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Old 07-16-2010, 02:54 PM   #38
MisterP
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A lot of people come on the forum and say "I run my A/C all the time off of a household circuit" so it must be OK. Not to pick a fight here, but just because people do it does not make it a good idea. I personally am not a big fan of the "I have never had a problem doing this" theory. But then I worked in the safety industry for a long time and saw people get hurt because of it.

From a commercial electrical website:

Normal House Wiring Gauge
Consult your building inspector because your location will have a specific building code!
Circuit Maximum Amperage Minimum COPPER wire gauge
15A 14AWG
20A 12AWG
30A 10AWG
45A 8AWG
60A 6AWG
80A 4AWG
100A 2AWG

So if you are in a newer home, your 20A circuits probably use 12 AWG if you are lucky. But what else is running on that circuit when you plug in the TM? What if a previous owner switched the breaker to 20A on a 15A circuit to prevent a nuisance trip?

Running a TM off an undersized home circuit does reduce the voltage to the trailer. I did not say it's the 30A plug, it's the undersized wiring if you have it that causes the problem. And will overheat if overloaded which reduces the voltage further and so on.

By spending a bit of money to install a dedicated 30A circuit you eliminate the uncertainty. And you don't have to worry about how you turn on stuff in the TM if you live in a hot climate like I do.
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