oldjohnt

Tell them Blah Blah Blah lol.. So long as an extension cord does not cause excess line voltage drop (depends on length, current, and wire size), voltage at end under load is adequate, and current limits aren't exceeded AS YOU KNOW IT WORKS !!!!! Saying NO EXTENSION CORDS PERIOD absent length, wire size and current doesn't mean much... Good plan. I was taught the 80% rule in NEC Seminars......... Fun sparky chatting with you, take care, Happy Independence Day John T

Hey there Payroll, great tips. if your RV cord (likely 30 or 50 Amp rated ??) has adequate ampacity and insulation type/integrity suitable for the location to conduct your EV's charger current, I don't understand any flaming ??????? Of course, you wouldn't use a 30 Amp rated cord to carry over 30 Amps WELL DUH you already know that ......... John T

Thanks for the post RV, lots of good info there (and a pics worth a thousand words). As you know but some may not, unloaded voltage alone at an RV Receptacle doesn't tell the whole story. There's no V = I x R voltage drop until such time current flows through a faulty/loose/carboned/resistive connection like a plug, receptacle or wiring connection ......... Even without any meter, if you don't get a firm tight connection when you plug in your RV power cord TAKE WARNING......Those receptacles take a lot of abuse wear n tear from no telling how many times they are used over several years and/or arcing burning and resistive pitting if plugged in under a load.... PS FYI I'm not a fan but a few RV parks may (instead of 120/240) use 208 Y 120 Volt Three Phase Four Wire electrical service in which case there would only be 208 Volts from L1 to L2 !!!!!!!! Take care yall be safe out there Happy upcoming Independence Day John T

WOW as an old retired power engineer I understand the difference in quality of some cheaper Big Box store homeowner grade electrical devices VERSUS more expensive commercial grade,,,,,,,,, But $7.83 versus $68.88 for an RV pedestal power receptacle NOW THATS SERIOUS. In over 50 years of RV travel I've been in private and public RV parks all over the US and believe many, especially older, must have went the cheap route !!! Check out what Mike Sokol has to say.. https://rvelectricity.substack.com/p/light-duty-50-amp-outlet-meltdown?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Best wishes take care be safe out there John T

Yep and in addition, ..."AGM batteries are a variant of Sealed VRLA batteries, just a more advanced design...". Here's more for those interested: I liked them but since upgraded to LiFePo4.. 5 Battery Types Explained - Sealed, AGM, Gel | BatteryStuff John T

EXACTLY (Absorbed Glass Mat AGM) I had good luck when I used them !!!!!!! John T

Vern, I've used Deoxit and it worked fine HOWEVER it took a while as it seemed sooooooooo expensive for a tightwad like myself lol. I use it on my RV, Toad and Trailer connectors a couple times each season...Back when I was practicing I used a lot of I believe it was CRC electronic contact spray cleaner which did a god job of cleaning. Hey I go back to the old contact TV channel switch tuners lol John T

Good question Glenn, unfortunately I can't answer it without your battery and charger or inverters specs. I know for example my Lithiums have a MAX CHARGING CURRENT and recommended CHARGING VOLTAGE and my Converter/Charger has adjustable charge voltages.. Of course, if your Inverter/Charger or Charger were to draw excess current for x amount of time it may contribute to the pedestals thermal magnetic circuit breaker tripping... As far as the charger setting, Id still recommend setting the charging voltage the batteries call for (typically 14.2 to 14.6 for 12 volt lithiums, double for 24), but you may or not be able to limit what current the charger or inverter/charger draws from the utility ?????????? I have seen pass through hybrid inverters in which you can set a current limit for the utility draw, if you have that perhaps lowering that to 80% of 50 or 40 Amps would prevent pedestal breaker trips??? PS Even if the Inverter/Charger wasn't drawing excess current and isn't at fault, ANY OTHER 120 VAC simultaneous loads (NOT Inverter fed) obviously add up and could be the cause of the pedestal breaker tripping?? If you knew what all devices/loads are drawing what currents you're on your way to a solution......Is EVERYTHING Inverter fed and the utility ONLY feeds the Inverter ?? Or are some loads fed direct from utility ?? Too many unknowns lol Sorry no help absent your manuals and complete diagram, Im NOT any solar related expert see what they have to say ESPECIALY if they have similar equipment !!! John T

Slack, for nearly forty years I used one to four wet flooded lead acid in RV's, later years they were Deep Cycle often Trojan brand which worked fine HOWEVER (A) when I upgraded to AGM I liked them MUCH better as I didn't have to worry with checking and adding water and they charged a bit faster NEVER had any problems. HOWEVER (B) later I upgraded to Lithium LiFePo4 and love them even more... I think you will like AGM better then wet flooded, but its YOUR choice. PS I have two Renogy 12 Volt 200 Amp Hour Group size 4D AGM's for sale used maybe 2+ years, they weight 129 Lbs each the wife had a hard time loading them in the RV lol PS I recommend use of a 3 Stage Regulated Smart Charger suited for AGM... John T

FWIW I agree with Chalkies great advice,,,,,,,,,If you're only pulling 7.6 Amps a standard 15 Amp 120 Volt household outlet should work fine SUBJECT TO other loads that may be used by that receptacles branch circuit and their currents ?? SUBJECT TO other loads in the RV which might also be drawing current SUBJECT TO the initial start up current surge of the AC not being so great it would trip the circuit breaker (likely NOT). FWIW I also agree with Chalkie, my preference would be plugged int a full fledged NON GFCI protected 20 Amp receptacle on a 20 Amp branch circuit ALTHOUGH at only 7.6 Amps unless there were other high loads on the circuit a 15 Amp circuit and 15 Amp outlet should work just fine. Of course you can get a 15 to 30 Amp dogbone adapter if the RV has a 30 Amp Plug. If wired to code an outdoor receptacle WOULD BE GFCI but it can still work depending on the RV the AC and other unknowns and variables. I have no idea if that alternator has the capacity, electronics, and proper limitation and regulation to direct charge lithium batteries or not ?? if so it may be fine AS IS. IF NOT you would need a DC to DC charger to prevent alternator damage PLUS correctly charge lithium batteries. From what you say it may be fine?? but I cant say from here. Typically lithium batteries (and their BMS) have a max charging current as wells as a max discharge rating.. I hesitate to say much more absent your RV and its alternator and electronics specs, consult the manufacturer NOT ME... John T NOT any solar expert

Sky, here's the deal when it comes to an engines alternator being used to charge RV house batteries. If BOTH the engine and RV have similar lead acid batteries (common before the days of lithium) the alternator can be used to direct charge BOTH (basically they are connected in parallel while charging both) subject to the alternator and charging system set up. HOWEVER (A ) if the house batteries are Lithium you CAN NOT direct charge them using the alternator, that can overload the alternator......HOWEVER (B) you can use the alternator to charge Lithium house batteries PROVIDED YOU USE A LITHIUM SUITABLE DC TO DC CHARGER in between which limits the alternator and correctly smart charges your lithiums. Modern trucks can come equipped with a decent sized alternator and onboard inverter for 120 VAC loads, but these are NOT typically super high power units to power huge RV loads. PS I believe there are pure EV's,,,,,,,,There are Hybrids that are electric plus have a gas engine,,,,,,,,There are plug in hybrids that have electric plus gas and you can plug in to recharge..I think Im not into all that no warranty Of course, while you need adequate battery capacity plus a suitable Inverter to run an AC for any extended period, YOU NEED A WAY TO RECHARGE THE BATTERIES when dry camping, be it a Generator orrrrrrrr Solar orrrrrrrrr a DC to DC described above allowing the engines alternator to supply charge. You have to know the energy the AC and other dry camping loads consumes, how much energy your batteries can store, and your charging capacity to size all of this. Its NOT rocket science but an energy audit is the first step when designing a system. Any solar is good solar but more solar is better lol. Theres like a night n day difference (cost and necessary equipment) in a system that can power ALL EXCEPT AC versus if you need AC when dry camping. Thats Your choice and determination.......plus a hole other thread way too much to cover here in a few paragraphs.. John T NOT a solar expert see what the other fine sparky gents have to say

