Portable Generator for 50 amp service
I'm preparing to purchase a 5th wheel that has a 50 amp service. We'll be taking a dry-camping trip in August and I need to get a portable generator that will work. For my dry camping we'll mostly b...
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50A RV supply is 50A 120/240V supply, 50A on each leg, or 12 kW total power. It's exactly the same configuration as a standard household electric range (with a four-wire connection, as opposed to the old 3 wire connections that are in some existing buildings).
Your generator should be sized based on the maximum load you need to support at any given time rather than based on the ratings of the RV input power. For a 30A RV, these are often pretty close to being equal; but for most 50A RVs, the electrical needs are well under the electrical supply limits.
A 4 kW or so generator wired for 120V (so 120V at 35+ amps) would serve you just fine when running one air conditioner with a decent cushion to spare. The key here is that it's 120V, so you aren't limited to half power per leg. A standard 30A to 50A RV adapter would presumably be needed; this simply connects the one hot from the 30A supply to both of the hots on the 50A supply, so the full generator output is available to start the air conditioner. A somewhat smaller generator could suffice, too, though I can't really say exactly where the cutoff would be.
Your generator should be sized based on the maximum load you need to support at any given time rather than based on the ratings of the RV input power. For a 30A RV, these are often pretty close to being equal; but for most 50A RVs, the electrical needs are well under the electrical supply limits.
A 4 kW or so generator wired for 120V (so 120V at 35+ amps) would serve you just fine when running one air conditioner with a decent cushion to spare. The key here is that it's 120V, so you aren't limited to half power per leg. A standard 30A to 50A RV adapter would presumably be needed; this simply connects the one hot from the 30A supply to both of the hots on the 50A supply, so the full generator output is available to start the air conditioner. A somewhat smaller generator could suffice, too, though I can't really say exactly where the cutoff would be.
