Electrical question on shore power

[dougfir1]

I keep my TT plugged into a 110 volt outlet next to my home. I like to keep my batteries charged. We have had a hot spell in the PNW and I was working on the inside of my trailer and turned on my AC. I used both low and high settings. No problems with all performing well. A friend was concerned I might damage my AC using it that way...Any comments or concerns?

[tnchuck100]

What is the voltage at the camper when the A/C is running? If it stays above 110 V you should be OK. If the voltage drops below that you are stressing the A/C. At 104 V and below you are damaging the unit.

[Camping Couple]

Need a little more info on what your using to plug the TT in. For the sake of conversation I'll guess your using the standard outlet on the side of your home...15amp plug. Using this method with an extension cord creates a voltage drop. This makes it very hard for your compressor to start under a loaded condition. There is an allowance of +/- 10% for voltage drop that is noted on the data tag of your A/C. So to answer your question....yes it is possible to damage the electrical components. If you want to plug in at home, I recommend running a dedicated 30amp outlet to the side of your house and just plug in with the shore power cable on your TT.

[Hitch Pin]

Would not the breaker kick before it would damage the ac?

[tnchuck100]

No. The 13,500 BTU A/C draws about 13 amps at 120V. As the voltage drops the current will rise. This resulting current rise is not performing useful work and is being dissipated as heat. The heat is what is doing the damage. The A/C breaker is typically 20 amp. If the A/C draws up to 19 amps the heat generated will do the damage but the breaker will not trip at this point.

As of yet we do not know what the rating of the circuit that dougfir1 is using.

[KiltDog]

When I took delivery the technician that did my PDI warned me not to run the AC with the 15a plug converter. He said it draws so much current that the adapter could melt and fuse itself onto the chord. He also made a point to tell me that any damage due to running on 15a would not be covered by warrantee.

I ran a dedicated 30 amp circuit for my TT just last Saturday. The total project took less than two hours and cost less than $100. Got everything I needed from my local Home Depot.

[dougfir1]

The garage outlet shows a 15 amp breaker in the house's electrical service panel.

[tnchuck100]

What is the voltage at the camper when the A/C is running?

[KiltDog]

Originally Posted by dougfir1

The garage outlet shows a 15 amp breaker in the house's electrical service panel.

Remember, if your house is like mine, you probably have more than just that one outlet on the circuit too. Also, the wiring for a standard garage outlet isn't going to be 10 gage which is recommended for the 30a plug.

[cb1000rider]

Short "other" note, I found out that the OEM charger on my Jayco would cook batteries pretty good if I left them being charged 24/7. They'd be powered up to 14.2.. They'd outgass and cook if I didn't stay on top of the water level.

[tnchuck100]

Originally Posted by cb1000rider

Short "other" note, I found out that the OEM charger on my Jayco would cook batteries pretty good if I left them being charged 24/7. They'd be powered up to 14.2.. They'd outgass and cook if I didn't stay on top of the water level.

You didn't say what year your camper was. If it was an older model it may not have had a smart charger. Most later model (2005+) campers have 3 stage smart chargers and can remain on 24/7 without cooking the battery.

If yours IS a late model and stays at 14.2 V the converter is defective.

[cb1000rider]

2005 model motor home (Granite Ridge). The charger had an option for a module that turned it into a "smart/smarter" charger. I've added the module. Easiest upgrade ever.

[dougfir1]

Thanks everyone for your input. I will purchase a volt meter to check the voltage in the TT and go from there. The expertise I see in these replies is really impressive.