Swapping 50 Amp cord for a thirty.
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. My 5th wheel has a single...
Forum Discussion
rjsurfer wrote: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.
Is there an advantage to using the 50 amp power pole receptacle?
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.
