Plugging 30A 5th wheel into 50A service
Will I have any problems if I plug my 30A fiver into 50A service at a RV park. I will not be drawing any more than 30A, but the park says I should pay $50 deposit to rent a "box" from them.
Forum Discussion
Spridle wrote:
this is the definitive answerer. You cannot safely connect a 30 amp #10 gauge cord to a 50 amp service using an adaptor without proper 30 amp protection. 2008 National Electrical Code NEC/NFPA 70 240.4.(D)(7). The adaptors from Wal-Mart and elsewhere are not protecting the 30 amp cords and are a violation of the NEC NFPA70. Yes they work but violate the National Electrical Code. You are simply skating on thin ice. Find a way to protect the cord with a 30 amp maximum 120 volt or greater fuse or circuit breaker directly after the adaptor. This is a simple engineering rule. No unprotected or under-protected wiring. Protection goes ahead of the wiring not after.
Correct!!!!
The adapters that are sold up here in Canada have a CSA approval on them but do say "must be used with a 30A circuit breaker". So this would cover their azz. But no one is going to replace the 50A breaker with a 30A.
We all have them and we all either use them or have used them. Some knowing the minimal risk, some not.
