We are in the research mode to purchase our truck camper. But I have a question and hope some of you seasoned tc campers can give me info? With the correct adapters, how much can you run when you are hooked up to a house with 20 amp service. I am looking for how many items can you use? AC, micro, stuff like that? We are hoping on camping in family and friends driveways and yards and I just want to know what to expect. Thanks
Thanks everyone for your replies. I love this forum where I know I can come with my "dump" questions, that you have probably heard over and over again, and get some good info. Have a good one! Laurie in Fl.
My AC draws less than 7 amps when running, so only starting up require turning other stuff off. Once AC is on, I can run microwave even on 15 amp circuit.
Buzzcut1 wrote: I can run everthing when plugged into the side of my house
As do I. I use a 12 ga extension cord, about 20 to 30 feet, with typical 15 amp male and female ends. It has been working for over 15 years, at home and when visiting relatives. Gotta confess, I do not recall if I have ever ran the microwave and A/C at the same time. My A/C is a 9200 btu Polar Cub, which only uses about 9 amps as I recall.
It's better to add a 30 amp, but I ran everything before I put in the 30. There are some YouTube videos on how to. I paid an electrician because I was upgrading my service anyway.
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CA Traveler wrote: One heavy draw item at a time should be OK.
BUT Few homes actually have 20A plugs. Most likely they have a 20A circuit with multiple 15A plugs on that circuit. That means you have to share the power with whatever else is running in the house. That might be very little or it might be a significant draw.
So talk to the owner and see if you can identify a lightly loaded circuit to use and don't be surprised if you just get a blank stare.
Plus the length and size on your extension cord is a factor. The shorter and bigger the less voltage drop. Therefore buy a 10 ga 50' extension cord for under $100. Price is not a factor as you don't have CG fees.
x2 - we had a randomly occurring breaker flipping problem when plugged into a friend's garage outlet until we figured out that his freezer in the basement was on the same circuit.
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BUT Few homes actually have 20A plugs. Most likely they have a 20A circuit with multiple 15A plugs on that circuit. That means you have to share the power with whatever else is running in the house. That might be very little or it might be a significant draw.
So talk to the owner and see if you can identify a lightly loaded circuit to use and don't be surprised if you just get a blank stare.
Plus the length and size on your extension cord is a factor. The shorter and bigger the less voltage drop. Therefore buy a 10 ga 50' extension cord for under $100. Price is not a factor as you don't have CG fees.
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If you are plugged into a 20 amp, 110v service. You can use everything but the a/c. You would also want to watch how much you had on at any given time, but it should run fine.
