How often do you use/need a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter?

I actually used one this weekend... for two reasons...One yes the 50 amp receptacle was in better shape than the 30. But two and most importantly, the power post was far enough away that even after using my 25 foot 10 gage 30 amp extension cord in addition to the cord attached to my trailer, I was still about a foot too short to reach the outlet without stretching the cord into the air. The 50 amp to 30 amp pigtail gave me just enough extra length to comfortably plug in to the pole. This was a somewhat unusual campground where many sites are set up to allow group camping on a single site. The site actually had 2 power poles each containing a 20, 30, and a 50 amp plug. The entire campground is set up like this with sites labeled “1 or more” or “2 or more” they are all first come first served with no reservations.

rbpru wrote:
Well time for some humble pie. I no sooner mentioned that I have never had a bad 30 amp connection in 4 years of camping, and on our very next trip we ended up with a broken 30 amp circuit beaker and a quick trip to the local RV shop for a dog bone adapter.

Karma bats last. :) :)


Take care

:) :p

They are too cheap not to have one.. In the 20 plus years we have been camping, I have used it many many times.

Used one once in about 20 years of camping. Still have it, it's in like new condition; finding it after all these years could be a problem. But I know it's in there somewhere.

Well time for some humble pie. I no sooner mentioned that I have never had a bad 30 amp connection in 4 years of camping, and on our very next trip we ended up with a broken 30 amp circuit beaker and a quick trip to the local RV shop for a dog bone adapter.

Karma bats last. :) :)


Take care

We've only needed a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter once in our almost 15 years of RV camping. When we evacuated for Hurricane Matthew in 2016, we ended up at a State Park in Albany, GA. The only site they had available was a buddy site. One pedestal for both sites. The other camper was using the 30 amp outlet. I figured I'd use the 30 amp to 15 amp adapter I had, but the camp host offered his 50 amp to 30 amp adapter. Worked out well since we did end up using the A/C one evening.

I had planned on buying a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter, but we ended up trading in our Class C for a TT with 50 amp hookup. Since we keep it at a seasonal site, didn't see the point. However, it's probably still a good idea to have one in case something happens to the 50 amp outlet.

-Michael

You may not need a 50-30 amp adapter often, but when you do, you really need one! For the minimal cost, keep one in your stash of other just-in-case & spare RV stuff.

30 amp recepts. in pedestals can often be well used and abused, as noted above already. Sometimes even blackened and crispy looking and bad enough that you shouldn't even use it. If the 30 amp recept. looks questionable and there's a 50 amp in the pedestal, use the adapter and don't think twice about it. A poor connection can lead to heat and possibly a meltdown.

Voltage is a common problem, especially in older CGs and in the heat of the summer. Low voltage will damage AC units if it gets low enough. Never run AC units below 104-105 volts. 50 amp pedestals in older CGs are more likely to have better voltage. If you can find a 50 amp pedestal when arriving at a CG, it may be a good idea to use that site.

Note that 50 amp pedestals can be hard to find, depending on the type of CGs you visit. Prior to 2005, the NEC only required 5% of RV parks to have 50 amp pedestals and then it was changed to 20%. In the 2017 edition it was changed to 40% which is a good move due to all the 50 amp RVs these days except not many new CGs get built. Some CGs/RV parks may have built above min. code requirements but most have not.

Have seen some CGs that have 4 pedestals grouped together for 4 sites and 2 were 30 amps and 2 were 50 amps. Can be interesting when figuring out who gets what.

We use our 50-30 amp adapter a couple of times a year. We even have a 30-30 amp pigtail adapter for the times a pedestal is in such bad shape it really shouldn't be used but there's no other option except for going to another CG. If it does overheat, hopefully only the adapter is lost. Below is the worst pedestal I've seen to date. I had to use a stick to prevent the plug from falling out. The entire CG of 300+ sites was like that. They had even removed all the 20 amp breakers & recepts. (illegally). Not a single 50 amp pedestal in the entire CG so couldn't move to a better site. And to think we paid thousands of $$ to become members of their CG org. in WA state only to find this sort of thing. (Ended up selling out.)

It’s in the electric box and has seen the outside twice. Glad I’ve got one.

Never!

ScottG wrote:
Every time I park at home!

x2 Use it more than not (unfortunately) since my TT is at home more than it's on the road.

Mike