Extension cord

[EdMathis]

I want to be able to plug my Coleman lantern Lt 17b into my house while loading or unloading and cleaning. I don’t have a 30 amp receptacle, I have the 50 to 15 amp dog bone What gauge extension cord would be good for this?

 

[Rollin Ollen]

I want to be able to plug my Coleman lantern Lt 17b into my house while loading or unloading and cleaning. I don’t have a 30 amp receptacle, I have the 50 to 15 amp dog bone What gauge extension cord would be good for this?

You can purchase a 30 to 15 amp adapter from just about any RV store. They are quite inexpensive. Once you have that you can use any "out door rated" extension cord. 15 amps will allow you to use lights etc and if you have a battery charger integrated into your system, then your battery will charge as well.

Safe travels.

Darrell

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I want to be able to plug my Coleman lantern Lt 17b into my house while loading or unloading and cleaning. I don’t have a 30 amp receptacle, I have the 50 to 15 amp dog bone What gauge extension cord would be good for this?

30 amp cord is 10 awg.
20 amp cord is 12 awg
I won't offer up 15 amp size. A cord of 10 or 12 awg will serve your needs, and both will be protected by the house wiring without a dip in voltage, as long as the cord is not to long.

 

[EdMathis]

Thanks y’all will I be able to run the ac a short period?

 

[mjeds]

10 or 12 gauge, remember electricity creates heat and it follows the path of least resistance, so shorter is better as well, less heat and less voltage drop, the heavier the gauge, the cooler the cord and related connections will be.

IMO always go bigger gauge than the need to be safe, and keep the length as short as allowable for conditions.

I've seemed some fugly extension cord fires in my day, saw one just recently that was scary as hell, 8 25 ft indoor extension cords looped together in a warehouse, plugged into a scissor lift to charge the lift,

cords, lift, 1/3 warehouse full of construction equipment up in flames within 30 minutes of the idiot plugging it in.

thankfully no one was hurt.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Thanks y’all will I be able to run the ac a short period?

I would suggest that you NOT run your AC using just a 15 amp service. You state that you do not have a 30 amp service from your house. As mentioned by others, an overload can easily cause a fire. If you want to run your A/C you should have a 30 amp service installed and then make sure you use an extension cord that is rated 30 amp as well. Kevin gave you the wire gauges required.

Darrell

 

[EdMathis]

I would suggest that you NOT run your AC using just a 15 amp service. You state that you do not have a 30 amp service from your house. As mentioned by others, an overload can easily cause a fire. If you want to run your A/C you should have a 30 amp service installed and then make sure you use an extension cord that is rated 30 amp as well. Kevin gave you the wire gauges required.

Darrell

Thanks everyone , that’s what I needed to know going to get a 30 amp put in at the house.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Thanks everyone , that’s what I needed to know going to get a 30 amp put in at the house.

In the mean time! Your house breaker will protect your house wiring. You would only risk a fire if you increased the breaker in your load center(breaker box).

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

Thanks y’all will I be able to run the ac a short period?

I had a 2008 5er with 30A service. I had an adapter to plug it in to a standard 15A outlet on the house.
I could run a few lights and the TV wihout any issues. I could run the A/C if I turned off the lights and TV to start the A/C. Once it fired up, I could turn the TV and a light or two back on.
I could NOT run the A/C and microwave.

If you overload the house 15A braker, it will pop. You will not start a fire unless you change the breaker to a 30A without changing the wire.
Your RV is safe, since anything over 15A is going to trip the house breaker.

 

[Rich W.]

I had a 2008 5er with 30A service. I had an adapter to plug it in to a standard 15A outlet on the house.
I could run a few lights and the TV wihout any issues. I could run the A/C if I turned off the lights and TV to start the A/C. Once it fired up, I could turn the TV and a light or two back on.
I could NOT run the A/C and microwave.

If you overload the house 15A braker, it will pop. You will not start a fire unless you change the breaker to a 30A without changing the wire.
Your RV is safe, since anything over 15A is going to trip the house breaker.

…unless the breaker is bad

 

[Kevin D Pem]

…unless the breaker is bad

Time to dispel any myths about breakers! These reset_able fuses will only fail fully on if they are not rated for the voltage applied. (For another thread)
We know that a fuse will blow when you demand more power than the fuse wire can handle. Open is failed.
Breakers use the same scheme. But rather than the element burning up it heats up a low melting point substance, like wax, that releases the mechanism that breaks the circuit. Resetting the cog with the breaker lever reastablishes the contacts(the reason you have to fully turn off the breaker when you reset it).
The melting point of the "wax" will never change, nor will the resistance of the heater. Any change will result in a Open at a lower amperage, never a higher amperage. One more thing! The heater is in series, therefore if the heater burns out the current will not flow in the circuit.

Hope that helps calm your nerves a little!

 

[Rich W.]

