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How to Safely Use Small Electrical Kitchen Appliances in an RV

by Anonymous
()

I have a 2007 Rockwood UltraLite Signature Series. Can you use a crockpot or other small cooking appliances in the trailer? I used a toaster oven, but the cord got hot, and I was concerned about a fire hazard.

ANSWER: Thanks for your question, yes it is quite safe to use small electrical appliances such as Toaster Ovens, Crock Pots, Infrared Ovens, etc. in your RV. The 120 volt electrical system in your RV is protected just like your home electrical systems are by Circuit Breakers and newer RVs also have GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) Outlets that provide additional protection to you and the electrical system of the RV.

I bet if you use that same Toaster Oven in your home the cord to the oven will in all likelihood generate the same amount of heat as it did in your 5th Wheel Trailer. Depending on the appliance you are using power cords can generate some heat. If you have ever used a space heater in your home and felt the power cord you will feel some heat being generated by the cord. Some heat from a power cord is normal for some higher electrical demand appliances.

On the other hand, if you are using an extension cord to plug in your small electrical appliance; you need to make sure that the extension cord that you are using has the proper amp rating to carry the electrical load that the small appliance needs. If it does not have the proper amp rating, the extension cord will generate quite a bit of heat which can lead to a fire.

The packaging on most extension cords tells you how many total amps it can safely carry. You need to make sure that the appliance or combination of appliances that you plan to plug into that cord does not exceed the total amps that the cord can safely carry.

Now for the good news, my wife and I use all kinds of small electrical kitchen appliances in our RV without any problems. OK Here comes a shameless recommendation for an electrical appliance that we use all of the time while RVing.

My wife and I have one particular electrical appliance that we have safely used in our RVs for years. In fact we never go RVing without it and that is our Ronco Showtime Rotisserie, because that "Set It And Forget It" phrase they use on TV is true. The main reason we love it is because we have never tasted better rotisserie chicken, pork shoulder, ham, turkey, etc. from any other appliance we have ever had.

But I digress the point I was trying to make is we have one of their larger models that has a higher electrical demand and we have never had a problem using it in our Motorhome whether we are plugged in to shore power or running on the generator.

Take a look at the video below to see how to use the Showtime Rotisserie to cook a Turkey.

Over 1,500,000 successful roadside rescues—Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service

By the way we recently asked our Facebook Fans what their Favorite Kitchen Accessories were. You can see the results by visiting our RVer's Favorite Kitchen Accessories Page.


I hope that this information has helped relieve any anxiety you may have about safely using these appliances in your RV.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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