Swapping 50 Amp cord for a thirty.

rjsurfer wrote:
My small 26' 5th wheel came with 50 Amp service and of course the cord is impossible to handle, especially in cold weather. I would like to swap it out for a 30 amp cable.

You likely have the el cheapo plastic cord. Buy a rubber cord like type SOOW and it will remain flexible when cold.

6/4 SOOW will run $3.50+ per foot plus the connector ends. Perhaps you can find a ready made one. Still heavier than 30A cords but you would only need one cord.

I carry a 25' 50A extension cord which I use at home and son's house. He has 30A service. Just ordered 50' of 50A cord and 50A service box to upgrade his house when we visit. That will be a total of 105' of 50A cord. Point being Sac is hot in the summer and we run the A/Cs.

ksg5000 wrote:
It's my understanding that some 50 amp cables are more flexible than others - if I was considering swapping cables I would at least price out what an upgraded/flexible 50 amp cable might cost.

Yes!
Get a 6/4 or 6/3 8/1 SOW cable far more flexible!

rjsurfer wrote:
Is there an advantage to using the 50 amp power pole receptacle?

Yes. If you have an RV with 30 amp service, it is usually preferable to plug into a 50 amp pedestal if available, using a 50/30 amp dogbone adapter. Reason is, the 30 amp receptacles are often well used and abuse in comparison and can be a poor connection, resulting in heat. Always use dogbone type adapters and not the "puck" style.

As above, if you have a 50 amp RV, do NOT use an adapter at the power inlet and run a 30 amp cord to a pedestal and then use an adapter to get back from 30 amps to 50 amps. That would be allowing up to 100 amps on a 30 amp rated cord. End result = heat, smoke & possibly flames... :E

If permanently converting to 30 amps, you *could* modify the 50 amp panel and install a 30 amp power inlet or a hardwired cord (through a mousehole). Or use a 50/30 amp dogbone adapter at the power inlet and then run a 30 amp cord out to a pedestal. This does introduce an additional connection in the power circuit which could potentially eventually lead to an overheated connection. Periodically check for heat.

Other than the weight & bulk, I would keep the 50 amp cord as an extension cord or spare along with the appropriate adapters.

I would also add that finding 50 amp pedestals in CGs can be very hard (unless you go to high-end ones, casinos, some gov't CGs, etc.). Up until 2005, the NEC only required 5% of RV Parks (CGs) to have 50 amp pedestals and then it was changed to 20%. Since the majority of CGs are 2005 & older, it's a good idea to be able to run on 30 amps. And if you have only one AC unit, there's little advantage to 50.

Boomerweps wrote:
Check your TT circuit breaker box. Since 50 amp service is really TWO 50 amp legs, you likely have items split between the two and might not have some items supplied with power via one leg of 30 amp UNLESS your 30 to 50 amp adapter has an internal splitter to both hot leg contacts.

Every RV 30A male to 50A female adapter connects both legs of the 50A service to the 30A hot. The fact that there are two separate legs is entirely a non-issue when using an adapter unless you have some 240V appliances in the RV--which is quite rare indeed. Of course, the total power available on a 30A circuit is considerably less.

There are 3 ways to do that.. I use one myself.

Method 1:
Get a 30 amp cord with no "Outlet" end. put a 50 amp Marinco outlet on it jumper the two hot leads (use the same gauge wire.

Method 2: Camping world and many other RV places sell a 1 foot 30 amp (or for that matter 50 amp) cord. IN fact they sell 2 30's and a 50 possibly more. I'll grid

30 amp cord/plug 50 amp STRAIGHT Marinco connector 50 amp RIGHT ANGLE
30 amp cord 30 amp Marinco connector (Straight or right angle)
50 amp cord 50 amp Marinco connector (Straight or Right angle)

You might like the right angle adapters

If you get the 50/50 you then use a 50-30 Dog bone and a 30 amp extension cord
Or you can use a 50 amp extension cord if you wish.

