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Old 01-27-2023, 05:29 AM   #1
jxnbbl
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Best AC for 15amp circuit

First my trailer is in storage so I can't really access it easily to confirm anything but wanted to plan out a modification to add a 2nd AC for the back bunk room. I've gone through the forum and searched the internet and surprised that I can't easily find this....

Looking for a few options/comparisons/best AC that will draw about 9-10 amps.

My trailer is prewired for a 2nd AC which I believe translates into a "standalone circuit" - 20A breaker with 12GA wiring to the box in the ceiling next to the vent in the back bunk room.

The reason I ask?

I have other plans on using the 20A breaker and want to use a 15A breaker in the box that will be abandoned in those plans.

To do this, I'm gated to use ACs that have a minimum power protection of 15A and it is difficult as many installation instructions say something like look at the power requirements on the sticker of the unit. I have found that the Mach 1 power saver to have a 9.7A rating for cooling, but there have to be others.

thanks
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Old 01-27-2023, 05:53 AM   #2
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I've just found although I couldn't find in over an hour of searching last night...

that the Dometic Brisk II draws 9.x amps and in looking further their installation manual lists 15A breakers for the following models listed in the same manual.

B59530, 459530, 459530A, 640310
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Old 01-27-2023, 07:21 AM   #3
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How easy will it be to route the Romex from the breaker panel to the vent? Is the bunk vent braces for an AC unit?
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Old 01-27-2023, 07:26 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jxnbbl View Post
I've just found although I couldn't find in over an hour of searching last night...

that the Dometic Brisk II draws 9.x amps and in looking further their installation manual lists 15A breakers for the following models listed in the same manual.

B59530, 459530, 459530A, 640310
The Brisk Air II will use way more than 9 amps when that compressor first starts up.. I have two AC units on my RV, one is Penguin II and the other is Brisk Air II... I see way more initial startup current when the compressor first fires up..

The Brisk Air II unit has a very basic built in " OEM soft start" that uses a timing relay to lessen that amp draw on compressor start up. A much much better system is by MicroAir and will actually drop the amp draw requirement by a lot..

https://youtu.be/rCjFBhDy9QI
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Old 01-27-2023, 07:33 AM   #5
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Have you looked at Lippert AC’s
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Old 01-27-2023, 07:55 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
How easy will it be to route the Romex from the breaker panel to the vent? Is the bunk vent braces for an AC unit?
Sorry if I wasn't clear - the unit is pre-wired for the 2nd AC unit so I assume that particular vent (there are 4 in my trailer) is braced properly. There is a 20A breaker labeled AC2 which I always have off and an electrical cover next to the vent with what I assume is 12ga Romex from the breaker to connect to the additional AC.

From memory the power panel is maxed out on breakers, with the 20A being free. With what I'm going to do, that 20A breaker will be used and another 15A breaker on that leg of the 50A service will be free. So I'd like to use the 15A breaker with the 12ga Romex prewire for the 2nd AC.

So looking at AC options that have an electrical requirement of a 15A breaker, instead of 20A.
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Old 01-27-2023, 08:00 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckS View Post
The Brisk Air II will use way more than 9 amps when that compressor first starts up.. I have two AC units on my RV, one is Penguin II and the other is Brisk Air II... I see way more initial startup current when the compressor first fires up..

The Brisk Air II unit has a very basic built in " OEM soft start" that uses a timing relay to lessen that amp draw on compressor start up. A much much better system is by MicroAir and will actually drop the amp draw requirement by a lot..

https://youtu.be/rCjFBhDy9QI
Yes, I understand I've installed softstart on my existing GE AC and as well as the AC on my previous trailer. That really had to so with being able to run the AC on my small generator. In this case, I'm looking at the electrical requirement for something that I really won't use until I'm fully hooked up. I figure that the 9-10 amp continuous load is probably where a unit will require a 15A breaker as anything in the continuous 13-15amp range requires 20A.
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Old 01-27-2023, 08:01 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
Have you looked at Lippert AC’s
I can only find the 14.5K Furrion unit from them, although I can't find their breaker requirement I am assuming at 14.6A it would require a 20A breaker
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Old 01-27-2023, 08:12 AM   #9
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I would not wire any RV roof AC to a 15 amp breaker.. Mine are both wired to 20 amp breakers... Penguin II and Brisk Air II
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Old 01-27-2023, 08:24 AM   #10
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Got to ask, is that hard to replace the 15 amp with a 20 amp breaker?
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Old 01-27-2023, 08:42 AM   #11
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Got to ask, is that hard to replace the 15 amp with a 20 amp breaker?
Replacing the breaker is easy, but wouldn't recommend increasing the amp rating unless you positively know what's on that circuit, wire gauge & max amp draw. If it came equipped with a 15amp that's most likely the max that circuit should have before tripping the breaker, 20 amp may cause an electrical fire before tripping the breaker.
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Old 01-27-2023, 08:55 AM   #12
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If you are going to use the 20A breaker for another use and use the existing #12 wiring, why not put a 20A breaker in place of the 15A you were going to use (and new associated #12 wiring) and leave the existing 2nd AC circuit intact?
As long as you don't exceed the ampacity of the main feed you should be fine. Generally, in a breaker box the total ampacity of the installed breakers far exceeds the ampacity of the main and its up to you to manage the loads.
I understand you being careful which is good. Just another option to consider.
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Old 01-27-2023, 09:34 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckS View Post
I would not wire any RV roof AC to a 15 amp breaker.. Mine are both wired to 20 amp breakers... Penguin II and Brisk Air II
Thanks Chuck totally understand. There are a number of Brisk Air models most require 20A breakers..there are others that require 15A (or larger)...

