Power Shutting off After 5 Minutes in Small Camper

Updated 10/05/2020 | Published 10/01/2020

Question:

Turn on a/c. In camper . After 5 min . a/c and lights go off . camper is a 110/125 with 60hz 30 amp fuse . I'm using 8ft extension cord to reach outlet. It's not tripping any of the breakers. How fix?

asked by: FREDERICK

Expert Reply:

Since you are not tripping any breakers, it could be that you are approaching the power limit for your camper. I recommend calculating the total power consumption of the appliances and accessories in your camper. Try testing different combinations of appliances to narrow down which appliance is putting you over the power limit (e.g. try powering on with just the lights on, then just the air conditioning and so on).

If the main culprit turns out to be the air conditioner, I recommend using a start capacitor, which makes it easier to start up the AC. Start capacitors are brand specific, so, for example, if you have an Advent Air unit, you need # ACMSCKIT. Check out the video linked below for more details.

expert reply by: John R