30Amp vs 50Amp - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

RKeith · 10-06-2013, 05:33 PM

Hi all. We just took delivery of a 2008 22 Hi-Lo and can't get the A/C to work just plugged into the 30A service at our home. I have a couple questions:

What is the difference between the 30 and 50A services other than the cables?

Is there a generator anyone recommends to run just the A/C when we are on a trip and do you always have to have 50A to run it? I thought the A/C was only 30A. We are in South Florida and A/C is necessary most of year.

Thanks!

retiredcamper47 · 10-06-2013, 05:56 PM

Do you have the a/c plugged in inside the trailer? The a/c is not hardwired like other brands. On some trailers you will find the a/c cord near the wardrobe on the back wall in the bathroom. Others will have the cord coming out the bottom of an overhead cabinet in the rear. Hope this helps.

Bob

JackandJanet · 10-06-2013, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredcamper47

Do you have the a/c plugged in inside the trailer? The a/c is not hardwired like other brands. On some trailers you will find the a/c cord near the wardrobe on the back wall in the bathroom. Others will have the cord coming out the bottom of an overhead cabinet in the rear. Hope this helps.

Bob

Look for it coiled up inside one of these places. 30A should be enough to run the A/C.

A 50A service at a campground simply means it can supply more power if the demand is there. You can plug your trailer into that if you have the appropriate plug and you will "draw" what you need (less than the 50A potential supply).

- Jack

RichR · 10-06-2013, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredcamper47

Do you have the a/c plugged in inside the trailer? The a/c is not hardwired like other brands. On some trailers you will find the a/c cord near the wardrobe on the back wall in the bathroom. Others will have the cord coming out the bottom of an overhead cabinet in the rear. Hope this helps.

Bob

The receptacle for it is located on the side of the wardrobe close to where the A/C cord comes out of the wall. You have to look for it.

retiredcamper47 · 10-06-2013, 06:24 PM

The 30 amp will run your trailer and a/c fine. Just don't run the a/c, electric hot water, and microwave at the same time. This kind of amp draw will definitely cause the breaker to throw. The 50 amp service is usually for the "big boys" with two a/c's on their units.

Bob

RichR · 10-06-2013, 06:39 PM

Also, if the A/C doesn't work when plugged in check the breaker on the breaker panel up front. If you don't have a manual here is the 2009 Manual which is the same as the 2008 manual: http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/...hi-lo-1-a-803/

Wrascal · 10-06-2013, 06:53 PM

At home I plugged my HiLo into an outdoor outlet rated at 20A w/ground fault protection.

I used a 10-3 cord (also rated at 20A) 50 foot connecting cord (with a 30-20A conversion plug) and ran both my AC and fridge. Not ideal - but it worked that way all this past summer.

My lowest observed voltage was 116V with both items cycled on.

PopRichie77 · 10-07-2013, 06:35 AM

The manual recommends a 3500 watt generator to run the AC and the rest of the trailer, however the AC will run on a smaller generator if you don't run other things in the trailer. A Honda 2000 will not run the AC. Also popular belief is that a hard start capacitor will let you use a smaller generator, this is not true because adding a hard start capacitor actually draws more amps. I called the factory engineer that makes hard start capacitors and he verified this. Hard start capacitors are made for motors that are tight and don't want to start but you need sufficient amps to use them. There is also a difference between an inverter generator and a reg generator, the inverter generators are quieter. Best advice I can give you is try the generator out before you buy, especially if you are trying to keep cost down and go with the smallest one needed.

Papa · 10-07-2013, 07:17 AM

RKeith,
We purchased a used 2805C from a dealer. They showed us how to plug in the AC unit. Even after being shown I once forgot and the AC would not come on. But then I'm not the smartest Hi Lo owner on this forum.
All are anxious to hear from you, did you get it working?
God Bless
Papa

RKeith · 10-07-2013, 04:22 PM

Hello all and thank you for all the wonderful responses.

I did plug the black curled cord in the rear of the H-Lo in bathroom in while the trailer had 30A supplied. It unfortunately did not work and electrical panel by sofa-bed is allegedly brand new. All breakers are on and no fuses are tripped at this time. Everything else electrical like lights, microwave, and radio work fine.

My next move is to trace wiring and see if something was left disconnected when panel was replaced. I guess generator solution will have to wait since A/C isn't working yet.

Thank you to all of you who replied in this forum. Our family isn't used to nice folk who want to help here in Miami so its a welcoming relief to see it here.

