Camping in the driveway-electrical question

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Stephen_Albers

If your GFCI breakers don't trip with appliance trailer loads then the GFCIs have failed which represents a shock hazard. Quality TheGFCIs have a tiny built-in test button to verify correct operation. If yours do not have one then I suggest they be upgraded to verify safe operation.

Then the 20 amp GFCI receptacles in most campground pedestals would be totally useless . I have a GFCI circuit tester and my GFCI receptacles are functioning properly . Plus the GFCI receptacles are the newer code compliant self testing type so if they fail the GFCI will deenergize and cannot be reset
You are correct that older GFCI receptacles had issues with nuisance tripping especially on high current loads or long runs .
Thanks for your concern

[Jude]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Gordon,

House recepticles are typically 15 amp rated. But they are connected to 20 amp circuit breakers. This is the common house wiring scheme and works well, even though the plugs are only really rated for 15 amps. Also, if she only runs one appliance at a time, as she wants to do, she will not be drawing 20 amps continuously. Only a surge to get the AC up to speed. I do this regularly and have never had a problem. I also run a conventional circular saw at home, with a conventional 15 amp plug and it draws 25 amps. Not a problem for intermittant use. She was wanting to know an easy way to extend her cord to work off the house they are going to visit. The easiest way is to run an extension cord from a convenient plug. Plugs have 20 amp breakers and the plug style is rated for 15 amps. The only problem would be if there was a continuous draw of 20 or more amps, such as two electric heaters on the same circuit or starting the AC while the microwave was on. "15 amp" style plugs commonly, and by design, carry 20 amp loads.

I do this at my daughters house when we visit with my Oliver. Park out in front and run a #12 cord to the closest plug. AC during the day in summer, or electric heater at night in the winter.

Of course, going into the dryer plug would be nice, but probably less convenient

You all rock. Thanks for your advice.
It’s been very helpful.
If we can’t figure out the extension cord, we will ask you.
Right now our battery seems to be dead; maybe we left a leak got on. But it seems that one LED should not have run down the battery. So, our goal right now is to recharge the battery.

[Jude]

Originally Posted by dblcola

When using an extension cord we always use an old plastic sleeve from a loaf of bread to cover the joint to keep any rain water out. Simply cut off the closed end of the sleeve, slip it over one end before plugging together and tap each end around the cord making it water tight.

Thanks. Great!

[Jude]

Originally Posted by Tom 72

What a helpful group of replies. Gentlemen (I think), we salute you all. Thank you!

Yes, thanks all!
This is second time you all have solved a problem.
We hope to one day give back.
Until then- thanks for the advice.

Now a new problem: our camper battery is dead.
We have been very careful about checking lights when we show it to friends in our driveway, but perhaps we missed a light.
Our goal today is to recharge the battery.
My husband is running up to Walmart to get an adapter and extension.
Thoughts?

[John in Santa Cruz]

I keep two car battery chargers at home... one is an old fashion 'stupid' charger, 8 amp manual... and the other is a 12 amp 'smart' microprocessor controlled charger. as long as the dead battery has at least 8 volts, the smart charge rwill work, but if its totally dead, like my wife's benz wagon battery last week (she left teh tailgate ajar, and all the interior dome lights stayed on), I put it on the stupid charger for a few hours to get it going, THEN the smart charger to finish the job. (amazingly, that Deka Gold group 48 came back to life, and my CCA tester says its still 90%).

[thrifty bill]

I'd pull the battery out first and get it tested. While it is only two to three years old, RV batteries sometimes have a short life.

Pretty much any auto parts store will test your battery for free.

[Jude]

Thank you. The battery is just 2 months old. Would it run down already?

[Jude]

Thank you, John.
I will pass this on to my husband who just left for Walmart to get cords, chargers, monitors.
Yikes - this shouldn't be so difficult for us to figure out. We are both retired teachers with multiple years of education behind us. Right now, we are feeling kind of "depleted" about how to keep our battery charged.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by mbbear

Please forgive my ignorance, but I don’t understand how plugging into the dryer outlet would work. The power at the outlet is 210/220, how is that compatible with 110 power. I understand that the 220 volt service is two 110 lines and that the dryer outlet would provide 30 amps, but how does the 220 volts get reduced to 110 for the camper’s electrical system? Thanks

You are absolutely correct it is not going to work. It could be that the moderators need to remove that particular comment for the safety of anyone who looks at this thread.

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Jude

Thank you. The battery is just 2 months old. Would it run down already?

