Looking at a 30 amp 5er

janegowest wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
I have a 30A 5er. Only time I have any issues with 30A is when the portable heater, coffee pot, hair dryer and micro need to be run at the same time. I can run two at once but not 3. Never really an issue. I only have one AC and being in Oregon I hardly use it. If you're 5th wheel has two ACs it should have 50A service.
One thing I could do but have not done, is to run a separate power cord to the parks power pole and use that for the small elec heater. Then I could pretty much run everything.
I don't really see it as an issue myself. 50A is a bonus but wouldn't be a specific thing I would ever base a decision on when looking. Like others have mentioned, floor plan is key. Power can be worked with. You're stuck with the floor plan. I'm more concerned about the 5th wheels CCC and tank sizes. Those are things that you can't change.

What is CCC? And please tell me more about the CG power pole. Is there one at
every site? Is it just a 110 power plug?

All camp grounds I have be in have have electrical service for each site. Newer Rv parks will have 50, 30, & 20amps at each, older ones may only have 30 & 20 amp outlets, and in Moran Wyoming the camp ground only had 20 amp serv. Running all your electrical off both 20 & 30 A outlets depend on how the pedestal is wired. On some it would work and on others it would not. In reference to your comment on ccc( cargo carrying capacity), what you can carry in your trailer without going over the gvwr of the trailer. There should be a sticker in the trailer kitchen cabinet door that gives dry weight of trailer. Find the gvwr of the trailer, subtract the dry weight from gvwr and this will be what you can carry in the trailer. The best way to find that number is to weigh the trailer then take that number from gvwr and that is how much you can load in the trailer keeping in mind, clothes, food, fresh and waste water, And propane all make up that weight. I hope this helps and not confusing. Pm me if you wish. Sitting in Fredericksberg drinking a cold one.

50 amp RVs may sound great but the thing is, the NEC (art. 551.71) only requires RV Parks to have a min. of 20% of pedestals to be 50 amps. Upgrading above the min. requirements is very costly for a CG owner so unless you are going to a "higher end" or maybe gov't. CG, you will likely find it hard to find a 50 amp pedestal. And for older CGs/RV parks, the NEC required far fewer 50 amps which is why older CGs (like Thousand Trails for ex.) hardly have any, or even none. Has nothing to do with anybody "cheaping out" when building a CG.

I see RVs all the time at CGs having to use a 50/30 amp adapter. When you shop for a new RV, a dealer will never tell you how hard it can be to find 50 amps at CGs. Unless you specifically go looking for "higher end" RV parks before you hit the road, you will likely find yourself having to use 30 amps, esp. if you travel around a lot.

Low voltage is a common problem problem, esp. in the summer with a lot of RV-ers running AC units. As voltage goes down, an AC unit draws more current, the opposite of resistive appliances (toasters, heaters, etc.) and motors (120VAC). That's typically why breakers will trip when running an AC unit. Running small gauge extension cords (15 amp) will increase voltage drop and some cords are only 16 gauge which is not good to use.

An autoformer is a good investment. We just bought one as we have been at a few too many CGs with bad voltage. But - you won' get the full 3600 watts available if you had 120 volts without an autoformer (30 x 1200 = 3600 watts) and it may still be difficult to run 2 AC units. For example, say the pedestal voltage was 100, the available power would be 30 amps x 100 volts = 3,000 watts. And this does not include internal losses of the autoformer.

If there are 50 amps available in a CG and you have 30 amp service, it's a good idea to find a 50 amp site and use an adapter. 50 amp sections in a CG will be wired with heavier wiring. Had that problem at a Thousand Trails last year when voltage was way down at 106 volts before even plugging in. Tried another 30 amp site and still no good, then went to the 50 amp area and had excellent voltage close to 120 the whole time.

Another issue with 30 amp receptacles is that they are often in poor shape compared to 50 amps. If you have a choice and the 30 appears "iffy", use the 50 amp recept. and adapter.

It's important to turn off the pedestal power before plugging in. If you don't, the converter/charger causes an inrush current that causes pitting of the shore power plug blades. Over time, pitting gets worse and along the way attracts dirt causing resistance and heat and then a meltdown or worse. Resistance will also cause voltage drop, making the AC unit(s) draw more current, and in turn, cause the plug/recept. connection at the pedestal to heat up more. Ensure your plug blades are kept clean all the time. You will never know how bad the insides of a pedestal recept. are though.

