# 110 Inlet For Running Space Heater



## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Greetings all!

Has anyone installed a 110v inlet specifically for running a space heater? We typically use a small space heater in the winter months to save on propane, but running it at 1500 watts heats up the plug installed in the trailer. Believe it may be from under voltage, as we're using other electrical items (lights, occasinal microwave, flux capacitor, etc.) at the same time. Note that I do turn off the heater when we use the microwave. Figured that I could make use of the 20A plug available at the campground, but would need to install a seperate outlet in the trailer to make use of it. However, I'd have to run power to the outlet first...

Ideas anyone?


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## advancedtel (May 7, 2008)

I did that to my camper for that reason and also for my wife to run her hairdryer. She was forever tripping the breakers with the hairdryer.

What I did was install a 110 electric outlet on the wall outside of my power cord storage compartment. I drilled a hole and ran the wire from the electrical box out of the hole where the main power cord comes out of the camper. Whenever I am at a campsite I just plug the camper in the 30A and the stand alone outlet into the 110 outlet. I works great! Havent had a tripped breaker since.


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## Wolfpackers (May 31, 2007)

If you have a side slide, you can snake a cord through the bottom corners if you bring the slide in a few inches and then put it back out after cord is in place....at least I can on mine. Ran two out to the CG power pedestal when the 30 amp plug quit working one night. One fed the coffee maker & the other the TV to watch the morning news while drinking our coffee.

YMMV,
Brent


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## Wisconsin-Knight (Mar 10, 2011)

I often run two space heaters and my hot water heater at the same time. I posted adding power to a trailer by running an extension cord from under the propane cover to the area of my hot water heater in the front of my 2005 21RS. I then put in a two pole two throw switch to let me select the extension cord or the inside power for my hot water heater. This frees up the entire 30 amps for other uses. There are two 15 amp circuits in my OB and I just have to choose the correct outlets so I am not on the same circuit. In the center position of the switch, the hot water heater is not connected and I could easily put in an outlet for a third space heater or to free up extra power for the microwave. I haven't decided to do that yet, but you are tempting me!

Rowland


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## Joe/GA (Aug 14, 2009)

Wisconsin-Knight said:


> I often run two space heaters and my hot water heater at the same time. I posted adding power to a trailer by running an extension cord from under the propane cover to the area of my hot water heater in the front of my 2005 21RS. I then put in a two pole two throw switch to let me select the extension cord or the inside power for my hot water heater. This frees up the entire 30 amps for other uses. There are two 15 amp circuits in my OB and I just have to choose the correct outlets so I am not on the same circuit. In the center position of the switch, the hot water heater is not connected and I could easily put in an outlet for a third space heater or to free up extra power for the microwave. I haven't decided to do that yet, but you are tempting me!
> 
> Rowland


I did that with mine. I installed a duplex receptical under the television which is above the water heater and pretty well central in the camper. I ran wire from there down where the water heater lines ran and terminated it in a three prong male plug. When camping in the winter, I run a 12 gauge extension cord from the power pole to that connection and plug my heater into the receptacle.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

I've had a thought on this subject, but haven't gone too far with it. I was thinking about tapping into the 20 amp circuit for the AC, and installing a "T"slot 20 amp outlet next to the power panel. The AC will never be running when I want to run a space heater, so the circuit is sitting there not in use. A negative of this idea, is that it's not considered good practice to piggyback extra wires onto circuits, and the potential is there to use the extra outlet when the AC is running, if someone didn't know better. 
We've popped the breaker for the outlets, when we run the ceramic heater, and the electric blanket. This would cure that problem.


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Some pretty good ideas here. May try the 12gauge extension wire through the slide this year, and then do something more permanent later.

Thanks all!


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## TwoElkhounds (Mar 11, 2007)

duggy said:


> I've had a thought on this subject, but haven't gone too far with it. I was thinking about tapping into the 20 amp circuit for the AC, and installing a "T"slot 20 amp outlet next to the power panel. The AC will never be running when I want to run a space heater, so the circuit is sitting there not in use. A negative of this idea, is that it's not considered good practice to piggyback extra wires onto circuits, and the potential is there to use the extra outlet when the AC is running, if someone didn't know better.
> We've popped the breaker for the outlets, when we run the ceramic heater, and the electric blanket. This would cure that problem.


