30 amp service

Stay with the shuffle or move to 50 amp. Is your water and fridge set to propane only?

vic46 wrote:
Did I miss something? The OP is dealing with 30A and 15A source to power a 50A coach. A cheater box deals with two 30A sources to provide power to a 50A coach. Not the same thing!

If you read the page on the PI Cheater box, you will see it deals with "(2) 30A; (1) 30A and (1) 20-15A; or (2) 20-15A connections". It may not provide 50A in all cases, but it can.

we have had one for years and use it if it is needed. Works well. if we can get 50 amps we get them but sometimes you just cant get 50 amps, so we use the pigtail if it is available.

This is what you need it will work with GFCI outlets.
It is designed specifically for RV's to allow use of 30 amp out let and 15/20 amp outlet.I have the transfer switch shown below installed in my fiver.
I can run both A/C on most 30 amp sites without worry or issues



Check Out Safe RV power transfer switch

Johno02 wrote:
I have, and have used one of the splitter, (called power thieves), and if necessary, will probably use it again. However, be very aware that in many campgrounds with only 30A outlets, the underground wiring supply was and probably still is, designed and sized to support 30A loads. This is why you see so many that have burned out plugs, and possibly low voltage problems. When people try to pull 50A through wiring and breakers designed for 30A, something has to give. Usual symptoms are overheated burned outlets, and lower than normal voltage, which creates more problems and probably damage. You can easily run a 50A coach on 30A, if you just don't try to run everything at the same time. If you have to run everything, then only go to places that have good 50A service. A good rule is that on 30A, you can run two heavy loads, such as an AC and a hair dryer, on 50A, you can run 4. Get a plug-in voltage meter, and watch the voltage. If it drops too much when you use something, you are overloading the master circuits.

I have found the above to be correct. We have been limited to 30A hookups many times with our 50A fiver. Usually without any problem. You need to be careful with power management, and that plug-in volt meter will be a big help. The microwave is a big power user, it does not like to run when the AC is on, same with the AC and micro, they don't play nice together.

We have run on 30 amp for 6 mo at a time and never really had a problem. We have the frig and water heater on electric and can use the microwave/convection or a space heater or 1 air conditioner at the same time without changing anything over to propane. We have not found it necessary to run both air at the same time as 1 of them can freeze us out just fine. We do not spend summers where it is extremely hot and only have a few 90+ days per summer.

Generally those "Cheater Boxes" and cords are a waste of money.

YOu see. the 20 amp outlet in MOST Rv parks is a GFCI and when you use the cheater it trips.. now it is possible to make it so it wont' trip but then you have like a 100 pound box costing a couple hundred dollars.

A better way is covered in a thread about running both air conditioners that is aroudn here somewhere. Here is one way to do it (2 in fact)

There is a device made by a company "Safe RV' or some such.. that does this using a somewhat complex method, I am not convinced it is better than what I will describe,,


Two line drawings:
Currently your Air Conditorners are wired like this:

{bunch of stuff}===================={A/C}
(Bunch of stuff is circuit breakers, Distribution panels, on some RV's a management system (load shedder) and so on)

New system
{Bunch of stuff}===========Socket/Plug==========={A/C}

How I did mine: On mine there is no management system so the line ran direct from teh breaker panel to the A/C. nothing else in line.

I removed that line from teh Power panel to a junction box (Added) and using 12ga cord extended it to OUTSIDE (A compartment accessable from outside) That is the PLUG end.

I ran a 2nd cord (Actually half (the other half, with the outlet, of a 12GA extension cord) from teh power distribution panel to the same compartment.

On a 50 amp site, I plug the two half cords together and the RV operates as designed.

On a 30 amp site I pull the plug and using a 12GA extension cord (I have 3, different lengths) I plug into the 20 amp outlet in the box.. This avoids all GFCI issues because all 3 lines are dedicated to just that one device, the (in my case rear) A/C is no longer connected, electrically, to the RV, at all. Works great. Does not trip GFCI.

If I wished added safety I would do this

{bos}===========socket/plug-{20 amp breaker}=========={A/C} but in MY case I felt the park's breaker was protection enough... I really should add one though.

Screaming Eagle 2013 wrote:
Sitting here on a 30 amp site with a 50 amp coach having to do the power shuffle to prevent a tripped breaker. The guy on the next site tells me he doesn't have the same issue because of a pig tail he brought that plugs into the 30 amp and the 15 amp sockets, his surge protector shows 45 amps. Has anyone else had experience with one of them? Good / bad? He did say it won't work if the 15 amp socket is a ground fault.

Even with the cheater box, a person in a 50-amp coach can't live like he has 50-amp service because "50-amp service" is actually 100 amps, and 45 amps via a cheater box really is 45 amps (30 amps + 15 amps).

We've used a cheater box successfully for many years, but you have to know what you're doing. You can't just plug it in and think, "We're on 50 amps now."

Rice wrote:

Screaming Eagle 2013 wrote:
Sitting here on a 30 amp site with a 50 amp coach having to do the power shuffle to prevent a tripped breaker. The guy on the next site tells me he doesn't have the same issue because of a pig tail he brought that plugs into the 30 amp and the 15 amp sockets, his surge protector shows 45 amps. Has anyone else had experience with one of them? Good / bad? He did say it won't work if the 15 amp socket is a ground fault.

Even with the cheater box, a person in a 50-amp coach can't live like he has 50-amp service because "50-amp service" is actually 100 amps, and 45 amps via a cheater box really is 45 amps (30 amps + 15 amps).

We've used a cheater box successfully for many years, but you have to know what you're doing. You can't just plug it in and think, "We're on 50 amps now."

I agree there are limitations. With the transfer switch I mentioned I can run both air conditioners which is the real issue. All other appliances are secondary considerations.