RV Electrical Tips and Electrical Reference Data

ELECTRICITY Can KILL! Please remember this when reading the information listed below. This information is for you to reference, and not in any way should it be abused.

SAFETY: First, when you start opening panels and messing around with Electrical systems, in an RV/Camper or at home. There are several warnings you must observe;

1- If you do not know what you are doing, do not touch anything, and call your RV manufacturer, or RV Roadside assistance Company, or if at home, your local Certified Electrician. Remember, again, ELECTRICITY CAN KILL!

2- If replacing a BLOWN Fuse, or resetting a KICKED Breaker doesn’t fix the problem, you should seriously back off and call your RV manufacturers ServiceCenter for advice.

Electric Meter:

One handy device for the RVer to have is a good Electric Meter. There are very simple electric devices that you plug into the wall, and an LED lights to indicate that there is power. And on the other end of the spectrum is the Electric Multimeter.

This Multimeter is capable of measuring DV Volts, AC Volts, as well as electric current and resistance. This device is very useful in the hands of a trained individual, but the Novice should not attempt to use all of it’s functions.

THINK First:

I cannot stress this enough. Your Camper or RV was designed by professionals.

They designed the electrical systems with Safety in mind, as well as for your convenience.

Each electrical device was installed on an electrical line that could safely handle the load.

The fuses and breakers were placed in the system for two major reasons.

The first reason is to protect the RV and you the owner from harm if an appliance or other electrical device or even an electrical line fails and draws too much current.

The second reason is to protect your RV and it’s electrical appliances and other devices if you plug your RV into an electrical service that is not regulated properly and you get electrical voltages that are too low or too high for your RV and it’s equipment.

So, when you get a blown Fuse or a kicked Breaker, your first thoughts should consider these highly probable causes. Especially, before you go tearing into your electrical system, and personally re-designing it by installing a larger than specified Fuse or Breaker.

Think, Think, Think, and then Think again.

It is not always Electrical:

This is a very important thing to consider when you have a blown Fuse or Kicked Breaker. Remember that your RV is a complex home on wheels.

Many of the appliances in today’s RV operate on AC-voltage, DC-voltage, and Propane Fuel.

Often, even when in the Propane Fueled mode, the appliance will require DC-voltage for the Logic circuits.

And many appliances have sensors on their mechanical parts that will kick a Breaker or blow a Fuse, rather than allow the appliance to continue running in an unsafe mode.

In case you do not know this, standard Automotive Fuses are color-coded according to their Current rating, so what I have below is short list for your reference.

One note here though; If you have a blown fuse, replace it with the same rating blown fuse. NEVER use a higher rated fuse in place of a blown lower rating fuse.

There are so many things wrong with this, but there are 2 things at the top of the list that can happen; 1)- You can cause an electrical fire and destroy your RV, and 2)- You can cause the equipment fed by that fuse to be permanently damaged. Always remember, the fuse was designed for a normal operational load. And if it blew, something has changed.

COLOR AMP Rating

BLACK 1

GRAY 2

VIOLET 3

PINK 4

GOLD 5

BROWN 7.5

RED 10

BLUE 15

YELLOW 20

CLEAR 25

GREEN 30

The table below lists the approximate MAXIMUM current drawn by the referenced appliances in your RV, They are not exact and may vary by manufacturer, but the currents are listed here, with some notes.

Air Conditioner – 13,500 – 15,000 BTU ----- 12-14 Amps

This is the start-upPeak Amps, and Compressor Cycle Maximum Amps. As mentioned in other Blogs, while an AC might run at around 5-8 Amps, it takes a strong surge of current to start the AC and its Compressor.

Coffee Pot ----- 8-10 Amps

This is the Max for when the pot is perking. The current should drop, when only the hot plate is on, after the Coffee is perked. On many pots you can turn the hot-plate temperature down, which will result in a lower operating current.

Hair Dryer: ----- 8 – 15 Amps. The wife and I argue a lot on whether we should keep the “Mega-Amp” monster she loves to use, or get a lower Amperage (and thus heat) rated one for our RV.

Crock Pot: ------ 1-2 Amps. This is a great tool for cooking many foods in an RV.

Food Processor: ----- 3 – 5 Amps

Frying Pan (Electric): ----- 7 – 11 Amps

Hand Vacuum (small): ----- 2-Amps

Iron: ----- 8-10 Amps

Microwave Oven: ----- 8 – 13 Amps

Microwave Mode/Convection Mode, with Conv. Mode being at the highest.

TV Digital: ----- 1.5 – 5 Amps. Dependent on the Manufacturer, Size, and type of technology.

Water Heater, 120 VAC Mode: ----- 11 – 13 Amps

If you are unsure of what an appliance draws use this simple method to calculate the Current:

1- Check the label on the Appliance, if that’s not available, check your Owners Manual, or contact the manufacturer, and find the power rating of the appliance in WATTS.

