Newbie electrical question

[Myfotos]

I just picked up my Fleet shell a few months ago and just returned from a three-week trip through Oregon and Washington (can't rave enough about FWC!). I stayed at a couple of campgrounds that had boxes to hook up electric, but didn't need to access them. My question is, the boxes had either 30 or 50 outlets (sometimes both), but also a 110 plug. Could I just plug in an extension cord and and recharge my laptop or whatever? Not knowing, I was leery of trying.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[Bad Habit]

I'm assuming they charged you for the access to the power whether you used it not, most "RV" type campgrounds do. The 110 would be good for anything you would need. If you carry an extension cord, get one with the pilot light in the receptacle, that way you can be sure it's powered. Carry a cheap plug strip too, and you can charge as many things as would fit.

 

[PaulT]

I'm assuming they charged you for the access to the power whether you used it not, most "RV" type campgrounds do. The 110 would be good for anything you would need. If you carry an extension cord, get one with the pilot light in the receptacle, that way you can be sure it's powered. Carry a cheap plug strip too, and you can charge as many things as would fit.

+1

Our campers use so little AC power that a 15 amp is all you need. However, acquire a 30 to 15 amp adapter so that you are not a plug away from the power. Some campgrounds have only 30 and/or 50 amp sockets.

Paul

 

[Myfotos]

Thanks. The KOA only had one type of campsite, so it was included at the standard (higher) price. It was nice to have a HOT shower though. Good idea to get a power strip and adapters. Hadn't thought of either. I was able to recharge my iPad at night using the 12 volt outlets and my laptop during the day on the passenger seat while driving using the inverter, but figure that it might be useful at some point to be able to hook up to power, if available.

Bill

 

[longhorn1]

Thanks. The KOA only had one type of campsite, so it was included at the standard (higher) price. It was nice to have a HOT shower though. Good idea to get a power strip and adapters. Hadn't thought of either. I was able to recharge my iPad at night using the 12 volt outlets and my laptop during the day on the passenger seat while driving using the inverter, but figure that it might be useful at some point to be able to hook up to power, if available.

Bill

Bill, I carry the FWC plug and 50' extension cord, 30amp cord, 30amp surge protector, and 50amp/30amp converter to use if all they have is 50amp. I have found that they usually always have 30amp and the 120. If they say 50amp, I've found that the box also has the 30amp and 120. The 30amp surge protector plugs onto the end of my 30amp cord and then plugs into the box at the campsite. I just like being prepared if we stay where we can plug in. jd

 

[XJINTX]

I use the 15 amp connection and it powers everything I need including my AC unit. Some campsites I still have an issue with the ground protect always tripping I need to delve into that more I really think I may need a new extension cord although mine looks new?

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Also buy a small inverter. we use ours a lot to charge the airplane transmitters, ipad, camera batteries.

 

[Myfotos]

Thanks for the input. I did buy an inverter that I used in the cab to recharge my laptop while driving - wasn't sure how much drain that would be on the two batteries if I charged it at night.

Another thought I had was to contact FWC and see about having an outlet installed rather than having to run an extension cord through an open door. I checked the area with the heater, but that doesn't seem workable. What I would like is a covered outdoor outlet to plug the extension cord into from the campsite power pole and have an outlet inside the camper. Am thinking that there could also be a coaxial outlet as well should I ever want to use cable for a small TV. I realize that I should have talked with FWC when I ordered, but am hoping the retrofit won't be too expensive. Ideas/suggestions?

Bill

 

[ntsqd]

The connection on the outside of the camper will need to be an "inlet" rather than an outlet as it will need to have the male contacts. There are simple forms of this and there is a rather upscale form of this used on boats.
Simple:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/marinco--15a-battery-charger-inlet--191991?recordNum=3

Poke around the West Marine, U.S. Boat Suppy etc pages to find more like this.

 

[idahoron]

I also started to carry a 30 amp to 15 amp adapter. I find that a lot of the 15 amp outlets suck and kick out all the time.

 

[BFH4N]

Instead of using the 6-inch cord that FWC supplied, I put a waterproof 30-Amp twist-lock connector (that matches the FWC power inlet) on the end of a regular 25-foot 14 AWG extension cord. I carry another similar extension cord with a single 15-Amp receptacle on the end. This is all I need. Most campsites that I have visited have regular 15-Amp or 15/20-Amp outlets. I carry adaptors that allow me to plug my meager little cord into 30-Amp and 50-Amp (240-Volt) outlets, in case that is all there is.

Unless you have an air conditioner in there, these campers don't draw much current. Fifteen Amps is more than adequate. The FWC 30-Amp power inlet and main breaker seems like an overkill. I guess older campers with incandescent lights and less-efficient refrigerators used more power. Or maybe they just use the same unit on all there models.

In my Fleet, I installed an industrial-strength surge protector, connected right to the incoming line, a 20-Amp line-noise filter and replaced the breakers with more resonable ratings: 20A main, 10A charger, 5A frige and 15A outlet.

The blue indicator light in the Furrion power inlet door is handy for verifying at a glance that the camper is getting power. With mine stored in the driveway, I can even see that indicator from inside the house. (Sometimes the breaker for the outdoor outlet trips in a thunderstorm.)

Most of the stuff I plug in inside the camper runs on either 12 Volts or 5 Volts (US. I've installed some USB outlets for charging our phones, flashlights, etc. A 12-Volt charger for my laptop makes it easy to use it in the camper but I also carry the AC charger. My CPAP requires 19 Volts DC, so I built in a power supply for it and outlets by the head of the bed.

- Bernard

 

[moveinon]

I have a fleet with the electrical built in by 4 wheel. They locate it on the driver side wall away from the water heater, furnace, and refrigerator. If you do add a connecter to the camper locating where they do makes sense - mine looks like an easy instal. As Longhorn1, I also carry a 50 foot cord with 30 amp adapter. As others mentioned I also find that the 15 AMP sometimes trips and so I use the 30 with adapter. The longer cord has been handy a number of times. I have asked a couple of times if I could just plug in the camper while I was out fishing to recharge my batteries and places have been more than willing to do that. I have l also plugged in at picnic areas a few times. The one thing these have in common is they were not proximate to the camper and require a longer cord to reach the plug. I have not put solar in my camper yet so being able to plug in when I need to is important. I also have a plug in surge protector ($35 on Amazon) which can be easily replaced when warn out which is good insurance if you are charging cell phones, computers, or cameras.

 

[K7MDL]

One rationale for the 30 Amp connection is to be a able to hook up properly with common 30A RV site power sources. It is OK to use a smaller source than the power cord and camper side wiring capacity, but not OK to use a smaller cord than the power source is set to protect. By using a small (like 14AWG cord) with 30A circuit source, you carry some risk of the cord frying and catching fire or something it is lying on like dry grass catching fire, the wire acts as the (slow and hot) fuse. Small likely hood and it is outside the camper, but the choice for the 30A connection is pretty clear I think. Not too many of us wish to carry a 8 or 10GA portable power cords, but if you are running A/C that could be what is needed at times.

30A is a logical choice to account for max load such as the battery charger/power supply plus things you plug into the AC outlet(s) like heaters or A/C units can draw a lot of power. If they installed only a 15A connector and smaller wiring in the camper, people would be constantly trying to upsize it.

 

[ntsqd]

Something like this, then?

http://www.marinco.com/en/199128

 

[K7MDL]

Excellent find!

 

[Myfotos]

Thanks for all the info. I think I will talk with FWC and see what they suggest. I don't imagine that I would ever need more than 15a, so just having an inlet on the outside to an outlet on the inside would be sufficient.