Visit our Popular Forums

fdelle · 07-10-2016, 12:16 PM

We just purchased a 2016 Sport 16. During our our orientation, the dealer said we can plug into a 15 amp circuit at home and run the AC unit if we had the furnace and refrigerator turned off. Does this sound right? Has anyone tried it?

westernjeep401 · 07-10-2016, 12:47 PM

Check your owner's manuals (one for the Dometic AC should be in there) for the spec sheet on current draw (amperage) for the unit.

That disclosed, I wouldn't.

AtomicNo13 · 07-10-2016, 01:17 PM

All thing being reasonable and normal, it should work fine!

TG Twinkie · 07-10-2016, 01:28 PM

I would not do it. You could slowly cook the outlet you are plugged in. Along with the 15 to 30 amp adaptor. Not to mention causing permanent damage to the A/C.

AWCHIEF · 07-10-2016, 01:46 PM

I had a licensed electrician install a 30 amp line at my home to code. My AC would not run on 15 amp. Nice to have full hookups available at the house.

A W Warn · 07-10-2016, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdelle

We just purchased a 2016 Sport 16. During our our orientation, the dealer said we can plug into a 15 amp circuit at home and run the AC unit if we had the furnace and refrigerator turned off. Does this sound right? Has anyone tried it?

The AC manufacturer's spec's says to use a 20 amp circuit, minimum.
The AC might start and run on a 15 amp, but sooner or later damage will occur.

But, before you decide what to do, check the breaker for the receptacle where you plan to plug in, it could be 20 amp. The receptacles in my garage are on a 20 amp breaker. If you use a 20 amp receptacle you must keep the power cord short and/or use the correct gauge wire. Do not use extension cords that are to light.

I do this occasionally on my 25' when I have a task to do inside the trailer on a hot day. I do not leave the unit running for hours and hours. I use one 25' 10 ga extension cord connected to the power cord on my trailer.

Careful though! If the receptacle is to distant from the breaker/power supply or the receptacle itself is not properly rated or it the adapter is not properly rated, there may be too much current loss even with a heavy cord.

add edit:
You will need to turn off the refrigerator and the converter. The furnace is 12v, so not an issue (and it should not be running when air condition is need).
Instead of worrying about individual appliances, I turn off all of the breakers except two, the main and AC.

xrvr · 07-10-2016, 02:24 PM

Is it an 11000 unit. If so it might run on 15 amp probably 20.

mimiandrews · 07-10-2016, 02:48 PM

It's perfectly OK as long as you're not trying to use more than 15 amps, and as long as you use an adequately sized (10 or 12 gauge) extension cord, that is not too long.

So, if you need some lights to work, or maybe to pre-cool the fridge on electric before a trip, you'll be OK. If you try to run the big stuff--air conditioner being the worst offender--you'll overheat something. Hopefully, the house circuit breaker trips before any real damage is done, but an AC will try to run with insufficient current and burn itself out.

All electrical equipment should have a label on it somewhere that tells you how many watts the thing needs. A watt is a volt times an amp, so 15 amps x 120 volts gives you 1800 watts at best. Motor driven appliances require much more current to start them than they do once running. Treat the power you have available like a bank account, and don't overspend.

What I'm trying to encourage here is called load management Get familiar with the load each item in your trailer puts on the electrical connection. Know what you can run with 15 amps, with 20 amps, and with the full 30 amps available. Some load managing is still needed even with 30 amp power. AC, plus microwave usually doesn't work. Hair dryers are another heavy load item.

HowieE · 07-10-2016, 03:04 PM

Your first consideration is what is on the circuit in the house, how long is the run to the panel, and what type of wire is feeding the receptacle.

You are about as close to the edge as you could get and no dealer ever told the truth.

A W Warn · 07-10-2016, 03:04 PM

This is a link to your AC specs. It clearly tells you the power requirements.

http://www.dometic.com/QBankFiles3/E...I-AC_17729.pdf

OTRA15 · 07-10-2016, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdelle

We just purchased a 2016 Sport 16. During our our orientation, the dealer said we can plug into a 15 amp circuit at home and run the AC unit if we had the furnace and refrigerator turned off. Does this sound right? Has anyone tried it?

Welcome to the forum!

Please ask the dealer to put the 15 amp circuit being OK in writing.

Please read the Dometic specs brochure just posted by A W Warn, which says a 20 amp circuit is required.

Using a 15 amp circuit, assuming the circuit breaker does not trip, would harm your A/C over the long run IMO, even if you use the correct #10 or #12 extension cord.

m.hony · 07-11-2016, 11:16 AM

I tried running the a/c on a regular wall socket.
It fried the receptacle.
I have since had an electrician install a 50 amp plug and shut-off.

Gamehawkers · 07-11-2016, 12:54 PM

If you really think about it ,installing the correct amps is cheap insurance on your investment. Also, the purchase of a surge protector is a really good idea. Consider the cost of replacement of the electrical systems in your trailer. It is a no brainier.

AnnArborBob · 07-11-2016, 01:15 PM

The AC unit will run on a 15 amp circuit and will slowly but surely destroy itself. Perhaps not in an hour or two, but you are inevitably damaging your AC unless you are hooked up to a 30 amp circuit (actually, a 25 amp circuit would probably be fine but they do not exist.) Ignore your dealer.

canyonduck · 07-12-2016, 01:20 PM

I get that standard 15 amp household outlets are not advised for running an AC unit, but will a 20 amp circuit work assuming the AC unit was the only device drawing current? I currently have a 20 amp circuit installed in my garage and would like to know if I can safely use this for short periods (with a short power cord properly rated) at home without having an electrician come out and install a 30 or 50 amp connection. Should I be okay in this scenario? Thanks!

PS - Living in the desert its 110+ outside. Really need the AC to get ready for trips and when returning home to unload/clean up. Thx!!

TG Twinkie · 07-12-2016, 02:55 PM

It all depends on how far the 20 amp receptacle is from the power panel. Typically a 20 amp outlet is wired with #12 AWG wire. Which is good for 20 amps. But if you have a long run from the power panel (more than 30' or so) you will experience a significant voltage drop. Thus the reason for a 30 amp circuit with #10 or larger wire feeding the RV receptacle.

OTRA15 · 07-12-2016, 03:29 PM

Ditto to TGT, plus you have to consider the length and AWG size of the extension cord to the trailer. I ran our 13.5k A/C on a 20 amp circuit using a 50' #12 ext. cord, and the voltage dropped to around 109 when both the fan and compressor kicked on. The circuit breaker did not pop, but I was concerned about long term damage to the A/C.

If you are willing to risk this theoretical damage, and the breaker holds . . . your call . . .

mefly2 · 07-12-2016, 05:00 PM

Listen to TG ... how far away will you connection be / what gauge is your cord ... if not plugging your AS supplied power cord directly into your power source???
The pic shows what happened over about 15 minutes with the AC being the only device (excluding leak detector) energized in our AS FC20... the GFCI did not disconnect this circuit as there was no fault - likely in a few more minutes we would have had a total melt down of the extension cord plug.