Welcome to the new RV101 blog. More and more people are living in vehicles designed for recreational use. This can be a challenge. We hope to help you on your journey.
The points discussed below are important and can mean the difference between comfortable living or damage that could cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
Here in Las Vegas, on the first hot day of every year we get roughly 15-20 calls about RV air conditioners not working properly. Sometimes it is the air conditioner, but mostly is a lack of proper voltage and/or amperage getting to the unit.
NEVER operate your RV air conditioner when your RV is plugged into a standard 15 amp house-type receptacle. Each air conditioner needs a full 20 amp service so you need to plug your 30 amp plug into a full 30 amp service for one air conditioner or your 50 amp plug into a full 50 amp service to operate two AC’s.
If you need to run your RV AC’s at home then you will need to get a qualified, licensed electrician to install a full 30 or 50 amp RV service pedestal or weatherproof receptacle near your intended RV parking space. This is important because every installation has technical questions (like voltage loss, conduit requirements, heat build-up, long wire runs, proper wire type and size, etc) that can only be addressed by qualified electricians.
Plugging your RV into a 15 amp household receptacle with a “temporary” adapter is for temporary use to run low wattage appliances, a couple of lights or to get your absorption refrigerator cold. Actually there are times that even this can be dangerous; If your batteries are low and your converter wants to charge them up fast when you plug in, then you could be in a situation where too much amperage is trying to go through the adapter. There may be other situations where adapters can be dangerous.
DO NOT make the mistake of plugging into a dryer or welder receptacle. Most 30-60 amp receptacles at home are wired with two legs of 110 VAC which, if connected, would destroy most electrical appliances on your RV. The RV 30 amp receptacle has one hot (110v), one neutral and one ground.
Do Not use extension cords of any kind on your RV when operating your air conditioner. Any extension cord will lower the voltage getting to your RV. Lower voltage means higher amperage (not cool). This rule also includes 30 or 50 amp extension cords. Ideally RV power supply cords should not be longer than 21 feet but almost all of them are 25 feet from the RV factory. If you can do it, you may want to shorten your supply cord for optimum operation of your RV.
Make sure the male plug and female receptacle of your RV service pedestal are clean. Carbon build-up will limit the amperage and/or voltage getting to your RV. You may have to replace the male plug if it has carbon build-up.
Keep your power supply cord (shore line) out of the sun and preferably not coiled up. Both of these conditions produce heat and heat limits voltage, which increases current (amperage), creating more heat… admit it, you can’t win!
Make sure your generator is operating correctly and make sure it is powerful enough to power your RV. Suggested wattage for one AC is 4000+ watts and 2 AC’s should have a minimum of a 5000 watt generator.
Often park voltage can be low on hot high demand days. Check voltage at the park pedestal.
On hot days when it is 130 degrees inside your coach it is suggested that you ventilate as much hot air as you can before turning on the air conditioner. Each pass of air through the AC coils only lowers the temperature about 20 degrees, so 130 in is 110 out. We get calls saying that the air coming out of the cool side of the vent is too hot, but it could be a normal condition.
Condenser coils on the roof should be cleaned periodically to eliminate build-up of sand, dirt and leaves. Make sure the fins are not bent which restricts cooling air flow. See your owner’s manual for details. If your air conditioner still does not operate properly you may want to bring your RV in to our service department for a check out.
Happy RV’ing,
Mike, Manager,
Vegas Trailer Supply
PS I use words like “qualified” and “licensed” because over the years I have seen work by those who call themselves “electricians” and in at least two cases their work could have caused death.
