# Running The Ac With An Adapter



## letscamp (Jan 22, 2010)

I'm still trying to figure out what can be used when connected to a regular extension cord from the house, like the ac? I have an adapter for the regular cord that connects to the big cord coming from the TT. I don't know the terminology for it so if some one can ahead some light on this please let me know. As of right now I only use this for charging the batteries and cooling the fridge a day or two before we leave for a trip. I don't want to burn anything up so I figure I should ask. Thank you all in advance.

I use something like this


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

I would not use a regular extension cord. Too much voltage drop. I would buy a 30amp TT extension cord and be sure it is pluged into a 20 amp receptical with the adapter you have. I can run my AC without any problems. I would not want to turn on the HW heater....


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## Up State NY Camper (Apr 7, 2010)

X2 I fun on 15 amp and trip circuit. Good idea to use 20 amp if you can.


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## sunnybrook29 (Oct 7, 2009)

I am confused ? Did he mean AC as in air conditioner or AC as in alternating current ?
If you are trying to run your air conditioner you will need a 20 amp circuit at a minimum . If you are trying to run the refig and battery charger you can use a 15 amp service , but not for a distance greater than 40 or 50 feet .


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

Best bet is to buy a 30 amp RV extension cord. These heavy black cables have the right connectors molded on. The cost in the $30 - $50 range on eBay and other sites, shipped.

He can then plug the house end of the ext. cord into the adapter, and plug the adapter into a 20 amp circuit. That will run the air conditioner but be sure to have the reefer on propane or off, the hot water on propane or off, and don't use the microwave. Even better is to turn off the 110 volt TT circuit breaker that feeds the 110 to the power converter. The air conditioner draws about 18 amps running, and there is momentary heavier draw when starting. The house 20 amp breaker can handle that momentary overload, but he should not use additional 110 loads when the supply is only 20 amps.

If you only want to charge the batteries, and cool off the reefer, then don't turn off the power converter (you need the 12 volts to charge the batteries). Turn off the air conditioner, the hot water heater, and don't use the microwave. Your 20 amp supply will be quite adequate for charging the batts and running the reefer.

Personally, I'd use a regular 110v volt battery charger and plug it into the 110 coming from the house and charge the batteries directly. Must easier and much faster. You can pump 10 amps (dc) into the batteries without problems. Be sure to check the fluid level in the batteries to make sure the plates are fully covered. Wear goggles, too---when you put your flat bladed screwdriver under the cap(s) and flip them up, you can get a spritz of battery acid flying up. Not good to get that in your eyes.


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

sunnybrook29 said:


> I am confused ? Did he mean AC as in air conditioner or AC as in alternating current ?


When I reread the title of the thread, I believe that he wants to run the air conditioning. As other have pointed out, you wont be able to run the AC on a typical 15 amp home circuit. Soon after we purchased our first camper, I installed a 30 amp circuit in the garage. It's much easier to clean and prep the camper when it's not 110 degrees inside


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

H2oSprayer said:


> I am confused ? Did he mean AC as in air conditioner or AC as in alternating current ?


When I reread the title of the thread, I believe that he wants to run the air conditioning. As other have pointed out, you wont be able to run the AC on a typical 15 amp home circuit. Soon after we purchased our first camper, I installed a 30 amp circuit in the garage. It's much easier to clean and prep the camper when it's not 110 degrees inside








[/quote]
I have run mine on 15A









Granted, it was a RV extension cord up to the house outlet and then it was the adapter. The outlet was also a GFI, and if you set the fridge on propane, leave the WH off and have a fully charged battery, it should work (it did for me). I even had an amp or two to spare because the same outlet was powering the pump for the pond in the back yard.

Of course I also tried to run it on an Inverter that made 18Amps and it wouldn't start, so I suspect there's a lot of tolerance in the house breakers.....


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

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H2oSprayer said:


> I am confused ? Did he mean AC as in air conditioner or AC as in alternating current ?


When I reread the title of the thread, I believe that he wants to run the air conditioning. As other have pointed out, you wont be able to run the AC on a typical 15 amp home circuit. Soon after we purchased our first camper, I installed a 30 amp circuit in the garage. It's much easier to clean and prep the camper when it's not 110 degrees inside








[/quote]

I like your idea about a 30amp circuit in the garage. I know we have a 20 amp circuit in our garage, but, _definitely_ would want to run a heavy duty extension if my shore line didn't reach the outlet...


