Accessibility to electrical power enables RVers to enjoy all the comforts of home as we take a trip. Refrigerators, air conditioners, heating systems, coffee makers, microwave, TVs, computer systems, and the personal gadgets use on a daily basis all require energy. And naturally, we have batteries to charge. When we’re connected to power at a camping area, the usually forgotten piece of gear that sends that electrical power right into our recreational vehicle is the RV power cable.
Can You Use an Expansion Cord for an RV Power Cable?
Yes and no. You can extend your motor home power cable’s size with an extension cable. Yet you need to utilize one that’s effectively rated to bring the amount of current you need to make use of. Never use a normal home expansion cord for this purpose. Remember that you’re handling high amperage (amps) and will certainly be using it outdoors. So, home extension cables aren’t proper for either of these circumstances.
The longer the distance that a cable will require to be run to reach power, and the higher the draw, the bigger the cord has to be. A long, thin cord ranked for reduced power draw can get too hot. This is no area to consider cutting corners!
Quality extension cords are easily offered at affordable costs. Most notably, they consist of the right-sized electrical wiring as well as safety features for the amperage you’re managing.
Hooking a RV into a Home’s Electric System
While you can hook your RV up to a residence’s electrical system, you won’t have the ability to run every appliance or make use of the electrical energy 24/7. You will probably need to set your recreational vehicle up to be able to link to the typical 3-prong house plug you use at home. Considering that your RV will require a minimum of a 30/50 Amp connection to power the gear, you’ll be limited in what you can run connected to a home’s 15/20 Amp electrical outlet.
You can hook up a RV up to your house’s electric system in a couple of methods. You can ensure what you need is mounted when you buy the motor home, or you can set up a 30/50 Amp connection at home. If you are visiting a friend’s or family’s home typically, you may have to mount a connection for your recreational vehicle at the destination.
If you are connecting to a residence’s typical outlet, you can do this through an exterior, all-weather extension cord as well as 15/20 Amp adapter for your RV’s electric connections. You desire this extension cord as short as possible going from your home to your RV so it will not overheat.
Can You Use an Expansion Cord for an RV Power Cable?
Steps for Safely Hooking an RV into a Home Electrical System
- Before you connect the extension cord from the home to the motor home, make sure all electrical appliances are switched off in the RV.
- Shut off the breakers to your house, too.
- Connect the extension cord into your RV’s electrical connections through an adapter. Follow all the instructions here.
- After that, reset the home’s breakers.
If successful, the connection is right and ready to use what you need. Otherwise, your breaker will certainly trip before you head back to the RV.
If the breaker trips, disconnect everything and check inside your motor home to make sure all appliances are in fact off, and absolutely nothing is connected in operation power throughout your rig. Attempt the above steps once again.
If these steps still don’t work, refer to your motor home’s guidebook, get in touch with the manufacturer, or contact the dealer to speak about the problem.
Limitations to Hooking an RV into a Home Electrical System
Unless you set up a fully functional motor home pad in your home, you will not have the ability to use 30/50 Amp setup and will not be able to utilize this power in your RV. To operate safely, you will only have the ability to utilize one appliance at a time in many cases. If you make use of more, you’ll trip the residence’s breakers.
RVs are power hogs, so beware when running them for long periods of time or trying to run them with these devices at the same time:
- Cooling
- Heating unit
- Hairdryer
- Microwave
- Range, Oven
- Toaster
Appliances like TV, video games, laptops, and refrigerators can be used at the same time without straining a 15/20 Amp connection in most cases. If you discover flickering lights or something turns off by itself, it’s likely you’ve overloaded the electrical connection in between your motor home and house.
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If you’re parked in front of your home or on someone else’s property, take into consideration using their devices as opposed to running yours whenever feasible to preserve power and stop straining the electrical system you’re linked to for the trip.
When it pertains to hooking a RV to a house’s electrical system, use caution. You can harm both the RV and the home’s electric system if you plug in and overload it. You need to take your time, understand how your RV functions, just how your electrical system works, and how to link them correctly.
If you’re unsure if you should hook up an RV in a driveway, get in touch with online forums, dealers, and others in the RVing community to ensure you’re good to go. Otherwise, you may create damage that’ll cost you time and money to repair properly.
Your best bet? Hire an expert to do the job. South End Electric has the background and understanding to ensure a safe and smooth installation. We can provide everything you need when thinking about a whole home generator for your home and family. Our professionals provide whole-house generator sales and installation to meet your needs. See everything South End Electric can do for you. Call us direct at 704-368-4694.