"cheater" plugs
Saw an ad for a "cheater plug" that supposedly uses an adapter that allows 50 amp service to be obtained by plugging one 30 and one 20 amp plug at the same time. Plug rig's 50 amp plug into one end, ...
Forum Discussion
I don't like these cheaters, and frankly I'm a bit surprised they're sold on the open market. They have a number of problems, mostly related to the necessity of tying the neutrals together.
First, they quite properly trip any ground fault circuit interrupter they're plugged into. This precludes their use in a great many places to start with, as the 20A outlet is required by the current electric code to be GFCI protected.
Second, if there's a miswired outlet with incorrect polarity (neutral and hot swapped), they produce a short circuit. Hopefully there's a good circuit breaker in the system—and it's on the actual hot lead, not the putative hot lead.
Third, if there's an open neutral in one of the outlets and they're both wired to the same leg, the system works properly, but the remaining neutral is overloaded, potentially quite substantially.
Finally, if you happen to have any 240V loads in your coach and one of the sides is unplugged, the male plug will be hot. 240V loads are not at all common in RVs, so this isn't very likely in practice; indeed, most 50A RV electric panels aren't configured to even be able to have a 240V load.
First, they quite properly trip any ground fault circuit interrupter they're plugged into. This precludes their use in a great many places to start with, as the 20A outlet is required by the current electric code to be GFCI protected.
Second, if there's a miswired outlet with incorrect polarity (neutral and hot swapped), they produce a short circuit. Hopefully there's a good circuit breaker in the system—and it's on the actual hot lead, not the putative hot lead.
Third, if there's an open neutral in one of the outlets and they're both wired to the same leg, the system works properly, but the remaining neutral is overloaded, potentially quite substantially.
Finally, if you happen to have any 240V loads in your coach and one of the sides is unplugged, the male plug will be hot. 240V loads are not at all common in RVs, so this isn't very likely in practice; indeed, most 50A RV electric panels aren't configured to even be able to have a 240V load.
