I finally did it - bought a LQ I have been wishing for for many years for camping with good friends and our horses.  Goodbye tent. Bought the little Sundowner Sunrise because it fit my requirements and my budget.

Now I have the LQ plugged in at my home and just put the Sharp microwave shelf in and gave it a try.  It starts normal - like one in a house and then slows down considerably and the tray inside kind of pokes around with a bit of jerking.  Doesn't seem right.  It does this every time the mw is started.

The only electrical appliances I have are the 3cf fridge and the microwave.

I am using an extension cord to get to the trailer that is a heavy duty cord with proper ground, etc. 

Your advice or insight is greatly appreciated.

BTW, went camping for the first time last weekend (no hookups).  Loved every second of it!  How nice to have a warm dry place to sleep and a place to get clean.   The only down side I can see to having a LQ is I used to wake up and check the horses by just peeking out of my sleeping bag.  Now I will have to relax and trust that my horses are fine and have always been fine while on a tie line.

How many watts does the microwave use?  What size is the generator?

We had a similar problem when running our microwave as my 2000w Honda generator couldn't handle the load.  I'd even plug it into the house with the long extension cord and it would work a little better but not much.  When I plugged it into the 3200w generator it worked beautifully.  Turns out the long extension cord wasn't heavy duty enough and the microwave pulled about 1900w.

If you aren't providing enough wattage to the microwave you'll kill it sooner or latter.

This is exactly why I opted for a toaster oven instead. Not a problem for everyone but I know microwaves suck a lot of juice up.

In fact this is what I put in my trailer and it is slick!

http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?DeptID=25436&CatID=7357&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=0ba0a1c&ProdSeq=3&ProdCount=6&Dep=Bed+%26amp%3b+Bath&RefPage=SearchDepartment&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=coffee+maker&S4DeptID=25436

re my post just now: oops!

shoul have said veteran in that last sentence,  not that veterinarians aren't great also!

Hi .. EQ ... I was scratching my head at your use of the term "Hydro" until I saw you were in Ontario..

A word of caution.. (well, two)  Voltage drop...

This is the amount of voltage that is reduced by the length of extension cord.  The more power needed, the greater voltage drop is produced.  Resistance heaters like a coffe maker or toaster oven are tolerant of it.  They just don't make the heat like they should.

AC units and Microwaves are NOT voltage tolerant.  They will be damaged by low voltage caused by a long extension cord.  The only solution (least involved) is a heavier cord.  To see how much of a heavier cord you'll need, consult any of the numerous voltage drop calculators on the web.

Like this one  >>  http://www.electrician.com/vd_calculator.htm 

A A/c unit that is 1850 watts will draw 16 amps @ 115 volts

All appliances have a label showing watts or amps required.  To convert watts into amps ..divide the watts by the volts (115)

I have a 100 feet of # 10 cord for my A/C unit.  it's heavy, but I actually have two 50' cords so if the power is close, I only have to drag out one cord.

... Disclaimer:  I am of the cautious nature.  I have a bigger truck than trailer requires, I work with my horse on scary situations at home, so I can depend on him on the trail,  I'd rather spend $ up front than in repair.  Other posters on this board have done as well with less.

Thanks for the great info.  Yes, my expension cord is too long.  I will seek a better extension cord or have to park closer to the power source to use the cord included with my LQ.

This makes that microwave less handy than I originally thought unless I can find the right extension. 

The good news is that I do most of my cooking over the campfire or on my Coleman roadtrip grill.  I like hot water in the morning but i think I will heat some in the evening and put it in a thermos so that I can have hot tea or coffe without messing around in the morning.

BTW, here is a site that has good info about extension cords that even I can understand:

http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/h00010.asp

There is a nice chart that shows amperage and the length/gauge of cord needed.  No math required.  ;-)

CA .. Nice site.. Explains extension cords very well.  Too bad their chart stops at the wire lengths and amps a typical A/C unit draws.  1850 watts   Don't fear or avoid a little math...  After all who avoids money?  Money is just math at a bank.

My microwave manual says the microwave in my LQ needs 15 amps.  Now when I search on microwave and amp on the net, I can find lower amp microwaves out there (11.5).  Seems to me it would make sense to have a lower amp unit.  Or would running the mw at a lower power setting be okay without investing in a 10 gauge cord?  I don't have AC in my trailer - just a Fantastic Fan on 12V.

I looked at 10 gauge cords at Home Depot.  Wow to price and weight and the 100' cord said it was good to 15 amps.  They didn't have any shorter cords and I didn't buy one.

CA .. Most Microwaves only run at full power.  When the controls are set for a lower power level, the source of the microwave energy is pulsed at full power to average out to the desired  power level.  So running your MW at a lower power level will not accomplish a lower amp draw.

If you can manage with a shorter cord, say 50' then a 14 gauge cord will do.  (I hope the camp ground you're at has figured the voltage drop and installed proper wiring to each site)