Here is from their installation manuals:
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Old 01-27-2023, 09:37 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by CampNBrew2 View Post
If you are going to use the 20A breaker for another use and use the existing #12 wiring, why not put a 20A breaker in place of the 15A you were going to use (and new associated #12 wiring) and leave the existing 2nd AC circuit intact?
As long as you don't exceed the ampacity of the main feed you should be fine. Generally, in a breaker box the total ampacity of the installed breakers far exceeds the ampacity of the main and its up to you to manage the loads.
I understand you being careful which is good. Just another option to consider.
That is an option and may be where I'm going but the unit is in storage and I want to balance the potential amperage across both legs. I wish I took a picture of the box before.
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Old 01-27-2023, 09:42 AM   #15
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What the heck is "compressor locked rotor amps"? Why no BTUs for the obviously smaller capacity units or are these not A/Cs?
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Old 01-27-2023, 01:03 PM   #16
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What the heck is "compressor locked rotor amps"? Why no BTUs for the obviously smaller capacity units or are these not A/Cs?

I don't know technically but I believe it is related to the starting amps since the rotor is stopped (aka locked) at startup. I'm looking at the second to last column of the supplied circuit protection.


The tables are from two installation manuals for the Brisk II models. The second are the "evolution high efficiency" series. They are rated at 11k btus I believe and I think it just equates to having build in soft start.


In the end I'm just trying to get a list of anything that is stated at 15A breaker needed so when I pull the trailer out of storage in March I can almost look at the current configuration, make a decision on what road to take and order everything.
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Old 01-27-2023, 01:55 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by jxnbbl View Post
I don't know technically but I believe it is related to the starting amps since the rotor is stopped (aka locked) at startup. I'm looking at the second to last column of the supplied circuit protection.


The tables are from two installation manuals for the Brisk II models. The second are the "evolution high efficiency" series. They are rated at 11k btus I believe and I think it just equates to having build in soft start.


In the end I'm just trying to get a list of anything that is stated at 15A breaker needed so when I pull the trailer out of storage in March I can almost look at the current configuration, make a decision on what road to take and order everything.

compressor locked rotor amps and fan motor locked rotor amps is the amp draw on startup of either the fan motor if it is locked up and won’t spin or the compressor is seized and won’t start…it tries to start which causes a large amp draw ( locked rotor amps) it’s one way to tell if a compressor is bad…it draws locked rotor amps then trips breaker or goes out on internal overload.

the 15 amp models are listed as n/a on BTUs because it is likely a very small capacity…if you look at the comparable amp draws / cooling capacity you will see one has 11000 btus and a higher amp draw…i’m thinking these 15 amp models are about 6000 btus which is 1/2 ton of cooling…pretty small

i’d get the 20 amp model and if you need to,get the soft start…could get creative possibly and wire in a time delay that delays one unit by five minutes (or random like below) so both units could never start at the same time when boondocking as most of the amps are used at startup…would have to have one for each unit…possibly just one on one unit, i’d have to look into it more
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Old 01-27-2023, 04:13 PM   #18
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Unless you're planning to rip out the 12 gauge ROMEX that the factory installed in the ceiling as part of the "2nd A/C option", then it's academic whether you put a 15 amp or a 20 amp circuit breaker in that position. The wiring is sized properly for 20 amps and the air conditioner likely will require 20 amps. Trying to "balance the load" by installing a 15 amp breaker on a 20 amp circuit is very likely going to lead to frustration and possible equipment failure (your frustration from dealing with tripped breakers and having to reset them and equipment failure from repeatedly overheating the breaker as well as the interrupted startups on the air conditioner compressor). Remember, there is a 90 second wait time from startup interruption before you can apply power to the compressor again without possible damage. Counting that down every time the 15 amp breaker trips on a 20 amp load will eventually get very, VERY old.....

Why not just install the air conditioner on the 20 amp circuit that was designated for it and deal with what to do with upgrading the other 15 amp circuit separately.

In nearly every application, a 5 amp difference in "total circuit breaker ratings" between the two input sources (line 1 and line 2) that 5 amp difference is minor and of no consequence.

Maybe explaining what your "other plans might be" would shed light on why your 5 amp concern is important ???? From what you've shared so far, it seems to be a "non starter for concern".....
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Old 01-27-2023, 04:36 PM   #19
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other plans…
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Old 01-27-2023, 04:37 PM   #20
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Locked Rotor Amps or LRA, is the instant current draw at the moment that power is applied to the compressor and it hasn't started to spin yet, which gives you the maximum load you can expect on the circuit going to the air conditioner compressor. This is also stated as the inrush current that occurs on startup. This is also what the soft start devices reduce on these A/C units to keep the breaker from tripping by slowing the start of the compressor instead of just slamming it with full power.
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