Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > RV SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES FORUMS > RV Systems & Appliances
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-06-2013, 08:45 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
IMDSailor's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 871
Amperage Draw

Just wondering how you can measure the Amperage draw of a AC unit

Thanks,

Stewart
__________________
Stewart & Kim. 2011 Serrano 31V, MaxForce 7 w/ Allison 6 Sp. Fiat 500 Sport Diesel Pusher.
Surge Guard 3450, TST 510, Sliverleaf VMSpc, RVND 7710. Blue Ox Tow. 2010 Arctic Cat 700 TRV.
Someday your life may flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.
IMDSailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 07-06-2013, 08:53 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Buxton, North Dakota
Posts: 3,940
You can use a Clamp on AC Ammeter, Harbor Freight sells them for under $10 on sale. You will have to open your transfer switch or load center and clamp around the hot lead. If you have a 50 amp RV service, you will have to measure both hot leads. Measure with AC on and off.
__________________
2003 Winnebago Adventurer 38G F53/ V10 605 watts of Solar
1999 Winnebago Brave 35C F53V10 Handicap Equipped
1999 Jeep Cherokee, 1991 Jeep Wrangler Renegade and 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel
John Hilley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 08:54 AM   #3
Moderator Emeritus
 
TXiceman's Avatar
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Bryan, TX when not traveling.
Posts: 22,942
Blog Entries: 21
Like above, clamp on amp meter. You only read one wire, not a pair.

Ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator (KE5DFR)|No Longer Full-Time! - 2023 Cougar 22MLS toted by 2022 F150, 3.5L EcoBoost Tow Max FX4 Lariat Travel with one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot, retired mechanical engineer
TXiceman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 09:19 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
IMDSailor's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 871
Cool, thanks guys.
__________________
Stewart & Kim. 2011 Serrano 31V, MaxForce 7 w/ Allison 6 Sp. Fiat 500 Sport Diesel Pusher.
Surge Guard 3450, TST 510, Sliverleaf VMSpc, RVND 7710. Blue Ox Tow. 2010 Arctic Cat 700 TRV.
Someday your life may flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.
IMDSailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 09:30 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
IMDSailor's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 871
I guess I would throw all the other breakers it isolate the one I want to test to get a real reading from the item, in this case my fwd AC unit.
__________________
Stewart & Kim. 2011 Serrano 31V, MaxForce 7 w/ Allison 6 Sp. Fiat 500 Sport Diesel Pusher.
Surge Guard 3450, TST 510, Sliverleaf VMSpc, RVND 7710. Blue Ox Tow. 2010 Arctic Cat 700 TRV.
Someday your life may flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.
IMDSailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 09:33 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 502
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Hilley View Post
You can use a Clamp on AC Ammeter, Harbor Freight sells them for under $10 on sale.
But don't buy the $10 one that only measures AC current. Make sure you get one that also measures DC current . . . a lot more useful in an RV.
__________________
Stan Birch
1999 Winnebago Adventurer 32T Ford V-10
Stan.Birch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 09:39 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
IMDSailor's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 871
It is a 50 Amp coach but I'm, again, at a 30 Amp site. My potential problem started last week at another CG. Not to rehash that story, but I think that through one thing or another my Txfer Sw was damaged. As indicated I'm at a different CG this weekend and I'm still burning up my neutral wire when I have the AC on with nothing else running. It's about a billion deg F right now and it would have been nice to have atleast one AC working.
I have a new Txfer Sw on order but I'd still like to check the draw of the fwd AC to ensure its not drawing to many amps. It's rated at 20.
__________________
Stewart & Kim. 2011 Serrano 31V, MaxForce 7 w/ Allison 6 Sp. Fiat 500 Sport Diesel Pusher.
Surge Guard 3450, TST 510, Sliverleaf VMSpc, RVND 7710. Blue Ox Tow. 2010 Arctic Cat 700 TRV.
Someday your life may flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.
IMDSailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 09:40 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
IMDSailor's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 871
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan.Birch View Post

