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Old 04-13-2021, 10:03 PM   #1
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AC on 20amp

I get conflicting information from "friends" so I figured I would present it here to more knowledgable RVers. Where I store my RV is at location that is undercover and has a 20amp circuit. Here in Florida it gets pretty hot even under cover. Can I run my AC on the 20amp circuit? I'm not looking at keeping it comfortable but just want it to stay maybe below 85 degrees inside.

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Old 04-13-2021, 10:12 PM   #2
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With nothing else running? - Yes, we do it all the time when moochdocking at the MIL's campground.
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Old 04-13-2021, 10:18 PM   #3
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Yes and as Ted says make sure anything else high draw is off. Don't forget the electric element in the hot water heater.
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Old 04-13-2021, 10:58 PM   #4
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Yes and as Ted says make sure anything else high draw is off. Don't forget the electric element in the hot water heater.


And switch the fridge to propane if you have an absorption model.
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Old 04-13-2021, 11:25 PM   #5
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Absolutely. It only draws between 11 and 15 amps depending on size. Set the temp at 84 to keep the humidity down. that is where I leave my Florida home for 4 months in the summer. If it is plugged into a GFI circuit, trip the GFI circuit in our RV. sometimes 2 GFI's in series don't play nice. you don't need it anyway.
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Old 04-16-2021, 01:18 PM   #6
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In my case, if I try to run the A/C on a 20 amp circuit (using an outlet in my garage), it trips the circuit breaker after a few minutes. I want to add a dedicated 30 amp outlet that I can plug the RV into.
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Old 04-16-2021, 02:07 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by RBard48 View Post
I get conflicting information from "friends" so I figured I would present it here to more knowledgable RVers. Where I store my RV is at location that is undercover and has a 20amp circuit. Here in Florida it gets pretty hot even under cover. Can I run my AC on the 20amp circuit? I'm not looking at keeping it comfortable but just want it to stay maybe below 85 degrees inside.
You say "where you store". If this is at a storage lot it will depend on how many other RVs are on that circuit and how much current is being drawn from the circuit. Also, many storage lots that offer 20 amp will specify no AC, the 20 amp is for battery maintenance/charging only.

IF this is at you own location it depends on what else you have running on the circuit and how much current is being drawn through the circuit.

The answer is not as simple as some would have you believe.
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Old 04-16-2021, 03:00 PM   #8
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^^^what he said...it's a borderline issue. Use the damp-rid type products also, just in case it trips. If its a dedicated line to your storage outlet you 'should' be OK.
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Old 04-16-2021, 05:52 PM   #9
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I too know i cannot run the A/C on a 20 amp dedicated circuit. I now have dedicated 30 amp connection for my unit. Perhaps a soft start will be in the future to help with the issue of limiting current draw overall. My question is, IF you do trip a breaker then what? Do you have some means of monitoring the temperature and someone to reset the breaker?
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Old 04-16-2021, 10:18 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton View Post
^^^what he said...it's a borderline issue. Use the damp-rid type products also, just in case it trips. If its a dedicated line to your storage outlet you 'should' be OK.
What he said...
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Old 04-25-2021, 08:27 PM   #11
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We do, but I added a soft start to the AC, now we can run it on a 15 amp plug and our honda EU2000i (16amp) inverter generator.
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Old 04-25-2021, 08:31 PM   #12
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I wonder why the a/c manufacturers haven't gotten serious about adopting the soft-start technology?
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Old 04-26-2021, 02:21 PM   #13
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You may see more in the future, like the new Coleman MACH 10 NDQ - 13,500 BTU/h AIR CONDITIONER with SOFTStart. I expect higher cost is main drawback, otherwise more units would have soft start.

As important in this case is the very low rated 10.4 Amps during normal cooling. Long-term, RV air conditioners with higher efficiencies will accomplish even more in my opinion. They will likely have variable speed inverter drives that will address start-up current.


https://www.airxcel.com/rv/coleman-m...ftstart-series
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Old 04-26-2021, 02:30 PM   #14
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We do, but I added a soft start to the AC, now we can run it on a 15 amp plug and our honda EU2000i (16amp) inverter generator.
Yup us too: Added soft start and it runs great on 15 amps.
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