Sharon L.

More good intel, thanks!

Bob, thanks so much!    I feel so much better now.   If we put one on at all, one unit probably it.   Most grateful!  

Tire Minder was the one my husband had picked, but I was leery about the having to use your phone.  I never thought about a tablet!  I have a Samsung one, and heck, small ones are cheap as heck these days.  We aren't an Apple family, we have Androids.  I would assume it can be programmed for an Android device as well.  

Thanks so much for all the great advice.  I surely do appreciate you taking the time to respond.  

We are in the market for our first system, have a tag axle and want to also install sensors on our toad, a Buick Envision.  Would love to hear about your experiences with your systems.  Much appreciated.  

What is your can only stay for part of the time?  We already have a trip booked starting on Friday in GA.  

On 6/18/2021 at 7:37 PM, windsorbill06 said:

Welcome Aboard!

 

What exactly are you trying to accomplish? On 30 amps, I don't think you'll ever run all 3 simultaneously.   A soft start will minimize the 'spike' the A/C unit has when it's starting up, but it won't reduce the amp draw when it's running.   

Hi windsorbill06, I was hoping to ease the load so we could run all three units when it's really hot.  I guess I was hoping that would be possible if the "spike" was reduced at start up.  The reviews on those are all over the board, and since we haven't taken any really long trips yet, I want to make sure we have as much done in advance so we don't have any surprises that we could have headed off in advance.  

On 6/19/2021 at 1:37 PM, Corkman said:

I've had many issues running on 30 amps, who know why for sure, but I installed the soft starts on my 2 A/Cs and have had no issues with installing and using them. Good instructions and good tech support (if you overlook something in the directions, as I did for 1 unit).  I've only been on 30 amps a few times, but all worked well.

Thanks Corkman, I'm curious what brand you installed.  Was it Soft Start?  There are so many other ones out there, some considerably cheaper.  I'm curious why you installed them, did you have issues running your AC's on 30 amp?   Everyone seems to have such different experiences.  Thanks so much!  

On 6/19/2021 at 11:49 AM, Mocephus said:

We just had our first experience with a 30 amp hookup and no soft starts. We were able to run two ACs and residential fridge but turned off one of the ACs if using the microwave. Hot water heater is another draw to be aware of. Overall it was not difficult to manage if you monitor the amps being used. Of course you could always start your generator if you really needed to power everything at once.

Welcome to the group and happy camping!

Thanks so much for the welcome.  We can't wait to take our first long trip this August.   Monitoring the amps seems like the ticket.   Even though I live in FL doesn't mean I like the heat, and it's not fun camping if you are too hot!  Appreciate the feedback.  

On 6/19/2021 at 1:07 PM, FishAR said:

I ran 2 ac's off a 30 amp breaker last weekend on my Montana. Not a Monaco but a lot newer heat pump and ac than the Monaco.

Our home compressor went out, took 5 days to get it fixed (ended up buying entire outside condenser unit), and it was 100 degrees. Moved into the Montana.

 

I had the Montana plugged into the 30 amp at my shop and both ac's worked fine for a few days. Had the fridge on propane and no water heater on. On the hottest day the electricity to the 5th wheel went out. I went and checked the shop panel, the 30 amp breaker was hot as a pistol. So hot I couldn't touch it. I think I fried it because even after cooling off it wouldn't reset. Went into my other shop where I also have a 30 amp rv panel and took the breaker out of it and changed them out. Worked ok until the home unit got fixed and I was able to turn one ac off and turn the other one up to 85 which is what I do in the summer.

Would have stayed in the Monaco since it's hooked up to 50 amps but it's inside so no tv reception (have winegard pathwayx2 and antenna on the Montana) and I love my tv.

Hi FishAR,

So it appears they worked for a while before the breaker problem.  Interesting.  Thanks!   

On 6/19/2021 at 1:07 PM, FishAR said:

I ran 2 ac's off a 30 amp breaker last weekend on my Montana. Not a Monaco but a lot newer heat pump and ac than the Monaco.

Our home compressor went out, took 5 days to get it fixed (ended up buying entire outside condenser unit), and it was 100 degrees. Moved into the Montana.

 

I had the Montana plugged into the 30 amp at my shop and both ac's worked fine for a few days. Had the fridge on propane and no water heater on. On the hottest day the electricity to the 5th wheel went out. I went and checked the shop panel, the 30 amp breaker was hot as a pistol. So hot I couldn't touch it. I think I fried it because even after cooling off it wouldn't reset. Went into my other shop where I also have a 30 amp rv panel and took the breaker out of it and changed them out. Worked ok until the home unit got fixed and I was able to turn one ac off and turn the other one up to 85 which is what I do in the summer.

Would have stayed in the Monaco since it's hooked up to 50 amps but it's inside so no tv reception (have winegard pathwayx2 and antenna on the Montana) and I love my tv.

On 6/19/2021 at 10:42 AM, Ivylog said:

18 years with three 15Ks and no soft starts, often on 30 amps, but you can only run 2 of them. It’s all about energy management on 30 amps with a big rig. 
Contrary to some, a residential refrigerator is not an issue as it only draws 1 amp…a AC is around 13 amps. There are 2 often overlooked items that use up the 3 extra amps you have… the battery charger and the ice maker. 

Hi Ivylog, that is encouraging.  Since we can close the bedroom off nicely, maybe that is solution, just run the ones in the bedroom.  I never thought of the ice maker as a big draw, thanks for telling me that.  We have had a weird issue with the middle unit, it short cycles on occasion, but an "expert" told us to always use our fans on "high" not "auto" and that will solve that problem.  Do you keep your fans on high?  Thanks so much for the information, I really appreciate it.  

Hi, my first post here and grateful for what I've already learned!  We live in FL and have warm weather all year, so when we camp locally the A/C is on frequently.   We are taking a long trip out west later this summer and camping at some places where will have only 30 amp available.  We have 3 15kw air conditioners and we have read a lot about adding a soft starter to each unit.   Have you added those to your units and were you pleased with the results?  They aren't an inexpensive add (especially with 3 a/c units) and want to make sure they are worth the investment.   My hubby is handy so he will likely do the installs himself.   Would appreciate any advice on whether they are worth it and what brand you selected and why.  Thanks so much!