45 amp adapter-use with a gfci plug

rbp111 wrote:
Camco makes an adapter which utilizes a 30 amp and a 15 amp plugs to get the user 45 amps of power. It looks like two wires coming to the 50 amp female end, which they say will allow the user to get 45 amps when there is not a 50 amp outlet. But it can't be used with a GFCI plug. Is there an adapter for the 15 amp plug which will allow the user to plug into a GFCI plug? Why does Camco not have it with a plug which would allow it already?

Won't work on a GFCI outlet if either the 30 or 15 or both are GFCI it will trip the GFCI.. I know as I have one and have to pick sites where I use it very very very carefully.

But it's a Trip o matic on every GFCI Ive ever tried it on both 30 and 15 amp.

The cheater boxes work great is you have 2 - 30 amp circuits available. I have used them in back-to-back boxes (vacant site with permission from the campground owners), boxes with 2 30 amp plugs and breakers and 2 30 amp boxes in adjacent campsites (again with permission). I have to use a 30 amp extension cord to make the last scenario work but it was close to 100 degrees outside and I had to have 2 A/C's working to survive.

wnjj wrote:
Not only that, if a pedestal only has 30A and 20A it may only have wire that can handle 30A, with the assumption that you use one or the other. Larger than acceptable voltage drop may happen.

Not only that but your 30 amp could be on a shared circuit at the main panel. So if all were trying to draw near 30 amps and others on the shared circuit are doing the same, you could trip the circuit breaker at the main panel.

Not only that, if a pedestal only has 30A and 20A it may only have wire that can handle 30A, with the assumption that you use one or the other. Larger than acceptable voltage drop may happen.

These cheater cords give me the heebie-jeebies. If one of the outlets they are plugged into is miswired or has some other fault (such as an open or resistive neutral), using one could cause a short circuit or a significantly and dangerously overloaded wire.

The places where these work are pretty few and far between. Not many campgrounds have two 30A sockets per site but no 50A, and GFCIs have been required for the 20A sockets per the NEC for some time now so there are not that many grandfathered in without GFCIs.

Thanks. I was afraid of that scenario. Oh well!!!

rbp111 wrote:
Camco makes an adapter which utilizes a 30 amp and a 15 amp plugs to get the user 45 amps of power. It looks like two wires coming to the 50 amp female end, which they say will allow the user to get 45 amps when there is not a 50 amp outlet. But it can't be used with a GFCI plug. Is there an adapter for the 15 amp plug which will allow the user to plug into a GFCI plug? Why does Camco not have it with a plug which would allow it already?

The adapter will not work if you plug in of the pigtails into a plug with a GFCI. Sorry. It's the electrical circuit, and not the adapter, that makes this a non-workable solution.
Additionally, if does not give you 45 amps to fully utilize. It would give you 15 amps on one leg of your service and 30 amps on the other so you have to be very aware of what is running on which leg. The way those cheater boxes work best is when plugged into 2 separate 30 amp circuits giving you 30 amps on each leg.