Pulling more than 50 amps ?
Our park electrician says that some of the big rigs with 3 ACs and electric everything can sometimes draw more than 50A from a 50A pedestal. Truth or BS?
Forum Discussion
DrewE wrote:Bobbo wrote:DrewE wrote:
is a semi truck with dual trailers, traveling at 50 mph, really a 100 mph truck because there are two trailers of 50 mph each?)
Incorrect analogy. The correct analogy is "is a semi truck with dual 50,000 pound trailers a 50,000 pound load or a 100,000 pound load?"
Trailer "L1" has 50,000 pounds, trailer "L2" has 50,000 pounds. The receiving destination (the RV) gets 100,000 pounds delivered.
Pounds of load moved in the trailers would be more nearly to watts, I believe, rather than amperes. A 240V 50A circuit (split phase or not) certainly delivers twice the power as a 120V 50A circuit, but it does not deliver twice the current. In both cases, you're getting your 50 Coulombs per second. Similarly, the dual trailer truck is doing twice the work per unit time as a single trailer truck, and so delivering twice the power to moving the load; but, of course, it is not going twice as fast.
Yes. If you think the average RVer needs the technical details of how electricity works to understand the power limits of his rig. If he is OK without the technical details, my analogy gives him those limits in a way he can understand. That is why it is called an "analogy."