Some folks can get two AC units to run on 30 amps, but you will need to turn off as many other loads as possible and you will also need good voltage close to 120 volts. You could try running 2 AC units on 30 amps somewhere where the voltage does not drop much (when using only a 25' shore power cord).

You *could* install a 20 amp power inlet on the side your FW and run an extension cord to the 20 amp pedestal breaker. All pedestals are required to have a 20 amp pedestal. You may still have voltage issues as the feeder cable size to a pedestal is not sized to run 20 & 30 amps together. I have seen some very expensive MHs running a 50/30 amp adapter with an extension cord out a window to the 20 amp recept.

This photo shows the worst pedestal we've seen at a CG to date. 100% of the CG was 30 amps only, and many had the 20 amp recepts. removed. The recept. was so bad, I had to use a stick to prop up the plug from falling out. Sometimes even if the voltage IS good, you don't want to plug into a 30 amp pedestal.... :(

I would love to have 50amp service everywhere we stay but that is not realistic for where we travel. As others have said - if you are in the south in summer 50 amp w/ dual ac becomes necessary. Where we go on the Oregon coast it is a luxury we can be without and still enjoy the time spent.

smkettner wrote:

janegowest wrote:

1ofmany wrote:
In our previous trailer, we had 30amp service...always tripping breakers and never was able to cool down the thing. Our current fifth wheel has 50amp service and we run whatever we want, including both acs, which do the job in "hot/humid" climate.

Sigh!! Sounds miserable!! So now, back to square one!! I thought I finally found a 30' rig with a full wall closet that had enough counter space! I was willing to give up the w/d, the rear window view, door side dining, just to have a shorter trailer, BUT...30 amp!! Can't be miserably hot on top of all the other sacrifices! Well...at least the choices are narrowing down, as we learn more and more!!

That report is a bit of an exaggeration.

All you need to do is put the fridge and water heater on propane only if you are running the air conditioner.

And don't run the microwave while DW is blow drying her hair. You will have no issues with 30 amp with some minimum awareness of usage.

BTW many campground sites are 30 amps and your 50 amp RV is still limited to the power available.

As said focus on the floor plan, no water damage and general condition far more than the electric plug.

Well, I am getting old, but I do clearly recall the "joy" of 30amp service: blowing fuses and not being able to cool down our RV...no exaggeration. If you are buying a larger trailer/fifth wheel, and want to use the bells and whistles that are included, you need the extra electricity to do so. While constantly checking to see what other appliances are in use may be agreeable to some, it is not how I intend to spend my time.

Back in 1997, we brought our 30' 30 amp 5th wheel from Ohio where it was purchased to the Houston area of SE Texas where we were transferred. That was the most miserable experience I could imagine. This close to the Gulf Coast, humidity (latent heat) added to the temperature load (sensible heat) that the single 13.5 BTU A/C must deal with. Temperatures in the 5th wheel would follow outside temperatures degree for degree once the outside temperatures rose above about 85 degF in high humidity conditions.

We traded for a 36' 50 amp 5th wheel with 2 A/Cs in 2000 and have never even considered a 30 amp rig since. If you're planning on spending time in the South during the summers, you really don't want to repeat our 30 amp experience.

Rusty

janegowest wrote:


What is CCC? And please tell me more about the CG power pole. Is there one at every site? Is it just a 110 power plug?

At every campsite that offers electricity is a post (power pole) with outlets. Depending on what you pay for, it may have both 50 amp and 30 amp receptacles. Cheaper sites will only have plug in's for 30 amp. Usually, but not always, there will be an additional "regular" house plug receptacle too.

You can (and should) buy adapters to allow you to "downsize" your plug to fit into smaller receptacles. Of course, doing so means you will be more restricted in what you can run. Campground "power poles" typically have breakers next to the receptacle, so if you have downsized and use too much electricity, you may have to go out to the post and turn the breaker back on.

Beware adaptors that allow you to plug your 50 amp plug into both the 30 amp receptacle and the "house" receptacle at the same time. One would think that 30 amp + 20 amp would give you 50 amp, but it's not the same, and at best you'd still be limited as to what you could use. At worst, you may hurt your trailer/electric items.

janegowest wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
I have a 30A 5er. Only time I have any issues with 30A is when the portable heater, coffee pot, hair dryer and micro need to be run at the same time. I can run two at once but not 3. Never really an issue. I only have one AC and being in Oregon I hardly use it. If you're 5th wheel has two ACs it should have 50A service.
One thing I could do but have not done, is to run a separate power cord to the parks power pole and use that for the small elec heater. Then I could pretty much run everything.
I don't really see it as an issue myself. 50A is a bonus but wouldn't be a specific thing I would ever base a decision on when looking. Like others have mentioned, floor plan is key. Power can be worked with. You're stuck with the floor plan. I'm more concerned about the 5th wheels CCC and tank sizes. Those are things that you can't change.

