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Old 07-20-2015, 09:00 AM   #1
JNKS2010
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Plugging in at home

my wife and I are fairly new to TT camping. we have an adapter that we put on our 30 amp power cord that allows us to plug in at home to our garage outlet. that allows us to get power to pretty much use everything. we open the slide, run the fridge open close the cannopy. however, it seems our dometic ac will not run while plug in at home. is this normal? or do we have an issue? I would appreciate any and all feed back. thanks in advance.
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:13 AM   #2
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Most likely your home plug is 15amp or at best 20amp.. the load is just too much for the circuit with the other stuff like the converter, fridge, TV etc.. especially if you use an extension cord. What you need to do is have an electrician come wire you a 30amp or even a 50amp plug so you can connect and run everything.

Just remember an RV 30amp plug isn't wired the same as a 30amp dryer plug
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Old 07-20-2015, 09:13 AM   #3
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If you are plugged into your house (15A circuit??), you usually will not be able to run your A/C in your RV. Don't forget that the A/C is not the only item drawing current in your RV. The converter requires several amps as well as any hard wired sensors. If you have your HW heater on 110VAC, that will take up a large chunk as well if you have it turned ON.
What you are experiencing is "normal" and not cause for alarm.
If you want to operate your A/C, you'll need a 30A circuit.
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Old 07-20-2015, 11:46 AM   #4
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I am curious, JNKS2010... is your A/C 13,500BTU? Because if it is, and you aren't running any other power pigs (fridge, water heater, microwave, et al), I have found that a (true) 20 amp receptacle, without extension cord will run the A/C, without issues.
Having said that, you don't have much "wiggle" room, as that A/C unit can draw between 12-18 amps.
The best idea is to find a location nearest your main electric panel and add a 30 amp RV receptacle.
Good luck, friend...
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Old 07-20-2015, 12:37 PM   #5
JNKS2010
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thanks!

thanks for all the reply's. I am relieved that it is working the way it should.
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Old 07-20-2015, 12:46 PM   #6
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Like Hoef said, it can be done if you are plugging in to a 20A circuit, 15A maybe not.
You should minimize any extension cords and be sure there isn't another load on the residential circuit.
I've done it a few times.
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Old 07-20-2015, 01:01 PM   #7
JNKS2010
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So we have only gone 4 times so far this season. On trip #2 we turned the A/C on and after about an hour or so of being on the unit smelled funny and shut down. When that trip was over we took it directly to the dealer. They ran it for 4 days straight without a hitch. We brought the trailer home and until yesterday morning I went out to clean up the trailer and brain storm on how to fix our dinette from tipping over when being used as a bed. Anyways. I turned on the A/C and about 10 minutes in, it shut down again.

I did some trouble shooting and couldn't get it to work. So we packed her up and off we went to the dealer. Got there. Plugged her in and she ran great for well over an hour. And that's when it hit my wife that we may not have enough juice to run the A/C.

Putting in a 30a plug isn't an option. And honestly we don't plan on using while at home anyways.
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Old 07-20-2015, 01:19 PM   #8
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JNKS2010,
I don't know what your house setup is, but if you have an exterior breaker panel or an interior breaker panel in the garage with one slot open, it's pretty trivial to install a 30A outlet... And if trivial isn't your thing, that translates into "relatively inexpensive" to have someone do it for you.

I installed a dedicated 20A to my prior RV and basically shut everything down other than AC. Our AC would run, but our 20A to 30A adapter would get hot and it was clear that the situation wasn't ideal. I eventually just went with a 30A extension cord and put 30A in the garage...
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Old 07-20-2015, 01:28 PM   #9
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When the weather in Texas has a high of 98F and an overnight low of 78F, having the A/C running while packing the trailer makes it almost tolerable.
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Old 07-20-2015, 06:18 PM   #10
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75' 12 gauge extention cord 20 amp service . Ac lights TV refergerator and maybe a house fan that's it if I want to Run air or microwave ... Start the gen..
You should do this once a week anyway.
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Old 07-21-2015, 04:32 AM   #11
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I have heard that even if you can run the ac, you won't want to see your electric bill the next month.
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Old 07-21-2015, 10:33 AM   #12
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I run my 15k AC thru a 20amp breaker without any issues. I do not use anything else on that circuit when I'm in the RV with the AC on (other than the interior LED lights). I also use a 12 gauge extension cord. Your situation could be that there are other things on that circuit when you try to run the AC drawing too much current. It could be you are using an extension cord with conductors that are too small. It could also be a weak breaker (just swap it out with another to see). And it could be you are trying to use a 15amp breaker, which will probably not carry the load. If you have a 15amp breaker and your house is wired with 12 gauge wire you should be able to install a 20 amp breaker in its place and be OK. Just some thoughts.
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Old 07-21-2015, 12:34 PM   #13
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All great suggestions from everyone. Lots to learn this coming off season for us that's for sure.
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Old 07-21-2015, 04:18 PM   #14
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I wired in a box like at the campgrounds in the back of our garage for about 60 bucks. Well worth it, can run everything like when we're out camping.
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Old 07-22-2015, 10:34 AM   #15
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Next week I will be at a campground with only 30amp service and was wondering if anyone else that has 2 ac units has been able to run them both. I know I will be at the limits and would need to run the water heater on gas.
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Old 07-22-2015, 05:42 PM   #16
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I have a dedicated 30 amp circuit at home my trailer is plugged into. Yes, I can run both AC units at once.

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Old 07-23-2015, 02:31 AM   #17
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thanks CW3...I figured it might be close depending on when they kick on.
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Old 07-23-2015, 03:21 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JNKS2010 View Post
So we have only gone 4 times so far this season. On trip #2 we turned the A/C on and after about an hour or so of being on the unit smelled funny and shut down. When that trip was over we took it directly to the dealer. They ran it for 4 days straight without a hitch. We brought the trailer home and until yesterday morning I went out to clean up the trailer and brain storm on how to fix our dinette from tipping over when being used as a bed. Anyways. I turned on the A/C and about 10 minutes in, it shut down again.

I did some trouble shooting and couldn't get it to work. So we packed her up and off we went to the dealer. Got there. Plugged her in and she ran great for well over an hour. And that's when it hit my wife that we may not have enough juice to run the A/C.

Putting in a 30a plug isn't an option. And honestly we don't plan on using while at home anyways.
Several suggestions about wire and breaker size are right on the money, but there's something else you should consider. With your AC shutting down and smelling strange, I suspect your voltage is low at your RV. Typical household voltage is 120 volts and most appliances are designed to run at the voltage, including your RV AC unit. Appliances with motors when trying to run on say 110 volts will run hot, which may be the symptoms you are experiencing.

Get a volt meter and check the voltage inside your RV with the AC running and you may find low voltage. You can also purchase from CW a small volt meter that plugs into a wall receptacle in your coach and the cost is about $13
I have found that sometimes campgrounds have voltage issues so my meter stays plugged in at all times. Low voltage will reduce the life of motor driven appliances due to overheating.

Small gauge extension cords will also cause low voltage.
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Old 07-23-2015, 01:05 PM   #19
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Get one of these and you can see how many amps you're pulling and what the voltage is coming to the RV.
You need one anyway to protect the RV electrical system...
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...otection/56421
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Old 07-23-2015, 02:50 PM   #20
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Gearhead's suggestion is spot on. My protector has saved my bacon a couple of times. I wouldn't want to plug into any campground without it anymore.
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