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06-24-2018, 08:14 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Calgary
Posts: 102
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Amperage question
Our trailer is 30 amp and I have an adapter for when I only have a site with 15 amp power. My question is; can I run the air conditioner in this situation?
Thanks
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06-24-2018, 08:25 PM
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#2
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Calgary
Posts: 27
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Air
An air conditioner when it starts the compressor will most likely overload a 15 amp service so I would say no
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06-24-2018, 09:38 PM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,743
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You may be ok IF the power at the pedestal is 120 volts (not down below 115 v) AND you have NOTHING ELSE on i.e. water heater, refrigerator on gas. What size is your air conditioner?
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Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
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06-25-2018, 02:39 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Germantown, TN
Posts: 6,328
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Cheryl, the start-up, as mentioned, will probably be the problem. I also would say no, but for a variety of reasons. You never know the draw of your converter, the condition of the park receptacle itself, the A/C starting with the compressor hot; I could go on and on. If you are using an 18K btu A/C you probably won't get it to come on no matter what you do.
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Jim in Memphis, Wife of 51 years is Brenda
2019 F450 6.7 Powerstroke
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2021 40' Jayco Eagle
2001 Road king w/matching Harley sidecar
2021 Yamaha X2 Wolverine 1000
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06-25-2018, 02:45 AM
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#5
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Site Team | Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 3,878
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Maybe is the answer. Nothing else on, you may get it started. If it starts, it takes less amps to keep running. Youd have to manage your power after it starts.
Of course, the big question is why would you go to a site that didn't offer 30 amp service?
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Chip Bruce, RPh
Kansas City, MO
2016 Impact 312
2017 Silverado 3500HD SRW
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06-25-2018, 04:41 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Calgary
Posts: 102
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Thanks everyone! I'll just keep the windows open I'm traveling half way through the long weekend so there's not much available to book.
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06-25-2018, 08:09 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: regina, sk
Posts: 11
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You can use the AC as long as you dont use the microwave, water heater at the same time.
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06-25-2018, 08:31 PM
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#8
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,677
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Cheryl, here's the deal. You are connected to a 15a connection. Your AC can pull more than that on startup; probably not but close. You can run the AC, if it starts, IF you use no other AC applications. The downside is that your AC requires a minimum amount of current to run. It can run on less, sort of like running in a brown out, but it deteriorates the unit. You need to know what you are dealing with.
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Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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06-25-2018, 09:36 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Calgary
Posts: 102
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Thanks. Sounds like it just takes too much power so it can stay off. Still beats tenting
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06-26-2018, 10:56 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Sammamish
Posts: 256
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I connect to a 20 amp service at my home when not traveling, and I can run the AC and everything else but the microwave at the same time. I think 15 amps is pushing it.
If I remember my electricity facts the typical 13,000 watt RV AC needs 15 amps to run, so you would be using everything you have on it.
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2017 Springdale 202QBWE, 2017 F150 XLT 5.0
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06-26-2018, 11:41 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: "Murvil, TN
Posts: 2,210
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bisjoe
I connect to a 20 amp service at my home when not traveling, and I can run the AC and everything else but the microwave at the same time. I think 15 amps is pushing it.
If I remember my electricity facts the typical 13,000 watt RV AC needs 15 amps to run, so you would be using everything you have on it.
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Hopefully.....you mean 13K BTU. 13,000 watts is more than the entire 50 amp service can provide.
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2016 F350 King Ranch Crew Cab Dually Diesel 4x4
2018 Grand Design Momentum 394M
2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+
Excessive payload capacity is a wonderful thing
"If it ain't Fast....It ain't Fun"
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06-26-2018, 11:51 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Rincon
Posts: 192
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You may be able to run just the A/c. The breaker in the source either a pedestal or your home is what is referred to as an inverse time breaker. What that means is that it is designed to handle a large surge such as your A/C starting......then the a/C compressor run go down in amperage to its running load which if it is lower than 15 you are fine!
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2017 Ram 3500 CC Cummins
2011 Keystone Laredo 266 RL
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06-26-2018, 06:51 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 2,907
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Unless you are connected to a 30 amp power source, the risk and cost of a new A/C unit damaged by running it on a questionable 15 or 20 amp outlet is not worth it. Find a campground to connect to if you can't stand the temperatures inside your rig.
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Bob & Becky
2012 3402 Montana
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC
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06-27-2018, 05:26 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Sammamish
Posts: 256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xrated
Hopefully.....you mean 13K BTU. 13,000 watts is more than the entire 50 amp service can provide.
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yes!
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2017 Springdale 202QBWE, 2017 F150 XLT 5.0
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06-28-2018, 08:21 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Qualicum Beach
Posts: 555
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At our old home, we left our 21ft TT plugged into an outdoor GFCI (might be 20 amps) all the time and periodically ran the A/C no problem. Check if it is 15,000 BTU or 13,500 BTU. If needed, add a soft start (sometimes called a hard start) capacitor to replace the standard cap which reduces the inrush current.
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06-28-2018, 08:47 AM
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#16
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Selah
Posts: 7
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We just had a new house built, so everything electrical is new and just inspected by the county. We had to live in our RV outside for a couple of weeks while the finishes were done. I tried to hook up to a 15amp plug. The A/C would run for a few minutes, then blow the breaker. So, I found a 20amp plug and tried it, it did the same thing. Nothing I tried would let the A/C run for more than 10 min.
I finally went to the hardware store, got a dryer plug, cut off one leg and wired it to a female RV 30amp plug. Plugged my RV in and everything worked like a champ.
I think the issue is the battery charger would come on and pull the extra amps overloading the breaker.
I even tried to run it off my Generator. However it is dual fuel and on Propane it just kept overloading. I have never run it on gas, was avoiding the mess and smell, but looks like I will have to go that way.
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2017 Bullet Premier 30 REPR
1985 Chevy K30 Service truck TV
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06-28-2018, 02:59 PM
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#17
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Panama City Beach
Posts: 11
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Volts X AMPS = Watts, So 15 Amps at 120 Volts gives you 1800 watts available.
So where does your air conditioner fall into that?
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07-01-2018, 07:08 AM
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#18
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 5
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no, you need min 20a
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07-01-2018, 07:30 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Haymarket, VA
Posts: 382
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheryl
Our trailer is 30 amp and I have an adapter for when I only have a site with 15 amp power. My question is; can I run the air conditioner in this situation?
Thanks
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What size is your AC? We used to run our old bumper pull and it's 13.5k btu off 15 amps with no problem (still nothing else though). If it's a 15k unit, no way. I can run ours at home on a 20 amp circuit I put in, but that's pushing things.
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07-01-2018, 07:48 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
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It will work fine as long as the voltage is right and you don't overload it by running other devices.
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2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L
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