Wrascal · 10-07-2013, 04:25 PM

Have you tested for power at the outlet? A cheap $5 VOM will provide the answer in about 10 seconds.

If you have good power then look to the AC unit itself. If no power then follow it backwards (or string a new wire).

RichR · 10-07-2013, 04:34 PM

You can plug anything into that outlet to test it, it's just a 20 amp receptacle. Switch off and on all the breakers to make sure they are reset.

Castbulletman · 10-07-2013, 10:26 PM

normally a 30 amp is 120 volt and the 50 amp is 240 volt. you need to check the owners manual to see what you really have.

jcurtis95 · 10-08-2013, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RKeith

Hello all and thank you for all the wonderful responses.

I did plug the black curled cord in the rear of the H-Lo in bathroom in while the trailer had 30A supplied. It unfortunately did not work and electrical panel by sofa-bed is allegedly brand new. All breakers are on and no fuses are tripped at this time. Everything else electrical like lights, microwave, and radio work fine.

My next move is to trace wiring and see if something was left disconnected when panel was replaced. I guess generator solution will have to wait since A/C isn't working yet.

Thank you to all of you who replied in this forum. Our family isn't used to nice folk who want to help here in Miami so its a welcoming relief to see it here.

Rkeith,

Since you have discovered the AC cord and the outlet it plugs into, I offer this bit of information. The placement of that electrical outlet is in such a bad location that often attempts to plug the AC cord into it result in activating the GFI Test button which trips the AC supply to that outlet. Tripping the ground fault does not result in the breaker tripping on the power panel. It is so difficult to see that I had to use a mirror to look at the outlet in order to reactivate the reset button. It happened to me several times so I recommend you check that possibility out. Also, to remove all doubt about your AC unit, why not use an extension cord and run it back to the air conditioner cord and plug it in to test the AC unit? If it fails to run, then you will have isolated your problem to the unit itself, possibly the start-up capacitor has failed. Not that difficult to change out but you have to use proper precaution when replacing the capacitor or you may experience electrical shock.

Hope this helps.

jcurtis95 [former 3-time Hi-Lo owner[
Fredericksburg, TX

RichR · 10-08-2013, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Castbulletman

normally a 30 amp is 120 volt and the 50 amp is 240 volt. you need to check the owners manual to see what you really have.

HiLo is 30 amp, 120 volts only.

I forgot about the GFI outlets, that needs to be checked. One of the outlet testers is always a good thing to have in the tool kit. Klein Tools GCFI Receptacle Tester-RT200 at The Home Depot

jcurtis95 · 10-08-2013, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichR

HiLo is 30 amp, 120 volts only.

I forgot about the GFI outlets, that needs to be checked. One of the outlet testers is always a good thing to have in the tool kit. Klein Tools GCFI Receptacle Tester-RT200 at The Home Depot

Rich,

I leave one of these plugged into a spare outlet all the time. It will identify a bad wiring connection when you plug your HiLo power cord into the park AC. It also provides a nice little night light at night.

jcurtis95

RichR · 10-08-2013, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcurtis95

Rich,

I leave one of these plugged into a spare outlet all the time. It will identify a bad wiring connection when you plug your HiLo power cord into the park AC. It also provides a nice little night light at night.

jcurtis95

That's a great idea! That's why we need to keep you in the Forum!

Norton Rider · 10-08-2013, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcurtis95

Rich,

I leave one of these plugged into a spare outlet all the time. It will identify a bad wiring connection when you plug your HiLo power cord into the park AC. It also provides a nice little night light at night.

jcurtis95

This is probably not a good idea. I had one of these go up in smoke, and have a friend that had one that caught fire. In my friend's case it ignited the curtains on his boat. Fortunately, he was on-board and was able to quickly put the fire out.

Based on these experiences I never leave a tester plugged. I test the circuit when I first hook up to power at a campground or at a marina; then I unplug the tester.

Norton Rider · 10-08-2013, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RKeith

What is the difference between the 30 and 50A services other than the cables?

Here is a good write-up on the topic:
AC Electricity

JackandJanet · 10-08-2013, 02:35 PM

Raul - That was a good read.

So, since a 50A service at an RV park is actually 240V, DO NOT try to plug a HiLo into it! Voltage is like "pressure" and that pressure will overload your trailer's circuits.

If, however, the source is 50A at 120V, that would be safe to use.

- Jack