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## letscamp (Jan 22, 2010)

Ok well that cleared up a lot of questions for me. I will just stick to using what I have for now for the refrigerator and charging up the batteries. I looked at e bay and found some longer cords. I have an extra space in my electric panel and there is already a pre wired space in my garage leading back to the panel, but no fuse. Did any of you install a connection(like whats at an rv park) your self or did you have to hire someone to install it. The pre wired cables in the garage that go back to the elect panel was going to be for a home a/c unit, but it was re wired for a different location and different fuse. I will try to get some pics up so you guys can see what I'm talking about.


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## Lmbevard (Mar 18, 2006)

I had made the mistake before of hooking up the Camper to a regular 50' extension cord (16 gauge). Not only did it fry the cord but there wasn't enough voltage to even charge the batteries. I have added a 30 amp service with 10 gauge wiring so I can plug in directly and run everything. If you have a 20 amp service with 12 gauge wiring like it suppose to have, you could plug directly into it or if you need an extension, as everyone else said, buy an 10 gauge 30 amp extension cord. The one at WalMart and several I have seen at camper sales are only 12 gauge. To keep voltage drop to a min., the recommended total length of 10 Gauge cord for the full 30 amps is around 50'. at a total of 100' from the breaker box the voltage drop is 5% which is near the time for a brown out. If you use a 12 gauge I wouldn't go more than a 25' extension cord. As long as you don't extend the length too much, you might be able to run the AC off of the 20 amp service but be careful.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

letscamp said:


> Ok well that cleared up a lot of questions for me. I will just stick to using what I have for now for the refrigerator and charging up the batteries. I looked at e bay and found some longer cords. I have an extra space in my electric panel and there is already a pre wired space in my garage leading back to the panel, but no fuse. Did any of you install a connection(like whats at an rv park) your self or did you have to hire someone to install it. The pre wired cables in the garage that go back to the elect panel was going to be for a home a/c unit, but it was re wired for a different location and different fuse. I will try to get some pics up so you guys can see what I'm talking about.


Of course the official answer is that you should have an electrician do it.

I helped my Dad wire one at their cottage up north. It really isn't a big deal if you are familiar with wiring. Make sure you have adequate gauge wire and run it according to code (sortof sounds like you might be set there, but please check it out), connect the 30A RV outlet on one end (got ours at Home Depot) and connect the other end to the newly installed 30A breaker in your electrical box. Remember to always maintain a good amount of respect for electricity, and if you aren't up to the task, hire a professional.


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

I installed my 30a circuit easily. Took ~ an hour. I ran a 10-2 with ground cable from the main panel to the area inside just below the basement window where I will run the RV extention cord. New breaker in main panel is 30 amp.

The new wiring "code" for cables imposes a color code on the cable--the new orange color identifies 30 amp (#10) wire. I bought the whole darn roll (250 feet) because that was $85, and Homely Despot sells the wire cut to length for $1.10 per foot. I needed about 60 feet. After I finished, I put an ad up on Craigslist for the remaining 190 feet for $55 and sold it in one day. So I got the 60 feet of wire needed for 50 cents a foot. Deal.

Get the RV 30a socket, box, coverplate, wire feedthrus (the round thingys where the cable enters the box), cable staples, etc. at Homely Despot or Lowes or equivalent.

Now I just run my 50 foot RV 30a extention cord from the basement socket to the middle of the side yard where the driveway is, and plug in the TT shore power line and bingo. Power just like your friendly campground power post! Warn whomever cuts the grass to not whack your nice new 30a extension cord!

If you haven't done wiring, get help either from a friend who has, or use an electrician. Nathan is 100% correct--hire a pro if you're not confident you can do it without errors. Mistakes with electricity can be spectacular!

Good luck!


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## letscamp (Jan 22, 2010)

Alright well perfect! That sounds great hautevue! Thanks for your help everyone! I will let you all know how it pans out.


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

Same question here so find this thread helpful. But, how do you know if it's a 15 or 20 amp outlet? Someone told me the outlet for the washing machine should be 20 amp. I have closer outlets in the garage and front of house that would be easier to use. I just need to hook it up to make sure the a/c works fine. Also, does anyone know how long the power cord is that comes with the 25RSS (2006 model)?

From what I get from the above, get at least a 12 guage (20amp) extension cord if needed and its ok to plug it into the adaptor thing and then into the house but should find a 20 amp outlet? Am I right here?


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