But don't buy the $10 one that only measures AC current. Make sure you get one that also measures DC current . . . a lot more useful in an RV.
Thanks for that heads up. Heading out shortly.
__________________
Stewart & Kim. 2011 Serrano 31V, MaxForce 7 w/ Allison 6 Sp. Fiat 500 Sport Diesel Pusher.
Surge Guard 3450, TST 510, Sliverleaf VMSpc, RVND 7710. Blue Ox Tow. 2010 Arctic Cat 700 TRV.
Someday your life may flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.
IMDSailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 10:32 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Buxton, North Dakota
Posts: 3,940
Quote:
Originally Posted by IMDSailor View Post
I guess I would throw all the other breakers it isolate the one I want to test to get a real reading from the item, in this case my fwd AC unit.
The difference in current from off to on is a real reading, no need to turn other things off. In fact the combined current reading is a useful reading.
__________________
2003 Winnebago Adventurer 38G F53/ V10 605 watts of Solar
1999 Winnebago Brave 35C F53V10 Handicap Equipped
1999 Jeep Cherokee, 1991 Jeep Wrangler Renegade and 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel
John Hilley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 10:35 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Buxton, North Dakota
Posts: 3,940
Where is your neutral wire burning up?
__________________
2003 Winnebago Adventurer 38G F53/ V10 605 watts of Solar
1999 Winnebago Brave 35C F53V10 Handicap Equipped
1999 Jeep Cherokee, 1991 Jeep Wrangler Renegade and 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel
John Hilley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 10:42 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
IMDSailor's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 871
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Hilley View Post
Where is your neutral wire burning up?
Right at the Txfer Sw. All the connections are tight. That's all the connections from the post through to the Sw.
Search for the thread called " Electrical Problems(Somewhat Large) for the whole sorted tale. I'm on my cell other wise I'd post the link for you, sorry.
__________________
Stewart & Kim. 2011 Serrano 31V, MaxForce 7 w/ Allison 6 Sp. Fiat 500 Sport Diesel Pusher.
Surge Guard 3450, TST 510, Sliverleaf VMSpc, RVND 7710. Blue Ox Tow. 2010 Arctic Cat 700 TRV.
Someday your life may flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.
IMDSailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 11:09 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Buxton, North Dakota
Posts: 3,940
Neutral from pedestal or to load center?
__________________
2003 Winnebago Adventurer 38G F53/ V10 605 watts of Solar
1999 Winnebago Brave 35C F53V10 Handicap Equipped
1999 Jeep Cherokee, 1991 Jeep Wrangler Renegade and 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel
John Hilley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 11:17 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
IMDSailor's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 871
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Hilley View Post
Neutral from pedestal or to load center?
It would be the neutral from the shore cable. I'm at a 30 Amp site using my 30 Amp shore cable. I have a 50 to 30 Amp adapter where you normally plug the shore cable into the rig. All those connections appear fine. It's the cable from that point that goes into the Txfer Sw. So where that cable connects to the Sw is where im getting a burned up neutral. The wiring beyond the Sw appear fine also. It's just that connection.
__________________
Stewart & Kim. 2011 Serrano 31V, MaxForce 7 w/ Allison 6 Sp. Fiat 500 Sport Diesel Pusher.
Surge Guard 3450, TST 510, Sliverleaf VMSpc, RVND 7710. Blue Ox Tow. 2010 Arctic Cat 700 TRV.
Someday your life may flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.
IMDSailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-06-2013, 11:32 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
vsheetz's Avatar


 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 15,749
If you have a EMS that reports amp draw, just use it.
__________________
Vince and Susan
2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH (Cummins ISC/Freightliner)
Flat towing a modified 2005 Jeep (Rubicon Wrangler)
Previously a 2002 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37A and a 1995 Safari Trek 2830.
vsheetz is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:54 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.