30 Amp

[hillside]

Here at home I have my motorhome plugged in directly to a 30 amp outlet. I use a volt meter to get a reading. This week we have had very hot and humid weather and I had no trouble running the AC during the day. However, about 4 in the afternoon the reading would drop way into the "red" zone and I ended up turning off the AC and being uncomfortable with the heat. Could the problem be with the amount of power supplied or would it be something with the motorhome? Thanks for the help.

[jim01]

There may be a couple of reasons that the voltage dropped. If you are hooked up through a house, the amount of electricity that the house is using could affect your voltage. This is true especially if the wiring to the house is marginal.

Second, the power company may have a problem supplying the correct voltage to your area during high demand times because of inadequate supply lines.

Don't trust the plug-in voltmeters that they sell. I have one and it is off by more than 7 volts. My suggestion would be to go to a hardware store or home repair store and buy a multi meter which you can use to accurately measure the voltage. With a voltage of about 105 volts, you should be able to safely run your AC. Below that, you are taking a chance on overheating the compressor.

Hope this helps.

Jim

[frank]

I agree with Jim!! The wire size and length of the run will also have a drastic effect on the voltage especially if the power company is in a brown out stage because of over use.

I also do not trust a plug in volt meter.

[hillside]

Thanks to both of you. The mh is about 600 feet from the house and on its own--separate line, separate meter, and separate bill and the only thing connected. Thanks for telling me about a multi meter, I'll pick one up asap.

[trpwire]

After purchasing a new volt meter, if you still have the same problem, try switching your refrigerator over to gas until the "window of low power" resolves itself.

[murffdog]

Thanks to both of you. The mh is about 600 feet from the house and on its own--separate line, separate meter, and separate bill and the only thing connected. Thanks for telling me about a multi meter, I'll pick one up asap.

600' is a long way, 30 amp requires 10 wire but at 600', I don't know.