Paying for electricity w/ 50 amp

I have found it both ways. Stay in a 30/50 site and pay for what you use. Others will make you pay for 50 although you only use the 30. Some parks will have only 30 or 50 sites. Some parks will give you a windshield note stating what amperage you are paying for so staff can look out for abusers.

When we've stayed at parks with 50 amp at the site, we were changed a flat fee per day that included power. If the same park had 30 amp sites, they sometimes would be less, but only because the site was not as "improved" or new as the 50 amp site.

As for monthly rent, the power usage was based on amperage used, not how much was available. So, if you are connected to 50 amp power, you may not use any more than you would have used if you were connected to 30 amp. You could use more since more amperage is available, but that doesn't mean you will. So, regardless of which plug you connect to on the post, the amount of electricity you actually use will probably be the same. You could use more, but that is a choice you will make, not your RV.

So, if 30 and 50 amp service are both available at the site you are in, the park is probably going to charge you the same fee.

(After I posted this several others commented about amperage and voltage and displayed quite a bit of confusion over the terms. I didn't cover this originally since I didn't think it was part of the question. Voltage times amperage equals wattage. So, if electricity was a water hose, a big hose, like a fire hose, it could fill a bucket in X minutes at low pressure. A small garden hose could fill the same bucket in the same amount of time if it had high pressure. That's the difference between low voltage (big hose) and high voltage (garden hose). Amperage is the size of the stream of water coming out of the hose being pushed by the voltage. Not the speed, the size. Wattage is the net result. I hope this helps explain the common confusion with electrical terms.)

All places we've stayed with 50A also have 30A at the pedestal. And most don't have any extra charge for 50A. But there were a couple CG's that did.

Every campground is different. It is impossible to answer your question.

Some Thousand Trails that have added 50A are charging $5 per day but the one that have had 50A for a while don't charge.

I think it is a rip off to charge for 50 A at TT's. I know my contract says nothing about being able to charge me for power.

Electric is expensive to supply and the more an RV unit uses the more expense is heaped on the CG costs of opperation. It's only right for RV units with 2 A/C's or 50 amp requirements/users/plugged into to pay their own way as it should be. 50 amp users have leeched their cheap way for years by sponging off CG's and it's way past time for it to stop. One may also notice that the 50 amp RV's need or get the larger sites and they don't expect to pay more? Give me a break!

We have had several very large MH's and a 3 axle big Carriage 5th wheel that all had 50 amp cords but never felt we shouldn't pay for what we used or were hooked up to and gladly did. Being a sponge and sucking from those who could least afford it is not very becoming or something to be proud of and rather ugly! Cheap, cheap, cheap!

We want any good CG to be quite profitable as they won't be around if they are not! What good will a closed CG be anyway?

Fishinghat wrote:
When we've stayed at parks with 50 amp at the site, we were changed a flat fee per day that included power. If the same park had 30 amp sites, they sometimes would be less, but only because the site was not as "improved" or new as the 50 amp site.

As for monthly rent, the power usage was based on amperage used, not how much was available. So, if you are connected to 50 amp power, you may not use any more than you would have used if you were connected to 30 amp. You could use more since more amperage is available, but that doesn't mean you will. So, regardless of which plug you connect to on the post, the amount of electricity you actually use will probably be the same. You could use more, but that is a choice you will make, not your RV.

So, if 30 and 50 amp service are both available at the site you are in, the park is probably going to charge you the same fee.

Amperage measures the strength of the current. Volume is generally measured in kilowatts per hour used as evidenced by a metre.

vic46 wrote:
Amperage measures the strength of the current. Volume is generally measured in kilowatts per hour..

Both of those statements would appear to be incorrect.

2oldman wrote:

vic46 wrote:
Amperage measures the strength of the current. Volume is generally measured in kilowatts per hour..

Both of those statements would appear to be incorrect.

Nope. Both of those statements are basically correct.

travelnutz wrote:
Electric is expensive to supply and the more an RV unit uses the more expense is heaped on the CG costs of opperation. It's only right for RV units with 2 A/C's or 50 amp requirements/users/plugged into to pay their own way as it should be. 50 amp users have leeched their cheap way for years by sponging off CG's and it's way past time for it to stop. One may also notice that the 50 amp RV's need or get the larger sites and they don't expect to pay more? Give me a break!

We have had several very large MH's and a 3 axle big Carriage 5th wheel that all had 50 amp cords but never felt we shouldn't pay for what we used or were hooked up to and gladly did. Being a sponge and sucking from those who could least afford it is not very becoming or something to be proud of and rather ugly! Cheap, cheap, cheap!

We want any good CG to be quite profitable as they won't be around if they are not! What good will a closed CG be anyway?

Do you really think a second AC unit will use $5 per day average? NO WAY!

TT in Palm Springs has about 1/2 30A and 1/2 50A they do not charge extra for 50A.. It is just a way for these parks to over charge people. MOST rv's made today are 50A so the old Campgrounds should be upgrading to meet the masses needs. These 30A pedestals are all falling apart, they have paid for them selves now start upgrading!