Posted 2014-05-26 8:55 PM (#159219) Subject: Issue with power (inlet)
Member
Posts: 8
Location: Springfield, IL
I just purchased a '94 4 star that is in perfect condition. All aluminum and not a dent or scratch anywhere on it. It has a weekender package with a 110v male recessed inlet, a roof top air unit, a microwave which is running off of one of the 110 outlets installed in the unit.
How for every single person I have talked to I have received an entirely different answer on this so hopefully we can come to some agreement.
I was told by the dealer that for the inlet power I could hook it up to a standard extension cable and run off of the 110v on the outside of my house. I have had others tell me "NO", that won't work it'll burn up your compressor, another one says it'll just blow a breaker...
the breaker box is directly opposite of the inlet plug and has two breakers, a 20a and a 30a breaker switch.
Now, I was told by another person (supposedly an electrician) that you can have a 110v inlet that supports a 30a circuit but I have never heard of that in my life.
My question is if the roof top unit is drawing most of the juice then I'm going to blow a breaker every time we go to use the microwave...I'm just a little confused on the installation of the inlet power source because this is a 110v male recessed and no there is not any other inlet anywhere else on the trailer.... and yes I have looked.
I have no objection to having the service upgraded to 30a which to me should only require someone to drop the inlet and install a new one correct? or would it require a whole new box?
Posted 2014-05-26 10:44 PM (#159223 - in reply to #159219) Subject: RE: Issue with power (inlet)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
What is the configuration of the male receptacle? Is it like a regular house plug or are the prongs in a circle? Regular like a house indicates 15/20 amp circuit good for either the a/c or the micro, not both. Also important is the size of the wire feeding the panel. If large enough, you could change the receptacle to accept a 30 amp service....typical for an RV.
Posted 2014-05-27 8:15 AM (#159230 - in reply to #159223) Subject: RE: Issue with power (inlet)
Member
Posts: 8
Location: Springfield, IL
Regular receptacle just like you see in a house only a male. In looking at the breaker box, the inlet is like right in front of it but from what I can see of the wire its pretty beefy, but I guess an electrician would have to look at it and tell what gauge it is, all I can tell is how big it is and the color is white.
Posted 2014-05-27 10:04 AM (#159236 - in reply to #159219) Subject: RE: Issue with power (inlet)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
Is there more room in the box to add a breaker? Usually the 30 amp breaker would be there to act as a main breaker for the panel. The wire going to the main connection should be a #10. If that is the case, you can simply change out the outside connector to a 30 amp receptacle and use the appropriate extension cord. All available online or at your RV store.
There may be tabs that need to be removed in order to add breakers, any electrician or handyman is capable of doing this modification.
Good luck and fire back with any questions.
PS....adding the refrig should not overload the circuits once the modifications are made.
Posted 2014-05-27 2:17 PM (#159245 - in reply to #159219) Subject: RE: Issue with power (inlet)
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448 Location: Los Angeles, Ca.
It sounds like you need need a new distribution panel and more than 30amps if you are going to add an electric heater.....generally not done because of the electric requirements. Usually the water heaters are propane. You can see various panels at Bestconverter.com. The converter part only charges the battery and runs whatever operates on 12v in your trailer. Heaters are never 12v because they take way too much power. I suggest you find a trailer that has all of the amenities that you are looking for and then see if you can duplicate them in your trailer. A new power distribution panel with converter will be in the $2-300 range and will take a little bit of work to install. There are numerous sites online giving info on how to do above, but it is probably beyond the abilities of the average trailer owner.
Posted 2014-05-28 12:46 PM (#159261 - in reply to #159219) Subject: RE: Issue with power (inlet)
Member
Posts: 8
Location: Springfield, IL
I never thought about a tankless that runs on propane, but I have no problem using that and it would certainly avoid the high electricity needs.
I did confirm last night that the converter is a 20a unit, so that for sure would need replacing, the breaker box has only two slots for breakers although I have to take out part of the finished wall in order to get to the box, I will start looking ito having that replaced as well.
Thanks for all the help everyone....
The sink I can easily install, although I'm not sure about the gray water tank under the trailer... The rest shouldn't be too difficult.
Issue with power (inlet)