2- Divide the Watts number by 120 (the AC Voltage), and the result is the max CURRENT rating of the Appliance.

The world of electricity has it's own abbreviations and definitions that are used on components and parts. Below are some of these that might help when you need to replace a bad part.

AC-------- AC is the designator for "Alternating Current" The voltage in your home is AC voltage, and typically, in the US is assumed to be 115VAC. Alternating current reverses polarity and flow alternately in both directions in a circuit.

Amp------ The name Amp is used to designate a measure of electrical current.

Capacitor- A capacitor is an electrical component that can store electrical energy, in other words it has a specific electrical storage capacity. A Capacitor often has a polarity and must be installed properly. The polarity is generally indicated by a stripe at one end of the part.

Circuit Breaker----- A Circuit Breaker is a device that is designed to open up or "throw" itself, when the current through it exceeds it's designed limit. Unlike a fuse, a circuit breaker can be reset when it throws. FYI- many people do not realize that, if you have as circuit breaker that has kicked our regularly, it probably is no longer functioning at the original current level. It is a electro-mechanical device, and after repeatedly kicking out, it will often suffer from mechanical stress, and not be able to hold at the original designed current.

DC--------- DC is the designator for "Direct Current". Direct current flow constantly in one direction, commonly from the Positive lead to the Negative lead of a battery for instance.

Diode----- A Diode is an electrical component that allows current flow in one direction and impedes current flow in the opposite direction. The ends are designated as the Cathode and the Anode. The Cathode is usually marked by a stripe at the cathode end, and it allows current flow is from the cathode to the anode.

f----------- The lower case letter "f" is a designator for the value of a capacitor called "Farad". Ex: 1uf mean 1 micro-farad.

Fuse------ A fuse is a device that is designed to destroy itself or "blow" when the current that passes through it, exceeds it's designed current limit. It is a safety device used to protect electrical devices under adverse conditions. When replacing a fuse, always use one with the same current and voltage rating.

GFCB----- A GFCB or Ground Fault Circuit Breaker is designed, similar to a regular circuit breaker, to "throw" itself off when the current through it exceeds its designed current limit. Additionally, a GFCB will throw itself if even a small amount of current is detected between the "Hot" leads and the ground lead of the circuit breaker.These specialty circuit breakers are required in areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, and garages. These places are sites where the user of an appliance could possibly be physically touching ground through plumbing, metal or concrete floors, etc, and using an appliance that is not insulated properly. They are life-savers.

I------------ The upper case character "I" is the designator for electrical current or the Ampere, or Amp. Current can be calculated by using the formula: I=V/R, or Current equals the voltage divided by the resistance.

K----------- The upper case letter "K" is a designator for Kilo" or numerically 1000 would be one Kilo-unit. Ex: 1-KW means one Kilo-Watt.

m---------- The lower case letter "m" is a designator for "milli" or numerically 0.001 would be one milli-unit. Ex: 1-mW means one milli-Watt.

M---------- The upper case letter "M" is a designator for "Mega", or numerically 1,000,000 would be one Mega-unit. Ex: 1MW means 1 Mega-Watt.

n---------- The lower case letter "n" is a designator for "nano", or numerically 0.000000001 would be one nano-unit. Ex: 1-nf means 1 nano-farad

ohm------- The word ohm is the a value of resistance to current flow.The resistance can be calculated using the formula: R=V/I, or Resistance equals Voltage divided by current.

p----------- The lower case letter "p" is a designator for "pico", or numerically 0.000000000001 would be one pico-unit. Ex: 1-pf means 1 pico-farad.

resistor---- A resistor is a passive component used in electrical circuits to provide resistance to current flow.

resistor color codes: Resistors sometimes are round with a lead coming gout of each end, and often they have colored stripes around them. The color codes are as follows;

• 1 = Black
• 2 = Brown
• 3 = Red
• 4 = Orange
• 5 =Yellow
• 6 = Green
• 7 = Blue
• 8 = Violet
• 9 = Gray
• 0 = White
• Gold - is an indicator of a 1% tolerance on the value.
• Silver - is an indicator of a 5% tolerance on the value.
• No color - is an indicator of a 10% tolerance on the value.

u---------- The lower case letter "u" is a designator for micro or numerically "0.000001" would be one micro-unit. Ex: 1uf means 1 micro-farad, a value for a capacitor.

V---------- The "V" upper case "V" is the designator for an electrical unit of Voltage. Voltage can be calculate using the formula: V=I x R.

W--------- The upper case letter "W" is a designator for Watt.

Watt------ A Watt is a measure of electrical power. DC Power can be calculated using the formula: W=V x I.

Wire Gauges----- Wires used in electrical circuits come in many sizes. The size of a wire is selected by the designer to handle the specific current that passes through it, with minimal resistance to the current. Standard wire sizes or gauges go from 0 to larger numbers. The larger the gauge number, the smaller the wire size.

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