30amp to 50amp upgrade - Completed
I have a small toy hauler that was wired for 30 amp service, which normally would be fine. However, in their brilliance at the factory, they decided to put in a 3in1 oven(convection,1/2time,microwave) which uses a lot of juice. So much, in fact, I was unable to run the A/C and the oven at the same time (they took about 31 amps together). So I decided to do the upgrade, which turned out to be simpler than I thought.
I will go through the upgrade from the pedestal in(not necessarily in the order you would perform said upgrade). First, you need a 50 amp cord for shore power, these are expensive, anywhere from $100-$200 depending on length.
Then you need to upgrade the receptacle on the side of the TT to accept a 50 amp plug and also the wiring that will go to your power center. This should be 6 guage wire.
I replaced my entire power center because it was an all in one unit that came with converter, you will have to make the decision here as to what you want. I had only 4 circuits including the converter.
My new power center would take up to 12 circuits (6 on each 50 amp leg)if you used double breakers, I opted just for 6 full size.
I separated my 4 circuits (2 on each side) with the A/C on the side with just the converter, but then added a set of outlets in the back on a fifth circuit. So, I now have 5 circuits that are hot and 1 available for expansion. I also have so much available overhead(in terms of amperage) that I should never even have to think about power management. I realize this is really overdoing it, but there is nothing between the 50a and 30a service.
If you know a little about electrical wiring this is a pretty simple upgrade this way. There are situations that complicate matters:
* generators - power transfer switch (I don't have one)
* if you want to separate items that are currently on a single circuit, this would call for rewiring the circuit and can be a royal pain.
I'm sure there are other issues for some that I simply didn't have.
Here's a little info if you haven't read any of the million posts about 50 amp service on here:
50 amp service is not truly 50 amps. You have two 120v 50a legs going into your power center, which actually makes for a total of 100 amps available.
When you buy your power center remember that it will NOT come with breakers, but most of them will take standard breakers you can get at a home center.
You don't HAVE to upgrade your 12v converter/charger. You can buy the power center without it if that's what your setup already is and your converter is already big enough.
I didn't talk about specifics with wiring the power center and whatnot because if you don't know how to do that, you probably shouldn't do this upgrade yourself. You are dealing with electricity and it can get dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
Finally, there are tons of opinions on this site, but if you can wad through them to get to the facts there is a lot of good information here.
I hope this helps anyone who might be considering this upgrade themselves.
I will go through the upgrade from the pedestal in(not necessarily in the order you would perform said upgrade). First, you need a 50 amp cord for shore power, these are expensive, anywhere from $100-$200 depending on length.
Then you need to upgrade the receptacle on the side of the TT to accept a 50 amp plug and also the wiring that will go to your power center. This should be 6 guage wire.
I replaced my entire power center because it was an all in one unit that came with converter, you will have to make the decision here as to what you want. I had only 4 circuits including the converter.
My new power center would take up to 12 circuits (6 on each 50 amp leg)if you used double breakers, I opted just for 6 full size.
I separated my 4 circuits (2 on each side) with the A/C on the side with just the converter, but then added a set of outlets in the back on a fifth circuit. So, I now have 5 circuits that are hot and 1 available for expansion. I also have so much available overhead(in terms of amperage) that I should never even have to think about power management. I realize this is really overdoing it, but there is nothing between the 50a and 30a service.
If you know a little about electrical wiring this is a pretty simple upgrade this way. There are situations that complicate matters:
* generators - power transfer switch (I don't have one)
* if you want to separate items that are currently on a single circuit, this would call for rewiring the circuit and can be a royal pain.
I'm sure there are other issues for some that I simply didn't have.
Here's a little info if you haven't read any of the million posts about 50 amp service on here:
50 amp service is not truly 50 amps. You have two 120v 50a legs going into your power center, which actually makes for a total of 100 amps available.
When you buy your power center remember that it will NOT come with breakers, but most of them will take standard breakers you can get at a home center.
You don't HAVE to upgrade your 12v converter/charger. You can buy the power center without it if that's what your setup already is and your converter is already big enough.
I didn't talk about specifics with wiring the power center and whatnot because if you don't know how to do that, you probably shouldn't do this upgrade yourself. You are dealing with electricity and it can get dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
Finally, there are tons of opinions on this site, but if you can wad through them to get to the facts there is a lot of good information here.
I hope this helps anyone who might be considering this upgrade themselves.