Time to dispel any myths about breakers! These reset_able fuses will only fail fully on if they are not rated for the voltage applied. (For another thread)
We know that a fuse will blow when you demand more power than the fuse wire can handle. Open is failed.
Breakers use the same scheme. But rather than the element burning up it heats up a low melting point substance, like wax, that releases the mechanism that breaks the circuit. Resetting the cog with the breaker lever reastablishes the contacts(the reason you have to fully turn off the breaker when you reset it).
The melting point of the "wax" will never change, nor will the resistance of the heater. Any change will result in a Open at a lower amperage, never a higher amperage. One more thing! The heater is in series, therefore if the heater burns out the current will not flow in the circuit.

Hope that helps calm your nerves a little!

All things mechanical can fail and all things built can be built incorrectly. Your comments are for the most part correct, however there are still many Zinsco and Federal Pacific breakers in use (pre 1990 or so) that can fail to trip causing a fire. Blind faith in manufacturers and regulatory agencies is not a good policy. “Best practices” are more likely to ensure desirable outcomes.

In this case that means not overloading a circuit in your home rather than relying on the breaker to do your diagnostics for you. Ever seen (ok felt) a hot breaker or noticed burnt insulation on the house side of a breaker? Having been in the fire service for over 45 years, and having been an investigator for a couple of those decades, I’ve seen the unfortunate and too often tragic result of the converse too many times. Just sayin….

 

[Rich W.]

Thanks everyone , that’s what I needed to know going to get a 30 amp put in at the house.

The OP is taking the correct approach. Find or establish an open slot in the panel, install a 30 amp breaker, determine the correct wire size for the load and length of run, and install a correct 30amp outlet. Then you can be as worry free as possible. I installed the panel below on a 50 amp breaker using 40’ of 6 ga. copper wire. For a 30amp service you can go up to 50’ on 10 ga. or up to 80 on 8 ga.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Wow What a rabbit hole!
By design all circuits are overloaded! In the RV, in the house, in the neighborhood, in the state, in any country!!!

Need proof? Add up the values of the breakers in your load center, and compare to the main breaker (or service rating if you want). Then multiply each breaker plus the number of outlets, by rating and lights on each breaker.
(For the record: The breakers you referred to are existing art. Not to be installed in new installations. If this has caused any fear amongst you all! If your house is pre 2000 check your breakers to see if they were discontinued due to safety issues, that information is not hard to find. )now to continue:

All houses would have a minimum of 500 amp service if your advice was taken seriously. The cables on the power poles would require towers, all houses would have their own transformer. Much could be said, because all outlets would have their own breakers and runs. But reason explains the workings of things, and offers a sensible option without fear mongering!

 

[Rich W.]

Wow What a rabbit hole!
By design all circuits are overloaded! In the RV, in the house, in the neighborhood, in the state, in any country!!!

Need proof? Add up the values of the breakers in your load center, and compare to the main breaker (or service rating if you want). Then multiply each breaker plus the number of outlets, by rating and lights on each breaker.
(For the record: The breakers you referred to are existing art. Not to be installed in new installations. If this has caused any fear amongst you all! If your house is pre 2000 check your breakers to see if they were discontinued due to safety issues, that information is not hard to find. )now to continue:

All houses would have a minimum of 500 amp service if your advice was taken seriously. The cables on the power poles would require towers, all houses would have their own transformer. Much could be said, because all outlets would have their own breakers and runs. But reason explains the workings of things, and offers a sensible option without fear mongering!

True enough but when its a electricity or propane or some other safety issue I err on the side of caution, especially when giving advice to someone with unknown qualifications. Do it right (per code) and you have done your best. My perspective is from a lifetime in public safety so if that puts me down a “rabbit hole” I can live with it. Beats the alternative.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

True enough but when its a electricity or propane or some other safety issue I err on the side of caution, especially when giving advice to someone with unknown qualifications. Do it right (per code) and you have done your best.

I did say in the mean time. That implies temporary.

 

[Rich W.]

I did say in the mean time. That implies temporary.

I don’t always catch the finer points.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I don’t always catch the finer points.

No problem. I just worry that our discussions might effect someone's sleep, and I know that isn't the plan

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

Y’all need to stop comparing penis size.
No one gives a damn…

A 30A camper does NOT require 30 amps to run any particular appliance, system, or light.
A little common sense and possibly an error or two will let the OP know what he can run off his 15-20A circuit.
Stop with all the theory and bad breakers, extension cord size, etc.

 

[EdMathis]

Wow didn’t realize this is such an vast subject. I appreciate all of y’all’s help and this was very informative. I am getting my electrician to install a 30 amp receptacle soon.
I am not too savvy with AC current I am better with the DC side. Thank you all for the help , this is one of the reasons I joined the forum. The wealth of knowledge in here is invaluable.
Eddie