Did the campground use large enough wire size to carry a continuous 15amp load when the wire run is 150-200 feet or possibly more to the campground power post? Many times they did not run extra heavy wire for the very long distance. One more thing to keep in mind is the length of wire and the wire size coming to the 15 or 20 amp campground power post. However far to many RV'ers, just like many homeowners, are not knowledgeable about electricity and will just use the pig tail to plug into a worn out 15amp plug and wonder why things don't work and/or why their AC compressor is damaged. I also assume and believe that a knowledgeable individual, familiar with electricity and electrical wiring, would disregard my advice and run their AC being fully aware of the cautions given in the last few replies. I made this original posting for exactly the reasons stated in the replies just made about "yes you can run the AC IF have a good connection, IF you monitor your voltage, etc, etc.Īnd I have run my air conditioner on a 20amp connection. Keep in mind that with the 20amp to 30amp pig tail you only have 15 or 20 amps available and you can't run your air conditioner, if you have one. Still it beats sitting and sweating so it is worth getting a handle on if you anticipate the situation in your future camping plans. Many many trips out to the park's pole when someone forgot and microwaved something or did something else that was over the breaker's limit. Then turning of the AC unit when we do need power for some other task. We have done this and it is an aggravation to keep most everything but the AC and the charger/converter turned off AC power. A setup that might be happy with high intermittent loads may well show stress under constant load. What I like to do is use an IR thermometer to keep an eye on things, if the breaker, socket or plug are much warmer that surrounding objects you may be heading for trouble. Having a large conductor cable from your plug to the RV will help reduce voltage drop and heat issues so don't skimp there. You can't really check the breaker or heaven forbid fuse but they are also potential failure points. Clean and tight make for good power flow and less heat issues. In top condition a 15 amp outlet will run an air conditioner, one in not such good shape will have problems.Ĭhecking the condition of both the park's socket and your plug is a good first step. Unless, we have an earthquake and Maxine gets swallowed up by a sinkhole. I also bought a surge protector for the 20 amp adapter because It's never crossed my mind that I could have a surge in my home, which could cause problems in Maxine. I like the fact that one unit does everything. It seems like a perfect companion to the adapters. I wish I had checked the EMS system before I bought the surge protectors. I went ahead and bought the "dog bone" that was suggested. Thank you, Yarome and the other gentleman that answered me. It's a "one off" purchase that can potentially save you countless $1000's. They aren't cheap, but they have a lifetime warranty and an excellent customer service record. You can read the additional benefits of an EMS on this last link. In your van I would assume space is premium so I might recommend a portable. Either a portable unit or a hardwired unit. Typically, you're generally better of with a full EMS (Electrical Management System) as opposed to just a surge protector. If you have a 50/30amp and a 20/30amp adapter then you should be covered. I prefer a dogbone type, but they also sell just the plug adapters (male50/female30amp) at places like Walmart. You will need an adapter (50amp to 30amp). If it would be better somewhere else, please feel free to move it, or duplicate it. If the electrical box is 50 amp and my rig is 30 amp, do I need to get a 30 amp to 50 amp convertor, or can I just safely plug in my 30 amp cable into the 50 amp box without any problems?Īre there any other converter plugs I should have or any other surge connections I should have besides what I mentioned? I want to make sure I have everything I need, in the event I run into any problems. (I'm assuming) The female side that I plug into the van and the male side I plug into the electrical box. My main electrical cable that runs from my rig to the electrical box is 30 amp rated (I'm assuming) Both ends are rated at 30 amps. If this is the case, was it a mistake to have purchased the 50 amp surge protector? Do I even need it? The most I can pull is 30 amps because that is all my rig's system can handle. Because of possible issues with electrical surges, I bought two surge protectors. I plan on going to Baja for a few months next year. I have a converter plug that converts the 30 amps into 20 so I can plug it into the plug at my house (which I believe are 20 amp) so I can keep the batteries charged at full capacity.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |