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30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Yahoo Message Number: 4768
When you hookup with only 30 amps available, what changes must you make in the way you run things?

I know that you are limited in how much you can do at one time by the limits of the inverter, since most circuits run through it.
(2000 watt Trace in the case of my Allure).
I was told to normally set the inverter to the 30 amp service setting, so that when hooked to 50 amps, it would not grab all the power for the battery charger. If I hook to 30 amps, should I reset this to a lower setting?

The batteries are normally fully charged when we arrive at a campground for the night.

Can you run one AC at a time?

Can you run one AC with the micro going? thanks,
Bill Harris
03 Allure 30912

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4769
Quote
When you hookup with only 30 amps available, what changes must you > make in the way you run things?

Can you run one AC at a time?

Can you run one AC with the micro going?
We use a volt meter plugged into a kitchen outlet to moniter the power at a cammpground (we purchased one at Camping World that also checks polarity and the alt. current cycles).

We have found that 30 Amp service (even 50 Amps) varies greatly from Park to Park.
Usually, on 30 Amps we can run one A/C/Heat Pump, TV, Ref. and the coffee maker or Micro at the same time. In other places, we have to shut off the AC or Heat pumps to use appliances.
Dick

2000 Allure 30592

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4771
Bill,

If you are on 30 amp you can run one ac plus any low voltage items. If you have an electric hwh you can not run it with your charger until the your charger settles down.
When we arrive at a 30 amp site we turn the hwh off, turn the charger one and watch the amps, it will be high at first but then it will go lower quickly, then we turn on the ac and hwh. You need to observe what is running when you use the microwave, it will work on 30 but not with other high amp items. If you have the panel that shows amps and which side they are on you also need to watch the seperate side loads. We have used an ac on 20 amps, but we start out by running the generator first to reduce the charger load. On 20 amps an ac is about all you can use.

Bill G. 2001 Magna #5998

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4775
I have a 2000 Allure and do not have the power saver feature. From my limited experience I have found that if I want to run one air conditioner that I need to switch the frig to propane as well as the hot water heater. Air and the microwave is a No-No. I use a Good Governor volt meter and watch that but voltages can change fairly often especially if there are many people camping. What I try to avoid is having the surge protector shut down the entire RV if the voltage drops to 103 or lower.
If you are going to use the microwave to cook dinner (as well as other campers) I would suggest switching all to propane or even turning items off until the cooking is done. My 2 cents worth...Mike 2000 Allure.
On Sun, 27 Apr 2003 12:06:18 -0000 "wmhar48116" bill@...> writes:

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4778
Bill

We have a 2000 Allure. All it had as original equipment for the Heart Freedom 20 was the remote ON/OFF switch. I installed a Xantrex Remote Control Panel(see photos file KC4FWS) and disabled the ON/OFF switch just so I could control all the functions of the Freedom 20.
With being able to changing the power sharing manually, I can better manage my power when having to use 30amp service. I keep it at the lowest power share load so that it is only a trickle charge. Of course as others have already said, 30amps are not necessarily 30amps. Depends on the campground and how much loads they put on their power distribution system when their park is full.

For discussion sake, if I have a good 30amps being provided, my routine is I keep hot water heater turned off at the circuit breaker until I need it. The water heater uses LP/elec/engine heat. Since I get up early, I turn it on first thing so we have hot water for wife's morning shower and breakfast dishes. The coffee is going and A/C usually does not cycle on or I turn it off if I think there may be a power problem. I turn the A/C off for a short time or just run the fan while using the microwave for breakfast. Then A/C back on.
After about an hour the hot water is hot enough and I turn the water heater off until just before supper is prepared. There is enough hot water for wife's shower and dishes. Breakfast is done and I usually watch the morning news and weather on TV.

If needed the one A/C is kept on during day. Not much for lunch.
Usually away site seeing or just have a sandwich or something light.
I usually love to cook outside. If we have to cook inside, then we go through the same routine as we do in the morning. Since I usually take a Navy shower, thre is always enough hot water for my shower in evening.

The only time I have ever tripped a camp breaker was when I tried to run two A/C units with no other loads to try and cool down the coach quicker after leaving for the day one time with the A/C turned off.
Even with some windows opened and Fantastic Fans opened and set, in the hot Florida sun it will take at least 2-3 hours for one A/C unit to pull the temperature down in a coach to a comfortable range for this southerner. This is usually after being gone all day and coming back at 4-5pm. A bad time to have a hot coach when trying to prepare supper as well.

Each rig and campgound setting is different. So, experimenting with the power available and the loads you apply is the only way to exactly tell how you need to manage your power. You will trip a few camp breakers in the process. Hopefully, they are the ones at your service box and not one for the entire campground. The only pain is waiting for the two minutes it takes each time for the system to turn on in the coach.

Good luck....

Jim Hughes

Jacksonville, FL
2000 Allure #30511

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4779
Thanks to all for the tips

Bill G., you will read this when you get home, heal quickly.
Jim, "power sharing" is, I guess, the feature I was refering to as the way you reduce the amount dedicated to recharging the batteries. If I hook up with 30 amp, I should set that lower, so the batteries do not take so much of the available power for recharging.

We have the Hurricane XL-45 on the 03 Allure, no hot water tank, it provides hot water on demand.

The system uses the engine as a source of heat when driving, and has a diesel burner with two 1,000 watt heater elements for when camped. You can run the system using just the elec elements, although at a reduced output. I guess I should turn off the heater elements when using 30 amps, and run with just the diesel burner.
My problem is that I made my living by taking blocks of steel and pounding sheet metel into submission (tool and die) and have a very limited understanding of amps, volts, watts, loads, etc.
Bill Harris
03 Allure 30912

Quote from: wmhar48116

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4780
Bill, I too have a 03 Allure with the Hurricane furnace/water heater. The most important advice I can give you is to turn off the elec. hot water at the breaker box in the bedroom. I was having alot of trouble carrying hardly anything on 30 amp shore power or the genset, and Jim Cooley at CC discovered that the electric elements are always on, even though the hot water switch on the Trace panel is off. This means if the battery charger is on full charge ( which is automatic ) you can't even carry one a/c. Also, if you are plugging in to shore power when storing the coach, you can run up a heck of an electric bill. Last I heard, CC ws working on a fix for this, but I haven't heard anything.

I hope you like your 03 Allure as well as I like mine.

Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4785
Hi, Walt

I was aware of the elements, as we keep the coach in a bldg about 140 miles from home, and I have 50 amp service to keep the coach plugged into.

I know there is a setting on the Trace where you set the shore power amps, which determines how much goes to the charger. By setting it to a lower setting, seems you could reduce the amount used by the charger, and have more power available for the operation of other systems. Just takes longer that way to charge up the batteries, but mine seem to be full at the end of a days drive anyway, so should not be a problem.

As to the coach, we are very comfortable in it. I am pleased with the quality control at CC, we have had few "punch list" items.
The XL 45 heater is new for this year, and it sometimes takes time to work the bugs out.

My biggest frustration so far has been with the service dept at the dealer, we have had more problems that can be traced back directly to them not doing things correctly the first time. For me to take the coach in for service, it ends up being 560 miles of driving (280 rd trip to take it in, 280 rd trip to pick it up) and at 2 1/2 hrs each way, about 12 hrs of my time.
This could be a fun topic to start a thread on: how well does your dealer's service dept do their job? Bill Harris
03 Allure 30912

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4786
I agree with some of the other posts about turning the breaker off on the water heater. We do have switch on the panel that we use in the morning to boost the hot water supply, but I cannot bring myself to "trust" it in the off position. Putting the refigerator into gas mode and shutting off the breaker for it is a winner too. It is much more efficient on gas. If you leave the beaker on and set the refrigerator to gas (take it our of the mode where it switches back and forth), it still makes ice!!!

I too have an aftermarket (Link 1000) controller and shut off the charger during use of high demand appliances (we have all night to leave it on). I hesitate to change the imbedded charger settings because I run the generator to charge them when dry camping. I suppose it is like everything else on our "beasts", it is easy once you figure it out!!!!

My 2000 Intrigue will run both AC's on 30 amps. I usually try to keep it cool by leaving the thermostats at 76 degrees while we are out for the day (fans on auto). When we come in, I shut off the front AC and close the ducts to the rear AC (above the bed) and in the bath area so the cool air comes forward. Good for quieter TV viewing too. Once it gets super hot inside it takes the AC's forever to get the temp down. They are just limited in what they can do. Closing all of the window coverings during the day and using snap on solar screens really help too.

If it is a hot night, I reverse the procedure using the front AC and setting the ducts so the air flow is to the rear.

Running one AC and the microwave does work as mentioned.

At one time or another I have popped every breaker on the thing including the ones on the inverter. I am currently learning what trips the one's on the generator while dry camping (like firing it up under load), and finding that it is necessary to reset the house electricals by using the main disconnect switch in the bay with the fuel filters when it happens.

I cannot believe how the thing drove me crazy until it dawned upon me that the genset has breakers on it too!!!

Chuck Gauthier

2000 Intrigue 11142

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4794
Bill, I think you'll find most of us have had similar experience with dealer's service depts. Sometimes they are right on target and sometimes they miss the target, but considering most of them have to work on a myriad of coach makes and models, they do pretty well. I too have to drive 200 miles each way to my dealer and after 7 years of CC's I know every mile by heart
I might mention that due to the time and distance to get to the dealership I do some things myself. I just completed the safety re-call in the hurricane heater, and it wasn't too difficult.

Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4908
Bill,
Shouldn't your batteries be fully charged by your alternator after a reasonable amount of travel?
Dick May

2002 Intrigue, #11438

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4923
Dick,

yes, my batteries are normally nearly fully charged when I arrive at a stop for the evening.

It starts to charge automatically, but switches to a maintenence charge quickly.

Bill Harris
02 Allure 30912

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4951
For two years I drove around with house batteries that were not fully charged and at each rally the battery folks would tell me they were not fully charged. I found out at the Ft. Benning rally that the coach was not wired correctly from the outset and the batteries were not be charged while driving. After rewiring and two new batteries things are much better.

Gene

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4971
What was actually wrong with the wiring and how could others check that out? Did CC do the rewiring? Did they cover the cost for new batteries as it was there mistake?
On Thu, 15 May 2003 20:58:57 EDT Geneclend@... writes:

Re: 30 amp hookups vs 50 amp

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 4978
I am not certain how the coach was miswired, but it was behind the air intake compartment and it did not take them long to wire it correctly. No I did not ask them to replace the batteries. Did not want the hassel and the coach was two years ago when the problem was found.
If you are traveling in Florida a Deka battery dealer in Sanford sold me deep cycle batteries for $136.00 each on my way to the Ft. Myers rally last January. I had called Les Schwab and they were going to charge $189.00 at the rally. The Deka dealer wanted $50.00 installation for each battery , but I opted to do the install. I unhooked my tow, turn the coach around, installed the batteries, reconnected the car and was back on the road roughly 45 minutes.