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04-13-2021, 10:03 PM
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#1
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.2
State: Florida
Posts: 78
THOR #11144
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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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04-13-2021, 10:12 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: Florida
Posts: 14,117
THOR #7035
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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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Ted & Melinda
2016 ACE 27.1
2016 Chevy Sonic Toad - Selling
2020 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Runner Toad
2024 Chevrolet Trax 2RS - Soon 2B TOAD
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04-13-2021, 10:18 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: A.C.E. 27.2
State: Indiana
Posts: 1,842
THOR #14698
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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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2018 ACE 27.2
Toad 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Towbar
Roadmaster Invisibrake
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04-13-2021, 10:58 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Forest River Forester 235
State: Indiana
Posts: 4,883
THOR #6826
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MJC62
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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And switch the fridge to propane if you have an absorption model.
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04-13-2021, 11:25 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Brand: Keystone
Model: Sprinter
State: Florida
Posts: 1,422
THOR #15553
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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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2011 Keystone Sprinter 323BHS. Retired Master Electrician. All Motor Homes are RV's. All RV's are not Motor Homes.
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04-16-2021, 01:18 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Chatea 31E
State: Maryland
Posts: 453
THOR #5837
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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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04-16-2021, 02:07 PM
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#7
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Site Team
Brand: Entegra
Model: Accolade 37TS
State: South Dakota
Posts: 8,726
THOR #1469
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RBard48
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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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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Dave
US Army (Ret)
2020 Entegra Accolade 37TS
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk (Toad)
FMCA - F432054
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04-16-2021, 03:00 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: THOR Chateua 35SF
State: Florida
Posts: 5,850
THOR #11130
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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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Now an SOB
Traded Thor for Melbourne Prestige 24NP
2018 THOR Chateau 35SF
Two Labs, Bugsie & Blondie
Blondie passed in 2020 at 5 to Leukemia
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04-16-2021, 05:52 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 24TF Compass / Mercedes
State: New York
Posts: 200
THOR #17969
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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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04-16-2021, 10:18 PM
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#10
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I Think We're Lost!
Brand: Still Looking
Model: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
State: New York
Posts: 22,195
THOR #8860
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton
^^^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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What he said...
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04-25-2021, 08:27 PM
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#11
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Junior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: RW28
State: Florida
Posts: 24
THOR #12200
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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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04-25-2021, 08:31 PM
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#12
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I Think We're Lost!
Brand: Still Looking
Model: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
State: New York
Posts: 22,195
THOR #8860
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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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04-26-2021, 02:21 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Brand: Still Looking
State: Texas
Posts: 6,187
THOR #2121
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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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04-26-2021, 02:30 PM
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#14
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Axis/Vegas Enthusiast
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.4
State: Michigan
Posts: 9,837
THOR #1150
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbl5142
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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Yup us too: Added soft start and it runs great on 15 amps.
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