Can I run the AC on a household outlet?

[LovinRVlife]

Hi everyone I hope everyone is well. I have a question.

Can I run one of my AC's on a standard 110 household outlet? Let me digress I know that it will run it, my concern is whether or not it will hurt the AC. I have checked the voltage coming to the RV when the AC is running on the 110 outlet and I am getting 98 Volts. Is that sufficient or will that damage the RV over time? The voltage to the RV turned off is 113. I will be dry camping here for the next few months and I am in Louisiana so winter doesn't start here until January .

Thank you

David

[hmdarwin]

I'll take a run at this and allow the more knowledgeable to make corrections. The issue isn't volts, it is amps. Often, household wall plugs are 15 amp, because there are several outlets in series they lead to a 20 amp breaker. One AC will pull about 13 amps so, if it's the only thing running, no problem. But, turn on a few lights, inverter/converter charge batteries or cycle refrig (depending on your setup) surely don't start microwave or turn on hair dryer, coffee pot. Minimum service to run one AC unit in an occupied RV is 30 amp.

[johnboytoo]

At minimum levels like that you have to consider the distance as well...
the amps are marginal at best,
and the voltage WILL drop over a long distance with a small cord...
The STARTING load is where your issue will be worst...

So...
use as short and "large" a cord as you can,
turn everything on that supply circuit off,
turn everything in the rv off,
plug in, turn the fan ONLY on... let it get up to speed and stabilize,
THEN turn on the compressor....

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by LovinRVlife

Hi everyone I hope everyone is well. I have a question.

Can I run one of my AC's on a standard 110 household outlet? Let me digress I know that it will run it, my concern is whether or not it will hurt the AC. I have checked the voltage coming to the RV when the AC is running on the 110 outlet and I am getting 98 Volts. Is that sufficient or will that damage the RV over time? The voltage to the RV turned off is 113. I will be dry camping here for the next few months and I am in Louisiana so winter doesn't start here until January .

Thank you

David

Most household appliances are designed to operate over a voltage range of 120 VAC +/- 20% which is 96 to 144 VAC. At 96 VAC, the A/C will operate although not optimally. If your line voltage is dropping from 113 down to 98 VAC when the trailer is plugged in, either the the wire gage is insufficient or there are loose connections in the supply pedestal. I would have the campground check that.

[mhs4771]

If you are seeing that much of a voltage drop with the AC running, that means there is even a much larger drop when the compressor first kicks on. With that said, I would be very worried about causing problems. My onboard EMS shuts down all power to our unit if the Line Voltage drops below 104 Volts.
If you can reduce the voltage drop, by using a shorter run and larger guage cord you might be OK, but I would want to bet my AC Compressor on it.

[spindrift]

Unless it's an absolute emergency...pregnant woman who needs a cool place or you have to leave your dog behind, I wouldn't do it. Starting compressors at low voltage will cause damage over time.