Power Y-adapter

DrewE wrote:

gotsmart wrote:
In many cases that 20 amp GFI outlet is daisy-chained off of the 30 amp socket. I work on pedestals, amongst other jobs. When I come across a 20 amp outlet (with or without its own breaker) that is daisy-chained off of the 30amp socket, it gets removed and a cover plate is installed in its place.

If you're in a 30 amp site I recommend asking a member of the park staff if the 20 amp outlet in the site is daisy-chained or runs down to the busbar. This is especially true during the summertime if one is in a 30 amp site, the AC is running (hair dryer, toaster, yadda, yadda) and the voltage is heading south below 110V.

Too many times someone will plug into the 20 amp outlet on a 30 amp (only) pedestal and will trip the 30 amp breaker on the pedestal - and they don't know why.

If you remove the only 20A outlet at the campsite, I believe you've just created a violation of the NEC. A 20A outlet is required at every campsite with electrical power, even if there is also a 30A and/or 50A socket.

No, I don't claim that everything in the NEC makes perfect sense.

So you're saying that if you go into an older park that only has 30 amp service and you lift the hood on a pedestal and only find a 30 amp socket and breaker - that the park is in violation? There are hundreds of parks like that. In fact many of these parks started life as 20a parks from the ealy days of RVing when a shore power cable was a heavy duty 110V extension cord. These 20a pedestals are wired with what looks like stripped romex. Years later upgrade the park's main/mains for 30 amp service, replace the 20a faceplates with 30a faceplates and several 30a/20a faceplates. Did you notice what I ommitted? The faceplates got upgraded to 30 amp sockets. The pedestals still are wired from breaker to busbar with stripped romex. I get to see the scorch marks of cooked wiring on the inside of the pedestals. If you ask me how they could they have passed inspection, the laughing won't stop. At least when I rewire a pedestal I start by installing #2 stranded from the busbar to the breaker.

Why remove the 20a outlets? Because I am told to. Any other reply is above my pay grade.

calewjohnson wrote:
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Back to what you were saying, if they have separate breakers, they have separate grounds, this item may work? I have a built in power management system, it works pretty well, it does a good job of shutting stuff off without tripping the pedestal.

Cale

That's all well and good. I'm tasked with repairing wiring hack jobs and under-volting pedestals. I replace undersized wiring and if a 20a outlet is getting higher voltage at the busbar than the 30a socket is getting at the busbar then the 20a is pulled and the 30a is moved to the 20a's spot on the busbar. If a breaker at a main has too many sites on it then those sites lose their 20a outlets (if present) in order to reduce the chance of one site taking out a row of sites. These are my marching orders.