50 amp outlet

If you are going to park your camper at your home and not at an off-site storage spot, you will eventually want to install a 50 amp service. At the moment you may "think" all you need is enough power to charge the battery and keep the refrigerator going, but the day will come when you want to use the camper at home, and you'll want ALL electric items in the camper functional.

For the moment, you can get the 50 to 30 adapter, then get the 30 to 15 to keep the battery charged, perhaps run a television, and have power for charging your cell phones (when you decide to do drive-way camps, week-end camps when you can't go anywhere, use the camper for extra bed-room space, a get-away spot when you need some "time out" from your spouse or kids, or the two of you need to get away from the kids, or you want to use the camper for a short term portable office ... and if your camper is at home ... you will do these things!)

Cold weather is not so bad, you don't need air conditioner, but you do need heat, and space heaters help a lot. In the summer, you need air-conditioning, and if your camper has 2 air conditioners, 1 unit will not cut it! And the first time you have extended family over for the holidays ... you will be glad for the 50 amp service!

We used 20 amp successfully for years and years, but when we got our new camper, it draws more power. I ran the wires for 30 amp and had an electrician hook it up. I also bought a surge protector that has an AMP read out, and now that it's 20 degrees in the day time in central Indiana, I'm glad I have the 30 amp because we can run 2 space heaters inside the camper and still run the microwave without blowing any breakers.

Just make sure the electric service you're accessing has space to add another 30 or 50 amp line. The service to our property comes to a 200 amp box. It splits and 100 goes to the detached garage and 100 goes to the house. The only thing running in the garage are lights and the garage door opener. So running a dedicated 30 amp line was no problems at all.

You'll want to do the same thing ... go for the 50 and do it right so you won't have regrets later.

If buying new the seller should give you a starter package that includes adapters and sewer pipe.
Atleast my dealers did.

If possible, install the 50amp hookup. You will find times when it is very nice to have that setup. I have a 30amp hookup in the big barn where I store my coach, and a complete set up when it's outside - 50amp, water, sewer. There have been occasions when I've had visitors and the coach became a very convenient extra bedroom.

GM

ChooChooMan74 wrote:
I installed a 30 amp 120 for my current trailer, but ran 10/3 with ground so I can run 30 amp 220 if I ever get a 50 amp trailer. Granted, it won't get me the full 50 amps at 220, but I can sure run a hell of a lot with 30 amps, when the time comes.

well you will be able to easily have dual 30 amp service or 60 amp total. just by running one extra wire to your outlet for future use.
bumpy

The correct answer is both.

They do sell adapters so you can plug a 50 amp rig into either 30 or 15 amp outlets and so you can plug 30 amp rigs into either 15 or 50 or a 15 amp plug into a 30 outlet.

You can also install a 50 amp outlet with 30 amp breakers if you wish to save a few bucks.. This will usually be enough for a 50 amp rig, and costs less.

you have a friend over with a 30 amp rig, See adapters above.

The only thing you should NOT DO under any conditions is hire an electrician to put in a TT-30 (30 amp) As the odds of a catastrophic mistake are very high with this outlet professionally installed.

That said I put in a TT-30 for my 50 amp rv, But **I** put it in, and I do know what I'm doing.

I have one similar to this......50 Amp to 15/20 Amp

That said, I am installing a 50 Amp outlet for the RV. This would afford us a smoke free area in case of smoke blowing in from wildfires.

Grey Mountain wrote:
If possible, install the 50amp hookup. You will find times when it is very nice to have that setup. I have a 30amp hookup in the big barn where I store my coach, and a complete set up when it's outside - 50amp, water, sewer. There have been occasions when I've had visitors and the coach became a very convenient extra bedroom.

GM

You will be glad you have 50 on the hot day you are loading up to go on vacation

wildtoad wrote:
You will want from time to time more power than a standard 15-20 amp circuit can provide. If cost is not a significant factor, install at least a 30 amp circuit. You will want to have a 50->30 amp adapter anyway. Running the AC in the summer while cleaning, vacuuming, running the fridge, etc will tax a 15 amp circuit.

I agree with this post.

Lalt,

All you need is one of these:
- Ebay item 370592289914
It says it is 20 amp, buy the plug part is really only 15 (2 parallel blades).

If you do this, you have to be very careful of what you turn on. It will run the reefer and the converter (and be sure to turn of the electric to the water heater).

But the smart move is to get a 50 amp outlet put in somewhere you can get to it.

Matt

Adaptors: buy them such that you can plug your RV into 15/20 amp household outlet; 30 amp RV outlet; and 50 amp RV outlet - maximize versatility - you never know what you'll run across at parks/campgrounds/other places (such as family/friend's homes)

Home parking area: wire it with an outlet appropriate for what you anticipate it's load to be. 50 amp if you expect to run 2 a/c's; 30 amp if you expect to run 1 a/c; 15/20 amp household outlet if you expect to run fridge/converter for battery charging/etc.