Uber noob electrical question (Shore power)

[Linda_Sue]

I'm usually using gas on my appliances but I've had an opportunity to have shore power access (30 amp).

I have a 30 amp male /15 amp female adapter. I'm in a vehicle not an RV.

Can my ability to use it be as mercifully simple as plugging in the adapter to the power pedestal and then plugging in the appliance (...or more likely with an extension cord between the pedestal wi/adapter and the appliance)?

My curiosity is around these appliances:

•Two burner stove top
•fan (regular household/desktop, I do have USB fans as well but I'm curious about the plug-in type)
• space heater - I have a small 400 w that will very comfortably heat up the space
•If I want to go really luxurious (and I do LOL) I would go all out and buy one of the very tiny portable air conditioners I've seen locally.

Is all of this totally out of the question with what I've got? If not, what gauge extension cord would I need? Are there other things I can do to make it workable? I don't have the knowledge to set up any kind of electrical system and don't know anyone who can, I'm just curious about finding a simple (and probably temporary) solution if possible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Linda_Sue]

PS (sorry I couldn't find how to edit). I do have a couple of power stations the largest one being a jackery 500 so I can always fall back on those but I would prefer to take advantage of the 30 amp since it's available

 

[bullfrog !]

Yep it is that simple but if using an extension cord as short as possible and as large a conductor as you can afford. Most air conditioners require you to plug in directly to the outlet but I have used a heavy duty extension cord on a 110 volt 5,000 btu one. Most of the appliances can run individually without problem if they draw less than 15 amps. The problem comes when you start running more than one at a time. Usually you will trip a breaker if you over load the circuit but also you may burn up your adapter as it is the weak link most likely. Tripping breakers too much can weaken them just so you know! Do this at your own risk as I definitely am not qualified to give you any advice.

 

[Linda_Sue]

Yep it is that simple but if using an extension cord as short as possible and as large a conductor as you can afford. [truncated]

Thank you for all the information! I should have mentioned in the original post I meant to run only one thing at a time. What is meant by the "conductor", please?

 

[bullfrog !]

The wire inside the cord through which the electrical current flows. Heavy duty extension cords have thicker gauge wire. The lower the gauge number the thicker the wire. A 12 gauge wire is thicker than a 14 gauge wire for example.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Look for a heavy duty outdoor extension cord, 12 gauge 3 conductor should do it. You can find these online or in hardware stores or big box home improvement stores. It's also generally a good idea to buy one that is a bright color, such as yellow or orange...it will be a little easier to see when you are trying to avoid tripping over it.

Some of these cords include a small indicator light at the end of the cord, the receptacle end. This lets you know for sure that the outlet has power, and that the circuit breaker is on.

It's also a good idea to choose a cord of about 20 to 25 feet. This should be long enough to reach, but not long enough to be too heavy and have too much electrical loss.

You should look for a cord similar to this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Lighted...8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1