Need Help! power 20 amp AC through 30 amp camper

[jransom]

I am very sad, we have to sell our 2006 Fleetwood Americana Bayside pop up camper with a slide. My family of 8 have so many memories in this jewel! We will be moving overseas in January 2017.
Anyways, I am about to sell it but I have a problem.

The Coleman Mach AC on top of my pop up has its own seperate cord/plug (20 amp 250 v). It is not hooked up to the main power. Most campgrounds, of what I remember don't accept a 20 amp 250 v to run my camper. The owner befrore me had an extension cord with a 20 amp female that he plugged it in to and ran it to the 110 outlet on the pole. This worked for the three years we had it but we never really ran the AC all day. It would get hot at the connection. The last time we used it it melted some at the connection between the male and female. I failed to mention the extension cord was a 14 gauge cord.
So, I want to find a solution so that the AC works... so I can sell it.
Is is possible to make the AC run off my existing 30 amp power, possibly hard wire it into the existing power supply? Then I could just plug my 30 amp in and get to camping.

thanks

 

[CamperMike]

Your camper should have a 20A outlet for the A/C. It may be hidden under a bench or somewhere. Then you would plug in the 30A camper, and it would power the 20A A/C.

 

[Dubbya]

There should be a 20 amp outlet in the camper somewhere. Check inside your electrical/water cabinets, near your converter and within reach of the stock cord for the air conditioner. They like to mount the 20 amp outlets out of sight for some reason.

If you're set on running an extension cord, pick up at 10 or 12 gauge heavy duty cord and you won't have any trouble with the air conditioner.

You absolutely can run your air conditioner through a 30 amp service. Everyone else does.

 

[bfahs]

There is something wrong with your description. If the AC was rated 240v it would not have worked at 110 at all.

a 14 gauge std 110 extension cord is only raised for 18 amps. So if ac was 20 amps 110 v, not surprising it failed.

 

[Yak]

There is something wrong with your description. If the AC was rated 240v it would not have worked at 110 at all.

a 14 gauge std 110 extension cord is only raised for 18 amps. So if ac was 20 amps 110 v, not surprising it failed.

^ This. No way the AC is a 240v unit.

 

[Customer]

I am very sad, we have to sell our 2006 Fleetwood Americana Bayside pop up camper with a slide. My family of 8 have so many memories in this jewel! We will be moving overseas in January 2017.
Anyways, I am about to sell it but I have a problem.

The Coleman Mach AC on top of my pop up has its own seperate cord/plug (20 amp 250 v). It is not hooked up to the main power. Most campgrounds, of what I remember don't accept a 20 amp 250 v to run my camper. The owner befrore me had an extension cord with a 20 amp female that he plugged it in to and ran it to the 110 outlet on the pole. This worked for the three years we had it but we never really ran the AC all day. It would get hot at the connection. The last time we used it it melted some at the connection between the male and female. I failed to mention the extension cord was a 14 gauge cord.
So, I want to find a solution so that the AC works... so I can sell it.
Is is possible to make the AC run off my existing 30 amp power, possibly hard wire it into the existing power supply? Then I could just plug my 30 amp in and get to camping.

thanks

Your A/C unit's plug is NOT 20a 250v. It is 20a 125v.

A cord used for 20a should be 12 gauge, not 14 gauge.

You can plug it into any normal 20a receptacle. The trailer should have one inside already.

 

[woftt69]

Just checking to see if you ever found that plug. I'm about to install AC on my 2008 Bayside and wonder where it is. It think its the one above the converter but want to be sure.

 

[theseus]

Just checking to see if you ever found that plug. I'm about to install AC on my 2008 Bayside and wonder where it is. It think its the one above the converter but want to be sure.

In mine, the 20 amp plug is next to the power converter. It looks just like a regular plug except the left prong is a T not straight.

See this.
https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-CR20-W-Receptacle-Commercial-Grounding/dp/B0013ALZ6Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492194622&sr=8-3&keywords=20+amp+receptacle

 

[BelchFire]

I agree with everyone else. My 2005 Americana has a dedicated outlet inside the dinette about knee height directly below the drop for the AC cord. Look on the walls right under the point that the cord comes out of the ceiling brace. If you find it and plug in there, power comes through your 30a cord outside and you won't need a separate extension cord.

 

[roybraddy]

On my Starcraft 14 R/T I have a 20A service plug mounted inside my wrap around seating spaces under the seat. My roof mounted Air Conditioner 120VAC cord is routed to the edge of the roof and comes down to the main part of the trailer through a sewed in path in the window flap. Then you can plug the Air Conditioner cable into this 20A Service receptacle under my wrap around seating. The top board has a slot cut out for the A/C cable to go go throuh. All of this is mostly out of sight.

This almost depicts what i have on my POPUP except the PLUG-IN end extends on down thru the widow to the seating area where the 20A service receptacle is located.

Google Image

This type service receptacle is wired directly into my 120VAC Power Panel with its own 20A Circuit breaker.

This is shown only to show the 120VAC 20A service arrangement of the contacts.

The 20A Plug on the Air Conditioner looks like this... Note that one of the blades is rotated 90deg so that you cannot plug directly into a 15A receptacle.

If i want to power up my roof mounted air condition from a separate Shore Power source of from my generator I have to us an adapter or purchase a good 10-gauge extension with the 20A wired service receptacle on the end that the air conditioner can plug directly into. Need to use a 10-gauge extension cord and maybe you can get away with a 12-guge size. Those RED/ORANGE 18-gauge extension cords from WALMART should not be used for a 20A service connection..

Sometimes a lot of these type service receptacles had a special slot to accept both the 20A or 15A plug contacts.. Look at the receptacle end for the 'TEE' type socket like shown here

Hope this helps some

Roy Ken

 

[rjniles]

This receptacle:

Is not for 120 volts.
It is a NEMA 6-20R and is for 240 volts.

 

[theseus]

This receptacle is not for 120 volts.It is a NEMA 6-20R and is for 240 volts.

Yes that is not a 20a 120v socket. This is...