I think but can not verify they make a 30 amp cord with a 50 amp Marinco that is longer than 1' (I had the 1' one but when the plug/socket got bad "Spliced" it to the cord)

OH you can also cut the cord. say 1-2 feet from the outlet. put on a 50 amp plug on the short end and outlet on the long end. and then use a dog bone as in method 2. This is method 3.

Check your TT circuit breaker box. Since 50 amp service is really TWO 50 amp legs, you likely have items split between the two and might not have some items supplied with power via one leg of 30 amp UNLESS your 30 to 50 amp adapter has an internal splitter to both hot leg contacts.
Yes, 30 amp cables are much lighter than 50 amp cables. That's because 30 amp cables have THREE lines of 10awg wire in them (ground may be 12awg) and 50 amp cables have FOUR lines of 8awg wires in them (ground may be 10awg), so much heavier, almost double the 30, that's a lot more copper.
Me, I'd rather have plenty of power. If the cable is detachable, you can always get shorter ones, saving weight that way. I always try to use the shortest cables I have or can get to do the job.

BB_TX wrote:
There are more flexible cables. My original black 50 amp cable was stolen while in storage. Bought a yellow (Marinco I think) that is much more flexible in cold weather. But still heavy.

I also carry a yellow 30 amp cable (with 50 amp trailer end connector) that I use in 30 amp parks. Much lighter and easier than the 50.

Yep, if you have the $$ you can buy a better quality cord than the lowest bidder cord that comes with an RV.

There are more flexible cables. My original black 50 amp cable was stolen while in storage. Bought a yellow (Marinco I think) that is much more flexible in cold weather. But still heavy.

I also carry a yellow 30 amp cable (with 50 amp trailer end connector) that I use in 30 amp parks. Much lighter and easier than the 50.

rjsurfer wrote:

Mickey,

That sounds like the way to go, keeping the 50 Amp cable stowed away is fine.

:C Happy camping!

Mickeyfan0805 wrote:

DrewE wrote:

rjsurfer wrote:

Mickeyfan0805 wrote:
Just to clarify - is your desire to hook up to a 30a pole as well? Or, are you wanting to use adapters to run a 30a cable from a 50a pole?

The former, I would presume, would be fine if you don't have a call for the power. You don't want to run a 30a cable between a 50a pole and a 50a breaker, however, as the cord is not rated to carry that much power.

Good question......

I have a 50 to 30 amp adapter, so I would use the 50 amp twist lock on the camper to the 30 amp adapter then connect to the 30 amp recepticle in the power pole.

Is there an advantage to using the 50 amp power pole receptacle? Then I would need two 50 to 30 adapters?

Ron W.

You would be well advised to avoid putting in a 50A male to 30A female adapter at the power post, and then running a 30A cord which connects to your 50A RV, as there would not be adequate overcurrent protection for the 30A cord. This isn't quite the same situation as plugging a 30A RV into such an adapter since the RV main breaker provides protection for the cord under ordinary circumstances. (There are a few abnormal fault conditions where the cord could still be improperly protected, such as a short at the cord connection to the RV, but they are exceptionally rare, doubly so given the fault current would need to remain low enough to not trip the 50A breaker.)

Alternately, you could build (or may even be able to find) a 50A to 30A adapter with a 30A circuit breaker built into it, protecting the 30A cord that gets attached.

Sometimes the 50A receptacles in campgrounds are in better condition than the 30A receptacles, which is a decent reason to prefer that 50A receptacle.

Yep! SOMETHING has to make sure that you don't try to draw more than 30a through the 30a cable. If you are drawing from a 50a supply and feeding a 50a breaker, nothing offers that protection unless you build something else in.

If I were in your shoes I would carry a 30a cord as my 'general usage' cable, making sure to always supply that from the 30a pole. Then, in the back of storage somewhere, I would carry the 50a cord just in case I hit a circumstance in which I needed the greater power, ended up in a location where the 30a pole wasn't work and I needed to tap into the 50a (been there), or checked into a site that only had 50a service (been there too!).

Mickey,

That sounds like the way to go, keeping the 50 Amp cable stowed away is fine.