I recently purchased a basic $20 meter that plugs right into any AC socket. It has a safe “green” zone and a “danger” red zone on both sides of the green. I was told that as long as the needle is in the green my RV is safe. On my last trip I was at a campground where the needle many times went to the low side of red. I turned my frig to gas during these times. I need some advice from one of electric pros. When should I take action? What is a safe range? Is it worth buying these gauges? What should be done when the needle is in the red?
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“The happiness of the domestic fireside is the first boon of Heaven; and it is well it is so, since it is that which is the lot of the mass of mankind.” - Thomas Jefferson, 1813
I suspect your meter is telling you that the incoming voltage is to low. Do not run your air conditioning during that period. You might want to move to another camp site, I have done this when my Surge Guard kicked off a couple of times.
You might want to leave the refrigerator on gas all the time if you stay at that site. Gas is cheap. Rather than watch the red/green meter get a surge guard to protect against low voltages.
Well, Safe is about 105 to 125,, Or so I'm told, I prefer a bit more on the low side. Too low likely will not bother the fridge much, it's just a resistor and the worst that will happen is it won't cool properly. Likewise the water heater (A MAJOR user of power) I'd switch it to propane before the firdge, or just turn off.
Televisions, radios, sat-tv receivers, computes, some do not mind 100 or even 90 volts.. Others like to have at least 104. Air Conditioners though, (Also big power hogs) do not like low voltage. So if it is on the low-red (The side it's in when unplugged) you have low power.
Now. Low power can be due to low power in the park, bad wiring in the park, a poor connection between you and the park (Plug/outlet dirty/worn) or bad connections within your rig. Thus it takes a bit of detective work to find it.
Now, on the high side (over 125 volts) NOTHING likes over-voltage, NOTHING, aroudn 130 it starts to burn things out very fast... So if it is over 125 consider taking safety actions (Shutting down, don't forget the converter)
What to do.. IF the problem is a bad plug/outlet try a new outlet or replace the plug.. (NOTE: Bad plugs tend to melt, bad outlets tend to melt plugs)
If the problem is inside your rig.. Fix it
If the problem is low park power or bad wiring other than worn outlet.. Franks autoformer.. It is a buck/boost device with some advanced monitoring IF voltage goes low it boosts, lower it boosts more, still lower it says "I give up" and shuts you off for safety.. Too high? Substutite "Bucks" for "Boost" and all else remains the same.
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
IMO 105 is fine for all except the air conditioner unit, possibly the microwave. 110 is needed for A/C and microwave. A voltage booster will fix the low park voltage.
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Frank's voltage booster, Prosine 1800 powered by 4 GC2 batteries
These voltmeters are a simple way to monitor your incoming voltage-at that outlet. This is why it is marked green between 110V and 130V. Actually the industry accepted standard is 120VAC +/- 10%, which is 108V for the minimum incoming voltage that will not harm electric motors, A/C compressors; 132V is the highest safe voltage.
The meter is marked conservatively for a valid reason. I think every RV should come with one permanently installed.
When the needle settles into the red, one should begin to turn 120VAC things off until the needle returns to the green zone. Low voltage may not create instant damage, however, months later anything with a motor may prematurely fail. Such damage is not covered by a warranty.
* This post was
edited 09/08/07 09:57pm by Ray,IN *
One important note - be sure you are checking voltage under load. Every load you add (fridge, AC, microwave, converter/charger, etc will cause more voltage drop. Although it is useful to check as soon as you plug in to be sure the voltage provided by the campground is adequate, you won't discover the effect of undersized or overloaded wiring (both yours & the campground's) until you place your actual load on the system.
Vermilye-- I looked at you pictures and "wow". My questio for you is, what camera do you use, and do you use slide file? The pictures are so crisp and clear.
Thanks! The photos on my site have been collected over a number of years using many different cameras. Most are using some version of Nikon cameras. I currently use a D200 for digital images (about 99.99% of what I shoot these days) but cameras used for the images on the site include a Mamiya 500TL, a Hasselblad 500C, Nikon F2, Nikon F3, Nikon F4, Nikon F100, Nikon Coolpix 950, Nikon Coolpix 990, Nikon Coolpix 995 & a Nikon D100.
As to slides - most of the theatre photography & older images are shot with slide film - either Kodachrome or Ektachrome but again, the majority of the images are digital.
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