There are a couple of "always on" devices such as your propane detector, if you have one, the pilot light on a combined 12V / USB outlet, etc. Depending on how long the trailer sits, how charged the battery was when you unplugged from the last pedestal, etc, these small loads can be enough to kill a battery in a couple of days.

Some tow vehicles will charge your trailer battery as you drive, others don't. Wiring can be added if yours doesn't already have a charging circuit for the trailer. If you are not sure, check for 12V between pins 1 & 4 on your 7 pin trailer connector (with the tow vehicle motor running).

If you have an inverter, be sure to shut it off when you are not using it. Depending on the size, it can draw over an amp per hour with no load, which can pull your batteries down in a day or two. If you have a battery disconnect, shutting it off will remove most loads.

Try not to let the battery get below 12V, which is considered 1/2 dead. Anything below 10.5V is considered dead, and batteries don't recover well from dead, particularly if left that way for any length of time.

[Mike Magee]

Don't feel bad. I made the same mistake with my first trailer, left it unplugged and a couple weeks later found the batt dead. It needs to be getting a recharge just about all the time, unless you disconnect the battery at its post and then it might be ok for a couple months.

[Steve Carlson]

One of the really nice things about AGM batteries is they hold a charge much longer than a regular lead-acid battery.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by k corbin

You are absolutely correct it is not going to work. It could be that the moderators need to remove that particular comment for the safety of anyone who looks at this thread.

I made that error and corrected it in a later post. My mistake. I'll go back and see if I can edit it out.

Nope. Can't edit that far back. At least it has been talked about now, which is an alert.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Raspy

I made that error and corrected it in a later post. My mistake. I'll go back and see if I can edit it out.

Nope. Can't edit that far back. At least it has been talked about now, which is an alert.

go to that posting, use the report post button to contact a moderator and describe what you want to do with that posting.

[Carl Pa]

After reading this whole thread , I feel I should have been an engineer to own a Scamp. Carl

[floyd]

I have used a 12G extension cord when needed for many years without concern for selective use such as microwave-A/C.
At home I have a 20A breaker on a circuit used exclusively to supply trailer power for my own trailers and those of many driveway guests.
Also, we have often used the 20A plug on the power post when sharing power at campgrounds during rallies.
We have never drawn enough power to pop a breaker when doing so.
My A/C is a Coleman MiniMach (7200BTU) with a 1500W heatstrip.
Most of my guests have had the bigger A/C (usually 13800BTU) and often electric heaters.

[gordon2]

A lot of people seem to believe that as long as they don't trip a circuit breaker they are golden. But as I have said a number of times, my primary concern is with voltage drop that is too much so that the A/C compressor is, or might be damaged. As I understand things, one can damage the compressor with low voltage without ever tripping a breaker. If any HVAC techs are here I hope they will speak to this concern.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by gordon2

A lot of people seem to believe that as long as they don't trip a circuit breaker they are golden. But as I have said a number of times, my primary concern is with voltage drop that is too much so that the A/C compressor is, or might be damaged. As I understand things, one can damage the compressor with low voltage without ever tripping a breaker. If any HVAC techs are here I hope they will speak to this concern.

If you want 100% assurance that your A/C is never subjected to low voltage conditions then either don’t turn your A/C on or don’t plug your trailer in .
Do you have surge or low voltage protection on your home’s A/C ?
Low voltage will damage any motor so how far do we take this ?
Do we put low voltage protection on every motorized appliance we own ?
I for one am not going to worry , I plan on going camping and enjoy myself
When camping requires me to sit all day and monitor my power quality then I will just stay home and watch my utility meter spin or shut my A/C off .

Life’s just too short to worry about everything that possibly could go wrong !! IMHO

[Jude]

Thanks. Very helpful!

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

If you want 100% assurance that your A/C is never subjected to low voltage conditions then either don’t turn your A/C on or don’t plug your trailer in .
Do you have surge or low voltage protection on your home’s A/C ?
Low voltage will damage any motor so how far do we take this ?
Do we put low voltage protection on every motorized appliance we own ?
I for one am not going to worry , I plan on going camping and enjoy myself
When camping requires me to sit all day and monitor my power quality then I will just stay home and watch my utility meter spin or shut my A/C off .

Life’s just too short to worry about everything that possibly could go wrong !! IMHO

Thank you. Exactly. It's become comical to see how many more posts there can be about essentially the same concern, even though plugging trailers into home circuits seems to be common and of little danger. Anyone can dream up something else to worry, or predict disaster, if they want to.

Maybe it's time to go watch the car rust. I'll include some hand wringing and a concerned look on my face.