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Old 08-26-2020, 07:31 AM   #1
AppliedThinking
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Default 1998 Sunsport shore power cable #12 shortfall

I am the original owner and lately been living out of the RV for some months. During hot weather I have noticed that the shore 30amp power was getting quite warm. I changed out the connector and that's when I noticed the #12 copper strands were black due to the heat. OMG, the rating for 30amp service is #10 wire at a minimum with a #8 recommended. Talk about going cheap on a safety issue.
So now I am on the hunt to find a 8/3 SOOW rated cable to replace the original underrated #12 run.
The other thing that bugs me is the fact that I can only run one A/C when using the shore power connection. To run both the A/C units I have to run the generator. I have a full service connection and there is no reason why I cannot run both A/C units using the shore power. I would very much like to bypass whatever lockout that has been installed to do so. I am sure it a signal wire to a controller maybe located near the Front/
Back(both) switch? Ideas for experience to share?
First thing is to replace the shore power cable with a proper sized conductor.
Best Regards to all
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Old 09-06-2020, 10:15 AM   #2
gwirth
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Default 30 amp power

You are right on track to change your power cord to #8 wire. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to run two A/C units at the same time. You just don’t have amps. Most don’t understand that the shore power you hook up to is regulated by the NEC (National Electric Cord). By code, a breaker must trip at 80% of rated capacity. So your 30 amp connection only provides 24 amps of power, which is not enough to run both A/C units.
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Old 09-06-2020, 02:18 PM   #3
AppliedThinking
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I found out that #10/4 SO cable is much cheaper that #10/3. This is perfect for bonding the Red/Black conductor giving the equivalent size for the hot lead of #7/3. That's plenty of head room to spare. The neutral and ground conductors other side.


I tried several times to run both A/C units of the generator in 120F heat. Kept loosing the power after a few minutes. What I did find out was, leave the shore power cable plugged in to the 30amp source, put the selector switch in Both position, start the generator. The generator will power the front A/C unit, and at the same time, the house/shore source will power up the rear A/C. In reality, splitting the two A/C units into two separate power sources. It works which is a good thing since its another toasty day (currently 118F).


My power & A/C challenges have been resolved.
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Old 09-06-2020, 05:40 PM   #4
THenne1713
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CHECK OUT THE EASY-START DEVICES? Requires one on each AC UNIT at about $150/each DIY; (If I recall correctly): Reviews/ testing on the RV LIFE Boards (and Youtube too, I suspect). From what I read/ recall, LOWERS START AND RUN AMPS, allows two AC units on a 30a.
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