
โMay-27-2013 05:27 PM
โMay-27-2013 05:06 PM
โMay-27-2013 04:33 PM
fla-gypsy wrote:
insufficient amperage (under 20A the breaker will trip).
โMay-24-2013 04:07 PM
kaydeejay wrote:May not be the homeowner...may not have the resources to get it done, lots of reasons and IMO, no ones business but hers.Olive600 wrote:Just curious as to why you would not get an RV outlet installed. Then you would never need worry about this situation ever again. You could run the A/C and other appliances up to the 30A limit of your circuit breaker just as if you were at a campground.
Thank you everyone. I do not have a "special RV line" at my house. It's unlikely that I will get one.
If your electrical panel is not too far from where you would want such an outlet, installation costs should not be through the roof.
Bob & Betsy - USN Aviation Ret'd '78 & LEO Ret'd '03 & "Oath Keeper Forever"
โMay-24-2013 03:54 PM
kaydeejay wrote:I have TWO 30A RV circuits near my breaker panel for when friends come to visit.
Just curious as to why you would not get an RV outlet installed. Then you would never need worry about this situation ever again. You could run the A/C and other appliances up to the 30A limit of your circuit breaker just as if you were at a campground.
If your electrical panel is not too far from where you would want such an outlet, installation costs should not be through the roof.
โMay-24-2013 12:51 PM
โMay-24-2013 11:29 AM
Olive600 wrote:Just curious as to why you would not get an RV outlet installed. Then you would never need worry about this situation ever again. You could run the A/C and other appliances up to the 30A limit of your circuit breaker just as if you were at a campground.
Thank you everyone. I do not have a "special RV line" at my house. It's unlikely that I will get one.
โMay-23-2013 03:39 PM
โMay-23-2013 01:20 PM
PUCampin wrote:
Depending on the age of the house, outdoor outlets might be on a dedicated circuit, and other garage outlets may also be on a dedicated circuit (even if the washer is inside the house) My home was built in 1981, and code at the time did not require outside or garage outlets to be on dedicated circuits, but I believe more recent code does require it. So if the house is newer you may have that already. If not, find which breaker controls the outlet your RV is plugged into. When it is off, see what else in the house is off. Walk around with a small desk lamp and try plugging it in to various outlets to test. Most likely to be affected are outlets inside rooms adjcent to the outside outlet.
โMay-23-2013 01:07 PM
โMay-23-2013 12:29 PM
PUCampin wrote:
Olive600 - I have a very similar situation at my house. I park my Trailer on the side of my house where there is a standard receptacle. My Trailer has the standard 30A 120V cord and plug. I like to use my trailer for a guest house for my aunt, I like to have the fridge on, and very occasionally use the air conditioner. Here is what I do and why.
1. Most of the time I just want to charge the batteries, run the lights, and the fridge. These things do not use a lot of power. I use a short adapter cord, sometimes called a pigtail, that I plug into the receptacle on the side of my house and plug my RV cable into that pigtail. This works great as long as I only charge the batteries, run lights and the fridge. This receptacle on the side of my house is part of a larger circuit that includes my daughter's bedroom, son's bedroom, the living room and some lights in the house. With all these other things on the same circuit, if I tried to run the AC in the trailer I would have problems.
2. If I really need to run the AC this is what I do. I unplug the pigtail from the receptacle on the side of my house, go into the garage an plug it in to the receptacle where my washing machine is plug in. This is a dedicated circuit, required by code. There is nothing else on this circuit, just the washing maching (and dryer if you have a gas dryer) I do have to add a short heavy duty extension cord because it is further away. I can then run the AC and whatever else in the trailer with no problems.
So why can I run the AC when pluged in to the washer outlet but not the one on the side of the house? Because the washer outlet is dedicated. There are no other outlets, no lights, nothing else. The one on the side of the house shares the circuit with a bunch of other stuff, any of which can be on at the same time.
If I try to turn on the AC while plugged in to the side of the house, there will be too many things on and it can trip the breaker. However, it MAY NOT automatically trip the breaker, but can cause the voltage to sag too low which can damage the AC. This is why you have been told plugging in to a regular outlet will burn up the AC, because it is possible.
Plugged into the washer outlet, with nothing else needing power, the voltage will not sag much if at all, it will not damage your AC, and will not pop the breaker.
If you try to run the AC, the fridge on 120V, the water heater on 120V, charging the battery, and running a microwave, yea you will probably trip the breaker, but with a little common sense it is no issue.
Hope this helps some.
โMay-23-2013 11:51 AM
โMay-23-2013 11:38 AM