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Old 06-14-2022, 08:39 AM   #1
Johnsonty131
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House AC went out can I run ac from 20 amp gfci

Long story short ac part for house won’t be here till Saturday. 2021 keystone hideout 176bh says ac BTU is only 13,000.Can I safely run this from my normal house outlet? (I have the dog ear adapter for the 15 amp to 30)
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Old 06-14-2022, 08:59 AM   #2
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Short answer is yes. Just make sure you aren’t trying to share anything else on the house circuit so you don’t trip the house breaker. Also, if you can get away without charging the battery or using the converter, trip the breaker for that. The converter actually has a pretty big draw
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Old 06-14-2022, 09:26 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by bsmith0404 View Post
Short answer is yes. Just make sure you aren’t trying to share anything else on the house circuit so you don’t trip the house breaker. Also, if you can get away without charging the battery or using the converter, trip the breaker for that. The converter actually has a pretty big draw
Sorry about that. Not sure why I said dryer. Totally dumb question I asked.. Thanks for not beating me up on that...
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Old 06-14-2022, 09:35 AM   #4
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Quick question regarding this? Can you use the dryer circuit? Most are 30 amp... And similar plug. Just throwing it out there. Not an electician. Used this method in the past to back feed power from generator. Thought it might work going out...
If it’s a 3 pin 30A, NO. It’s 240v and will do some serious damage to the RV
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Old 06-14-2022, 09:36 AM   #5
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Unless that dryer circuit is a 120 volt outlet, DO NOT USE IT!! It most likely is a 240 volt outlet, and you will destroy everything in your RV.
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Old 06-14-2022, 09:40 AM   #6
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Long story short ac part for house won’t be here till Saturday. 2021 keystone hideout 176bh says ac BTU is only 13,000.Can I safely run this from my normal house outlet? (I have the dog ear adapter for the 15 amp to 30)
i’d wire a dedicated 30 amp outlet…go to home depot and buy the supplies and call an electrician..if you have a open basement or easy run from the panel it shouldn’t cost more then a few to several hundred dollars and then your perfect.. at least buy the outlet so it’s on hand..the electrician probably has everything else on his truck
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Old 06-14-2022, 09:43 AM   #7
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i’d wire a dedicated 30 amp outlet…go to home depot and buy the supplies and call an electrician..if you have a open basement or easy run from the panel it shouldn’t cost more then a few to several hundred dollars and then your perfect.. at least buy the outlet so it’s on hand..the electrician probably has everything else on his truck
If you’re going to get a dedicated RV outlet, go with a 50A and dog bone down to 30A to run your current RV. If you upgrade to a 50A RV in the future, you’re set.
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Old 06-14-2022, 09:45 AM   #8
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Long story short ac part for house won’t be here till Saturday. 2021 keystone hideout 176bh says ac BTU is only 13,000.Can I safely run this from my normal house outlet? (I have the dog ear adapter for the 15 amp to 30)
What brand/model air conditioner in your camper? How long an extension cord will you need to run off a house outlet?
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Old 06-14-2022, 09:47 AM   #9
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Long story short ac part for house won’t be here till Saturday. 2021 keystone hideout 176bh says ac BTU is only 13,000.Can I safely run this from my normal house outlet? (I have the dog ear adapter for the 15 amp to 30)


You can....but;

If you are plugging it into a 15A outlet you will be on the verge of overloading that circuit every time the compressor kicks on. You could damage the compressor but more importantly you could overload that circuit and cause various problems. I tried that many years ago; about 30', 12 ga. extension cord on 20A dedicated circuit and one 13.5k btu A/C. After about a month for some reason I checked the outlet the extension cord was plugged into; both the extension cord plug and receptacle were brown and partially melted from heat. I did not have the converter turned off.

So, can it be done? Yes...probably. Is it a good mode to be operating in? No.
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Old 06-14-2022, 10:03 AM   #10
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You can....but;

If you are plugging it into a 15A outlet you will be on the verge of overloading that circuit every time the compressor kicks on. You could damage the compressor but more importantly you could overload that circuit and cause various problems. I tried that many years ago; about 30', 12 ga. extension cord on 20A dedicated circuit and one 13.5k btu A/C. After about a month for some reason I checked the outlet the extension cord was plugged into; both the extension cord plug and receptacle were brown and partially melted from heat. I did not have the converter turned off.

