30 AMP RV To House 110/120 Adapter

[mapleskoff]

Can I plug my Class C motorhome in to a 110/120 socket, with an adapter, to use it for several days to watch TV or do some work in it?  I don't have 30 AMP at home, but do have extension cord and adapter from 30 AMP to house current. Thank in advance.

Doc Mike

[desertdeals69]

Yes you can, but you have to limit your usage to lower than the circuit breaker.

[mapleskoff]

Thanks desertdeals. Probably won't run anything more than the TV or electric hand tool(s).

[wolfe10]

Yes, 15 amp male to 30 amp female adapters are available almost everywhere.  Certainly all RV stores and most Walmarts.

[mapleskoff]

Thanks, Wolfe10.

[RodgerS]

Consider:

1) Buying a testing device from someplace like Lowe's or Home Depot, that you can plug into your outlet that tests to verify you have a good ground and your polarity is correct.

2) Hook in your power protection, between your outlet and RV, just like you would do if you hooked up to a pedestal. If you don't have one, by one, and spend the money for a good one. 

Rodger S. 

[tbutler]

I've lived in the motor home parked in my mother's driveway for a month at a time with nothing but a single 110/120V outlet.  We have the inverter on full time and the batteries are being charged in addition to using lights and TV.  At times we had to run the furnace which runs off the battery and the charger replaces the charge between times when the furnace runs.  We never used the air conditioners or heat pumps and when we used the microwave or the coffee pot, everything else was off. 

Check the breaker box in the house and find a 20A circuit.  Sometimes lighting circuits are 15A and in older homes some of those circuits could have outlets.  We had a 15/20A converter to 50A in a single plug and have used it frequently.  The longer your extension cord, the greater line loss so try to use the beefiest and shortest extension cord you can get.  A 15A extension cord on a 20A circuit effectively turns it into a 15A circuit.  I used a 15 foot 20A cord to get out of the garage to our 50A cord. 

Our coach has a power management system that automatically senses the incoming current, 50A or 30A.  When we go to 20A we have to press a button to set the system for incoming current at 20A.  Doing this sets the power management system to sense when current is nearing 20A and it will shed loads to keep the usage under 20A so you don't trip a breaker.  If you don't have this kind of system, and you trip a breaker it isn't a disaster, just reset the breaker and make a note of what was turned on when the breaker tripped.

Keep in mind also that when you first plug in, your battery charging system may be putting a pretty strong draw on the current until the batteries are fully charged.  Give it a few hours before you further load the system.

[hermanmullins]

Rodger,

I have tried to stay out of your replies. What you fail to understand the FMCA Forum is a constructive site not a destructive site. 

If you disagree, just state what you believe to be to be correct . This is not the place to argue. 

From now on stay on the topic and voice a constructive response or leave the site like you said you were going to do.

Thank you for listening.

Herman 

[manholt]

Herman, well said. 

carl

[mapleskoff]

Sorry if my initial question was argumentative or out of order. It wasn't meant as such. I appreciate and thank those that replied.  Have an adapter and will check box for 20A circuit. Home is only five years old. 

 

Doc Mike

[jleamont]

Doc Mike, your post was fine in my opinion, it was actually a good question, and after all that is what the forum is for. There are no bad questions or dumb questions on here as far as I am concerned, just on occasion not so good responses. If you need to know because you are unsure PLEASE ASK, don't assume.

I plugged our 50 amp coach in to a 15 amp outlet with reducers before, the ONLY thing I was running was the refrigerator 2 days prior to leaving on a trip to get it cold. I have never experienced a problem. A simple check of the outlet or if you have a device inside that looks for voltage faults you should be fine. I will recommend you let your DW (Dear Wife) know not to turn on the A/C if its hot inside or things will get interesting .

happy trails!

[wolfe10]

mapleskoff,

Yes, your post was just fine.

And, whether your home outlet is 15 or 20 amps, you are just fine plugging your adapter into it and powering your RV from it.

What several were pointing out was that the WEAK LINK really dictates how much power (what you can turn on) you can use in your coach.

As an example, even if you have 20 amps to the outlet, but the adapter is rated for 15 amps, the adapter would limit what you can run.  Said another way, if you run over 15 amps on a 15 amp adapter, it will overheat, reduce voltage, and in extreme cases melt.

[mapleskoff]

I thank you all for your responses. It is so nice to hear from the wisdom of age and experience. Yes, I am rather old too, but not as experienced, LOL. Ours is a C class and intend to use it for TV and a place to sit while flooring being replaced in the house, then off to a campground in MN next week. Be well everyone, and enjoy the changing season.

 

Doc Mike

[manholt]

Doc Mike.  Feel free to chime in anytime!  Enjoy the cooler weather next week and the beautiful Fall Colors! 

Carl

[elkhartjim]

Doc Mike, most all RV's that are in storage use this kind of connection if using the built-in charger.

Where are you camping in MN? We try to spend several weeks each summer in Ely, love the Boundary Waters.