Mornin Sky King, congratulations on your rig and I agree with the other fine sparkies, FWIW here's my take and thoughts on your good question. When you plug to shore power, it can (depends on your system configuration) power up a Converter/Charger (120 VAC to 13/14+ VDC charging voltage) to charge your battery and your battery can in turn (again depends on your system) feed a 12 VDC to 120 VAC Inverter to run your AC and/or other 120 VAC loads NOTE in an Inverter: For every amp of supplied 120 VAC, the Inverter will draw around approximately 11 amps from your 12 Volt battery. IE if your 120 VAC AC required lets use say 7 AC Amps,, your battery would have to pump out 7 x 11 or 77 DC Amps into the Inverter. While sure you can power an AC using stored battery energy and an adequate rated 12 VDC to 120 VAC Inverter, with ONLY 200 Amp Hours of stored battery energy YOU CANT RUN VERY LONG before the battery is drained. Typically (depends on configuration) when plugged to shore power IT NOT THE BATTERY/INVERTER would run the AC and also power your Converter/Charger to keep the battery topped off. Then when dry camped with no shore power (depends on configuration) stored battery energy can power the Inverter to run 120 VAC loads. That 76 amps you were reading may have been (cant say not there) the DC amps coming out of your battery to power your inverter to run the AC (Must be a smaller AC load, big rooftop units may be more like 1000 to 1500 watts subject to size ?? while a Mini Split can draw much less).........AT THAT SAME TIME if plugged to shore power (and your AC was running off Battery/Inverter power) your Converter/Charger could also be drawing shore power based on its rating. Maybe say 5 to 24 or so Amps of shore power to charge your battery. The 76 Amps may be ?? DC Amps what your battery is delivering to the Inverter to run the AC, while the 120 VAC AC Amps is what the Converter/Charger is drawing from shore power, which depends on the size of your Converter/Charger maybe say 5 to 24 amps ?????????? Shore power delivers AC amps to power your Converter/Charge to charge your battery and could also power an AC HOWEVER the AC could be configured to run off shore power when plugged in versus using battery and inverter (less efficent that way). 200 AH of battery isnt going to run an AC very long. FWIW my preference is to run an AC strictly off shore power (NOT battery/inverter) and of course also run my Converter/Charger to keep my batteries charged up. Using battery and inverter to power an AC is less efficient and not so common for smaller systems such as yours although fine for large systems. With ONLY 200 battery AH running AC isnt real practical, maybe 400 to 800 or MORE AH PLUS you need a system like Solar to recharge the batteries. Clear as mud Im sure lol post back any questions John T

I'm in Florida in the RV much of the winter often dry camping when the sun isn't at the peak angle, still as long as it's not rainy or cloudy with decent sunlight I can run off solar and lithium batteries and need no shore power..If not I fire up the genset for however long it takes to achieve 100% SOC maybe an hour or so subject to sun and loads. Even though you can discharge Lithium to 20% or even less, when they get near 40% I get an urge praying for more sun or firing up the genny lol. I have a Class C with limited roof space or Id add even more solar. Best wishes John T

57becky, that's a great article on GFCI's, thanks for the post, I certainly agree. Once I had a brief chat with Mike prior to attending one of his seminars at an RV rally, very nice and knowledgeable gentleman. Even an otherwise good RV can exhibit nuisance GFCI tripping, what with all the dirt dust moisture road vibration and insects plus converter/chargers/inverters (potential bonding and other issues) ITS NO SURPRISE.......When troubleshooting the cause I often have to start disconnecting loads and suspects one at a time which can be very time consuming............. John T

Thanks for sharing that RV, very interesting........ YEP you dodged a bullet. In my years of practice and studies in NEC seminars a place where I saw AFCI to be effective, was when cheap light extension cords were used in say the bedroom that got pinched under a piece of furniture or the dog or cat chewed up and arcs (insufficient current to trip a breaker) developed on top of carpet YIKES grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Resulting fires and destruction of life or property resulting from arcing contributed to the NEC and industry adoption of AFCI protection. While I practiced pursuant to the NEC as required I was NOT a fan of AFCI where not required (excess nuisance tripping) nor any dual purpose GFCI AFCI protection....... Sorry others for straying off topic, but this is still interesting to me although long retired, I sort of miss it John T

RV, YIKES that could have developed into a fire and/or taken your life &^%%$$# Being in the industry most of my life I came to the conclusion that a stick built home, wired by union or non union PROFESSIONAL electricans, is superior to most RV's I've seen, and that's a lot of them. A loose connection develops resistance and the power generated when current flows through that resistance amounts to I Squared R. Trouble is it draws less than 15 or 20 amps so the breaker doesn't trip....Arc Fault protection can detect low current arcing and can be effective in preventing tragedy. Did that burned white connector have sufficient current rating ?? Looks like it didnt ?? With so many burned Neutrals, I wonder if the Neutral Buss Bar connection was bad/resistive ?? Recently I purchased a Big Fuse 60 Amp fuse holder when I wired up my 40 Amp DC to DC charger and when operating it never drew much over high thirty amps. HOWEVER we detected that classic hot electric smell and low n behold the black plastic fuse holder assembly was melting grrrrrrrrrrr I replaced it with a DC circuit breaker which is working fine...... Best wishes, be safe yall Makes me want to go out and check my RV panel and all its connections even though I've done it before !!!!!!!!!!! John T

AMEN X2 I AGREE Having owned them over 50 years and being a past used dealer I RAN ACROSS SOME WHERE BILLY BOB OR BUBBA OWNERS OR EVEN THE FACTORY MAY HAVE WIRED THEM UNSAFE INCORRECT AND CONTRARY TO CODE grrrrrrr Talk about a situation that would cause an instant GFCI trip an RV might be plugged into !!!! If Neutral and the Equipment GroundING Conductor were in parallel sharing any return current carried out by a Hot NOW WERE TALKING ABOUT GFCI TRIPPING BIG TIME LOL it takes ONLY 0.005 amps difference to trip ........ Nice sparky chatting with you Darryl&Rita John T Long retired n rusty EE but don't believe the code has hanged regarding this subject............

Unfortunate but NOT surprising. As we are all well aware, the more bells n whistles, the more sophisticated electronic components, the more gizmos and gadgets (especially electronic), THE MORE THINGS TO GO WRONG AND MORE CHANCES OF TRIPPIN A GFCI....... Obviously, his Class C must not have any ground faults, good for it........ As compared to a home that can have as many or more electrical devices, an RV is subject to MUCH MORE vibration dirt dust moisture rodents and insects,,,therefore, GFCI trips are more common. In an RV park where the 30 or 50 Amp receptacles are NOT GFCI protected that's one thing versus at home when plugged to a GFCI. Another possibly contributing factor is chargers, inverters, gensets, transfer switches etc etc and their bonding or not bonding which is NOT a factor in our homes. There can be ONLY ONE NEUTRAL GROUND BOND, if there's a second, return current is shared in those two conductors which trips a GFCI big time.... Oh well best I have to offer not being there John T

Good Morning, I don't know for sure what/where GFCI is tripping ?? If a GFCI INSIDE the RV had tripped open, I expect (unless the GFCI is bad ?? which can happen) that should cut off/remove any ground faults plugged into it or in any downstream load side fed receptacles. If a GFCI he plugs the RV power cord into is what's tripping, that happens in many RV's as we know so it's back to troubleshooting posted above to find it........Those darn RV exterior receptacles are the cause of many GFCI trips. As you know typically in RV parks its ONLY the 20 Amp Receptacle thats GFCI protected... As always fun sparky chatting with you, unfortunately I dont think we can find his problem from where we sit only offer advice, oh well we can only try our best......... John T

A GFCI trips if there's a difference of more than 0.005 Amps flowing out the Hot/Black Conductor versus that being returned by the Neutral/White. If the Neutral isn't returning all the amps flowing out the Hot, its being returned elsewhere IE THERES A LEAK, A GROUND FAULT. Typical ground faults might be dirt dust moisture, insects or spider webs etc such as that which might accumulate in outdoor receptacles CHECK ALL OF THOSE !!!!!,,,,,,,,,,Excess Moisture/Water in a receptacle,,,,,,,,,,A faulty leaking tool or appliance (Try unplugging any tools or appliances or microwaves etc to see if that cures the trip),,,,,,,,A faulty leaking elec water heater or fridge,,,,,,,,,,,,Faulty leaking plugs or electrical connections,,,,,,,,,,,,,,EVEN A BAD GFCI they do go bad. NOTE I once had an Inverter that tripped a GFCI and a faulty Converter/Charger could to the same TRY TO DISCONNECT ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ONE AT A TIME to find whats at fault....... If you reset the GFCI does it trip back the instant you re connect????????? Check any outdoor receptacles try to disconnect them and see if an upstream GFCI still trips. On many RV's there's a GFCI receptacle in the kitchen or bath and it feeds other downstream regular receptacles off its LOAD terminals and if there's a ground fault in those or whats plugged into them the GFCI trips. YOU HAVE TO SYSTEMATICALLY ONE AT A TIME REMOVE/DISCONNECT/UNPLUG electrical components, appliances, receptacles (especially any outdoors), elec water heaters or fridges, inverters, converters, to find where the ground fault is. Where and what sort of a GFCI is tripping????????????????? Having owned RV's for over 50 years IVE SEEN LOTS OF TRIPPING GFCI'S So many wires and receptacles and possible dirt dust or moisture or elec components grrrrrrrrrrrrr NOTE an RV panel does NOT have the Neutral and Ground Busses connected, they are separate insulated and isolated form each other.......... John T

Sounds like something I would do lol John T

Thanks, I guess I LICKED IT but it wasn't cheap lol I treat it with kid gloves (better than my home) and like everything as perfect and original as possible before I hit the road....My friend teases me "What do you change the oil every week" lol Old Boy Scout in me Thanks Tom, no check in my State, however I do operate in California on rare occasions. If stopped I will call on my RV friends to come bail me out lol John T

UPDATE Final I hope ?? Found the cause of power loss, it was one of my two initial GUESSES CLOGGED UP CATALYTIC CONVERTER After fuel pressure checked okay in shop with brakes on trying to simulate load as much as possible,,,,,,,,,,,,,After trying a new fuel filter (may as well while in there no big deal),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,After trying a new MAF sensor,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,After Snap on Analyzer showed no bad or stored engine codes and NO check engine lights,,,,,,,,,,,,, Removed cat after which SHE RAN LIKE A CHAMP WITH PLENTY OF POWER NO SPARK KNOCKING wooo hoooo Now it will rev up to 5K or more up a hill in passing gears where before maybe under 4000 when she rattled and went like flat something awful grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr With cat out of exhaust It (2005 engine) did NOT throw a code as it ONLY has one O2 sensor up ahead of the cat, none in its center, none on its output However I am choosing to install a new cat, its pricey but without one it may run cooler at the y pipe or mess with the sensors and computer and/or affect MPG PLUS I JUST LIKE THINGS AS ORIGINAL AND CORRECT in my opinion even if Im wrong lol.......Also if I tried to sell it with a removed cat people would set their hair on fire Thanks to everyone who responded John T Now a Happy but poorer Camper again lol

Thanks super, it recently had all new plugs when diagnostics showed lots of misfires, it's not indicating or acting so much that way now, seems like it's not getting enough fuel or an incorrect fuel/air mixture or there's a severe restriction (maybe cat) ???? Oh well I'm sure I will get it going, I will let yall know. Nice chatting with you, thanks again for your comments. John T

UPDATE: (Sudden loss of power under heavy load with limited RPM ability and severe spark knocking (mixture too lean not getting enough fuel) my first GUESSES were maybe a bad sensor, clogged cat converter) Hooked to an expensive latest Snap On Analyzer showed no current faults, no stored engine code faults, no cat converter fault codes, NO INDICATION OF CAUSE FOR LOSS OF POWER grrrrrrrrrrrr Measured fuel pressure in shop with brakes on and trying to load as much as possible FUEL PRESSURE OKAY ... HOWEVER that's still NOT the same a if I were pulling a steep grade towing the Honda. Installed new gas filter and tried a new MAF Sensor as it has to do with fuel air mixture, just to try those things, NO HELP Still no fault codes show up.. This Friday we're going to check for excess exhaust backflow pressure and by pass Cat Converter (has NO O2 sensor in center or rear of cat, only single sensor up front) as it being 17 years old may have developed restriction.,.. Theres NO Rotten Egg odor, but it does sometime smell like hot oil underneath when hot even though engine uses or leaks NO oil ???) If that's no help take a look at the in tank elec fuel pump even though pressure is fine sitting in shop. Stay tuned, its ran perfect past 50k miles, starts and idles smooth n perfect, had a recent tune up, all of a sudden after filling gas it lost power yet 2 or 3 new fresh tanks plus HEET or other snake oils helped DRATS John T