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Old 05-13-2016, 09:41 PM   #21
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Coming from Alaska we get too hot at anything over 75 degrees.
Coming from Florida I also get too hot when it's over 75 degrees. I can't take the heat anymore. I have to hide inside in the summer or go north.
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Old 05-13-2016, 10:05 PM   #22
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Back to the original subject, I am astounded to learn that low amperage can harm the A/C and definitely will be on the lookout so as not to harm mine when I get it. Useful information Thanks.
The EMS, when everyone is running the A/C at a campground at the same time, will shut you down if power is too low, protecting your appliances.
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Old 05-13-2016, 10:13 PM   #23
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Yes, low voltage (wattage) can damage an A/C.
...
The number of watts delivered to any electrical appliance is affected by the length of the conductor between the source and the appliance. If, for example, the fuse/breaker box is at a substantial distance (the other end of the house) from the outlet, and/or an additional 30 amp extension cord is used in conjunction with the trailer's shore power cord, the A/C could be damaged from operation with inadequate wattage. It doesn't matter what the amp rating of the circuit is or if the breaker does not trip; what matters is how much current is actually being delivered to the appliance. Under certain circumstances, the A/C could be damaged even on a dedicated 15 amp outlet if it receives insufficient wattage, so running it on a 15 amp circuit can, but not necessarily, be risky. The same could be true of a 30 amp circuit if the outlet is at a great distance from the breaker and a larger wire size is not installed to compensate for line loss. 10 gauge wire is typically used with 30 amp circuits. An outlet 300 yards/meters away is not going to deliver 30 amps on 10 gauge wire.
I agree, although I'd say that the number of volts available to any electrical appliance is affected by the length of the conductor between the source and the appliance, the gauge of that conductor, and the amount of current flowing in it. A dedicated circuit doesn't ensure acceptable voltage drop.

A short run of 14-gauge wire to a 15-amp outlet on a shared circuit could be much better than a 12-gauge wire run for a dedicated 20-amp circuit to the far corner of the house, especially if it is followed by a pile of extensions.
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Old 05-13-2016, 10:48 PM   #24
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I agree, although I'd say that the number of volts available to any electrical appliance is affected by the length of the conductor between the source and the appliance, the gauge of that conductor, and the amount of current flowing in it. A dedicated circuit doesn't ensure acceptable voltage drop.
Yep. Exactly what I said in my first sentence. I suspect that we would agree that the bottom line is that the Escape should be plugged into a 30 amp outlet delivering sufficient watts/volts as was intended. Plugging it into anything else without a knowledge of 120 VAC circuits and without considering the variables of the circuit in question could end up being rather costly. I wouldn't suggest that anyone who cannot properly evaluate the power source simply assume that using it to run the A/C will not be problematic.
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Old 05-13-2016, 10:51 PM   #25
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The only circuits that are required to be on a separate 20 amp circuit in a residence (NEC) are the 2 kitchen appliance circuits , a laundry circuit and the bathroom (s) receptacle circuit. The other general lighting circuits are 15 amp and calculated at 3 watts per square ft . Outside outlets are required to be GFCI protected but are not required to be on a separate circuit and can be fed off a general purpose lighting circuit. If the service panel is on one end of a residence and the outlet feeding the trailer is at the other end of the residence , and the circuit is a 15 amp general lighting circuit , the issue is voltage drop . Inductive motor loads (A/C) do not like,low voltage. The house may be fully code compliant but the NEC states that it is not a design manual. If you want a separate 20 amp outdoor GFCI receptacle to plug your trailer into , you need to have it installed and pay for it. If the circuit you plug your trailer can't handle the load of the A/C , it's no one's fault . A single appliance is not supposed to exceed 50% of the branch circuit rating when that circuit feeds other loads.
In this case you have an 11 amp A/C on a 15 amp circuit , SLIGHTLY over the 50% rating.
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Old 05-14-2016, 11:57 AM   #26
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Last summer, when I stopped in Montreal River (north of Sault Ste. Marie), the campground only had 15 amp service. Of course, A/C was not a problem with the breeze blowing off of Lake Superior, less than 100 yards away. My wife complained she was cold, so I set up the cube heater (dual settings, 900 watts or 1,500 watts). I never run it on the 1,500 watt setting because that would be the max current draw for the 15 amp circuits in the Escape. When I turned it on, the electrical management system shut everything down after maybe 10 minutes. I waited for it to reset, checked the voltage, and it read 118v. When I turned the heater back on, I immediately checked the voltage again. It was now reading 107v. I obviously do not know how far the feed to my site was from the distribution box, but it would seem that this campground was in need of an electrical upgrade. Not wanting to wake up with the wife complaining she was cold, I turned on the furnace. So as Steve stated above, voltage drop is a concern.
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Old 05-14-2016, 01:54 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by C&G in FL View Post
Last summer, when I stopped in Montreal River (north of Sault Ste. Marie), the campground only had 15 amp service. Of course, A/C was not a problem with the breeze blowing off of Lake Superior, less than 100 yards away. My wife complained she was cold, so I set up the cube heater (dual settings, 900 watts or 1,500 watts). I never run it on the 1,500 watt setting because that would be the max current draw for the 15 amp circuits in the Escape. When I turned it on, the electrical management system shut everything down after maybe 10 minutes. I waited for it to reset, checked the voltage, and it read 118v. When I turned the heater back on, I immediately checked the voltage again. It was now reading 107v. I obviously do not know how far the feed to my site was from the distribution box, but it would seem that this campground was in need of an electrical upgrade. Not wanting to wake up with the wife complaining she was cold, I turned on the furnace. So as Steve stated above, voltage drop is a concern.
This is one of the few cases where I'm comfortable using the EMS bypass. As long as the drop is in the campground wiring (not due to a bad campground receptacle that might burn your trailer connector, or a problem with the trailer's internal wiring connections) and you are not running induction motors (such as your AC) an electric heater running on less than the EMS cutoff at 105V is not going to cause a problem (although at the 900 watt setting you will be getting far less than 900 watts worth of heat).
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