When I installed my inverter in my 2012 301BQ I had to remove the coverter from the trailer outlet circuit. The converter was piggybacked from the factory on the breaker for the outlet circuit. I removed the converter from the outlet circuit and wired it to its own circuit by adding a breaker to the panel (I did not want to feed the converter from the inverter when dry camping). So it seems Keystone was not too concerned about this.

However, the weak link is that you still need to go through the 30 amp breaker in the panel which is the one that trips for us when running the heaters and the other trailer circuits.

DAN


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## Wisconsin-Knight (Mar 10, 2011)

TwoElkhounds said:


> I've had a thought on this subject, but haven't gone too far with it. I was thinking about tapping into the 20 amp circuit for the AC, and installing a "T"slot 20 amp outlet next to the power panel. The AC will never be running when I want to run a space heater, so the circuit is sitting there not in use. A negative of this idea, is that it's not considered good practice to piggyback extra wires onto circuits, and the potential is there to use the extra outlet when the AC is running, if someone didn't know better.
> We've popped the breaker for the outlets, when we run the ceramic heater, and the electric blanket. This would cure that problem.


When I installed my inverter in my 2012 301BQ I had to remove the coverter from the trailer outlet circuit. The converter was piggybacked from the factory on the breaker for the outlet circuit. I removed the converter from the outlet circuit and wired it to its own circuit by adding a breaker to the panel (I did not want to feed the converter from the inverter when dry camping). So it seems Keystone was not too concerned about this.

However, the weak link is that you still need to go through the 30 amp breaker in the panel which is the one that trips for us when running the heaters and the other trailer circuits.

DAN
[/quote]

That's right Dan, I have two 15 amp circuits in my 2005 21 RS already and putting in another circuit won't help because I can already overload the mains or the breaker on the outside pole. A twenty amp circuit won't help, what is needed is to make sure you are not loading more than 15 amps on any one circuit. I took two heaters and determined which outlets would let me run them both. I terminated the line to my water heater like Joe/GA, with a three prong male plug under the propane cover.

Rowland


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

Wisconsin-Knight said:


> I've had a thought on this subject, but haven't gone too far with it. I was thinking about tapping into the 20 amp circuit for the AC, and installing a "T"slot 20 amp outlet next to the power panel. The AC will never be running when I want to run a space heater, so the circuit is sitting there not in use. A negative of this idea, is that it's not considered good practice to piggyback extra wires onto circuits, and the potential is there to use the extra outlet when the AC is running, if someone didn't know better.
> We've popped the breaker for the outlets, when we run the ceramic heater, and the electric blanket. This would cure that problem.


When I installed my inverter in my 2012 301BQ I had to remove the coverter from the trailer outlet circuit. The converter was piggybacked from the factory on the breaker for the outlet circuit. I removed the converter from the outlet circuit and wired it to its own circuit by adding a breaker to the panel (I did not want to feed the converter from the inverter when dry camping). So it seems Keystone was not too concerned about this.

However, the weak link is that you still need to go through the 30 amp breaker in the panel which is the one that trips for us when running the heaters and the other trailer circuits.

DAN
[/quote]

That's right Dan, I have two 15 amp circuits in my 2005 21 RS already and putting in another circuit won't help because I can already overload the mains or the breaker on the outside pole. A twenty amp circuit won't help, what is needed is to make sure you are not loading more than 15 amps on any one circuit. I took two heaters and determined which outlets would let me run them both. I terminated the line to my water heater like Joe/GA, with a three prong male plug under the propane cover.

Rowland
[/quote]

I guess I've been lucky to only trip a 15 amp breaker in the trailer. I can see where loading up a couple circuits with heaters and electric blankets, could trip the main or the outside pole. It all comes down to the weakest link!


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