What is CCC? And please tell me more about the CG power pole. Is there one at every site? Is it just a 110 power plug?

Sorry for all the abbreviations. Habit I guess.
CCC is Cargo Carrying Capacity. The RV will have a dry weight and a max loaded weight.
Example. It could have a dry weight of 11,500lbs and a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 14,000lbs So the CCC would be 3500lbs. That's how much stuff you can carry inside or on the outside of the RV.

As far power poles go. If you're staying where there's electric power available then there will be a post near the rear of the site. It will usually have either a 30A or 50A plug along with a 120V plug like you have in your house.
So my fix for using too much power when only having a 30A RV was to plug into the 30A with the RVs power cord and run a separate 120V extension cord from the 120V plug on the power post to the RV. That way I can run a small electric heater on it's own circuit.

30 amp power will need power management. We have had low power in nice rv parks with 50 amp service. We have a volt meter in the kitchen so we see what is needed when making coffee, electric heater, toaster and microwave. Best to know what you can do to keep from having issues.
chevman

My wife and I started out in a 34' TT bunk house with 2 slides. The one ac did there with only the 30 amp service.
We upgraded to our 40' fifth wheel and have the dual a/c's with the 50amp service. The dual a/c's make a huge difference when your at a site and there is no shade near you. We stayed in Pennsylvania ATV park for 2.5 weeks and not a tree near us. Granted most of the day we were out of the trailer but when we were in, it was great.
When we go visit the in-laws we do use the adapters down to a 20 amp outlet but we can only run one a/c (obviously) and our lights. Putting the awning out goes very very slow even with everything else off. We run the fridge and HW on gas while we stay there. As long as a/c isn't on we can use the microwave and anything else.
At our home we have the 50 amp service installed where we park our RV. This way if we have guests they basically have their own little place to stay. We also have water lines and waste lines ran to it as well. We hide everything in the ground so it looks nice and neat.
One thing we miss about the 30 amp is the size of the cable so much easier to handle than the 50amp.

janegowest wrote:

laknox wrote:

janegowest wrote:
OK...so now we are needing to know about 30 vs 50 amps. I found a small 5er nearby that has 30 amp service.

I am assuming that the rest that we have viewed all have 50 amps. What does 30 vs 50 mean in terms of our living comfort? We need to live in it in the hot/humid South for a few months..maybe a year into the cold months.

Can either of them be hooked up to a 110 residential line?

30 amp is good for 1 A/C and some appliances and lights. With an older rig, I'd change all the incandescent bulbs for LEDs to help reduce the load. 50 amp will run 2 A/Cs and pretty much all your appliances. As far as plugging in on a 20 amp residential circuit, you =might= be able to run the A/C, but chances are you won't without tripping the house breaker. Everything else would work OK, most likely, though you'd still want to be cautious with power. Personally, I'd run the water heater and fridge on straight gas, just to be safe.

Frankly, living in the South in the summer, you're probably going to want 2 A/Cs, which means 50 amp service, even with a smaller FW. If you're going to be in one spot for a while, it's not a huge deal to have a 50 amp RV plug wired into a house's electrical panel (I have a 30 amp at my house) but you have to be d@mn-sure whoever does the work knows the difference between a 220v plug (like for an electric dryer) and a 50 amp RV plug; they =are= different and, if it's not wired correctly, will fry every electric/electronic thing in the FW when you plug in.

Lyle

Thank you! Wow!! Didn't know that we had to wire a special service at our house! Would NOT want to fry the electrical in our "new" 5er! We know an electrician who owned a fifth wheel, so he should be the man for the job!

You say that if we plugged into a friend's house line, it would trip their breaker to run our A/C. I suppose that a 50 amp would trip their breaker even faster?

Great idea about changing out the light bulbs!! So many wonderful ideas by all you experienced folks!!

The RV plug would only be if you want =full= service at the house, just as in a CG. You =can= plug into a regular plug, with an adapter, but you =must= be careful what you turn on or you'll start tripping breakers. I have plugged into a regular outlet at my house to run the fridge and charge the batteries, with no problems. Even had most of the lights on and didn't trip. I've never tried the A/C as I didn't want problems; that's why I installed the 30a plug. :-)

Lyle