So, can it be done? Yes...probably. Is it a good mode to be operating in? No.
This is why I mentioned turning off the converter. As he pointed out, a lot of heat will build up if you are overloading the circuit. One would hope the house breaker would trip before any damage was done. The converter draws about 7A, the AC around 14A, surge to around 17A when it kicks on. (Newer ones may be less than that). You do the math. I can tell you my 4500W gen will run one AC, converter, and the microwave in my RV (2013) without any problem and only be at 75% capacity. It won’t run the AC alone in an old 1976 Holiday Rambler I have, it trips the gen breaker before it has a chance to wind up when the AC tries to kick in. AC works fine plugged into shore power. Since you’re RV is newer, I think you’ll be fine, but would definitely trip the breaker on the converter if you can. All the 12v stuff will runoff the batteries (including the thermostat) in the evenings when it cooler and you don’t need the AC, turn it off and turn the converter back on to charge the battery overnight.
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Old 06-14-2022, 10:38 AM   #11
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Pretty sure the AC he has is a (window) AC like my RD model. I run it all the time at home on 20 amp getting ready for a trip. now trying to run microwave\ skillet at same time would be an issue.
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Old 06-14-2022, 12:01 PM   #12
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Thank you guys. I think I will have to hook up to my 20a outlet for a couple nights as I think it will be fine if I trip converter. Also I’m in Texas so I will just set thermostat where it stays on constantly during the night instead of coming on an off. I will have to use an extension cord but it is the exact kind that’s already on camper (the black thick one). Only doin this for 2 nights hopefully. I have the rooftop ac. Some sites say it’s only 8,000 btu and others say 13500
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Old 06-14-2022, 12:18 PM   #13
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Thank you guys. I think I will have to hook up to my 20a outlet for a couple nights as I think it will be fine if I trip converter. Also I’m in Texas so I will just set thermostat where it stays on constantly during the night instead of coming on an off. I will have to use an extension cord but it is the exact kind that’s already on camper (the black thick one). Only doin this for 2 nights hopefully

I think you'll be fine for 2 nights. I don't know about Killeen lately but it's been over 100 here in W TX for the last several days. I think I would turn the A/C on and just leave it. If you turn it off all day long and let the heat build up inside it will have a really hard time trying to cool down for the evening. The cable should be fine fine (sounds like the regular power cable) but just keep an eye on that plug/receptacle and adapter for heat or discoloration. If it is 20A that will be considerably better than a 15A. Hopefully your parts come in sooner rather than later.
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Old 06-14-2022, 12:33 PM   #14
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I missed you were in Killeen! I have a nephew that lives down the street in Pidcoke! Need to visit there soon! good luck!
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Old 06-14-2022, 12:35 PM   #15
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Pretty sure the AC he has is a (window) AC like my RD model. I run it all the time at home on 20 amp getting ready for a trip. now trying to run microwave\ skillet at same time would be an issue.
oops just looked up his trailer he does have roof air!
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Old 06-14-2022, 12:42 PM   #16
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Don't use a generic cheap extension cord. Most extension cords are 16ga, sometimes smaller. Use a minimum of a 12ga cord of you're planning on running on power for an extended period.

Thermal magnetic breaker trip curves area pretty crazy. Most can run up to almost 200% and never trip if you're running a resistive load like a space heater. Motor loads have inrush and will trip on the magnetic, not thermal.
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Old 06-14-2022, 12:46 PM   #17
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Yes I have ext cord that looks like the ones attached to rv. I’m guessing 10 gauge
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Old 06-14-2022, 01:30 PM   #18
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The weather down here in Medina County has been nasty for the past week or two. Low 100s and that wind is gusty off the SSW (Chihuan Desert) . Kinda dusty as well. When someone asks if it is OK to run an A/C on a 15A or 20A plug, the answer can't be immediate. A 13.5K BTU Coleman Mach 3 Plus may be what the OP has in his camper and they are listed as 15.3A full load. That is why I asked about which make/model of A/C and what type cord. The length of the cord has best not be too long and if he plugs into a 15A outlet, well, no bueno. With our converter on, if memory serves, we draw 5A? If you plug into the camper with some sort of adapter, how do you "turn off" your converter?
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Old 06-14-2022, 01:41 PM   #19
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The weather down here in Medina County has been nasty for the past week or two. Low 100s and that wind is gusty off the SSW (Chihuan Desert) . Kinda dusty as well. When someone asks if it is OK to run an A/C on a 15A or 20A plug, the answer can't be immediate. A 13.5K BTU Coleman Mach 3 Plus may be what the OP has in his camper and they are listed as 15.3A full load. That is why I asked about which make/model of A/C and what type cord. The length of the cord has best not be too long and if he plugs into a 15A outlet, well, no bueno. With our converter on, if memory serves, we draw 5A? If you plug into the camper with some sort of adapter, how do you "turn off" your converter?
The OP is plugging into 20A breaker on the house. He is using an RV 30A extension cord. His AC should be a GE and will run on about 13A. The converter has its own breaker in the breaker panel that can be tripped…..at least the 4 RVs I have at the house right now all do.
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Old 06-14-2022, 02:01 PM   #20
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IF it's a 20 amp circuit AND IF there's nothing else running on that circuit THEN you should be ok running the a/c and the converter IF you are using a 30 amp extension cord AND a 30 amp to 15 amp QUALITY dog bone adapter.

First, confirm that the circuit is fact 20 amp by locating the circuit breaker in the house. Plug in a fan or radio or table into that outlet and turn the breaker off. Then check around and confirm that nothing else isn't working. Once that's completed plug in the camper and monitor that 15 amp plug on the dog bone adapter for heat. That plug will be the "weakest link" and should heat up first if there's going to be an issue.

Try to stay cool!
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