50 amp service

[dodge_guy]

Hello everyone. I have a question on 50A service. I may be joining you guys next spring, we are looking at class A`s. We really like the Georgetowns. With that, they have 50A service, as do other models we are considering. I have never required 50A before. has anyone run into any issues with a 50A RV and only a 30A site. I know they make the splitter cord (30A on one side and 20A on the other with a 50A plug). are these feasible and safe if it was needed to run the RV? I also know they make a 30A-50A adapter, but you can only run 30A through it. not worried about home, but when on the road I`de like not to be limited to a site due to 50A not available.

Anything else I may be missing please let me know!

Thanks!

[pianotuna]

Hi,

An absorption fridge only draws 325 watts. However the duty cycle is 2:3 so it runs 40 minutes for ever hour. Total for the day is in the 4.8 kwh range, or about four times what an efficent residential fridge uses.

dodge guy wrote:
I guess i didn't think about it that the RV fridge uses an electric heating element that draws a good amount of amps too!

[dodge_guy]

MrWizard wrote:
While running the residential fridge, uses less electricity than the RV fridge set on elect

That is one thing i was going to look into was what the residential fridge draws on start up and running! I guess i didn't think about it that the RV fridge uses an electric heating element that draws a good amount of amps too!

[dodge_guy]

wa8yxm wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Yes, it is.

dodge guy wrote:
Thanks for the quick reply`s and the info on the cheater cord. Just so we`re on the same page, This is a "cheater cord"?

Alas, that is a GFCI tester... Most modern parks the 20 amp outlet is GFCI protected, in some the 30 is also and those devices will trip the GFCI if it is working properly.

OK. Got a question. Now i do know electricity, i wired my 20A garage and 30A RV outlet at home, and many other things in the house. But how would the cheater pop the GFCI?

[MrWizard]

While running the residential fridge, uses less electricity than the RV fridge set on elect

[wa8yxm]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Yes, it is.

dodge guy wrote:
Thanks for the quick reply`s and the info on the cheater cord. Just so we`re on the same page, This is a "cheater cord"?

Alas, that is a GFCI tester... Most modern parks the 20 amp outlet is GFCI protected, in some the 30 is also and those devices will trip the GFCI if it is working properly.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Yes, it is.

dodge guy wrote:
Thanks for the quick reply`s and the info on the cheater cord. Just so we`re on the same page, This is a "cheater cord"?

[wa8yxm]

I have a 50 amp rig... And often (2/3 winter 1/2 summer up till now) parked on 30 amp sites.. All you need do is honor the rules according to Readdy Kilowatt

Big ticket items are 10 amps or more, Air conditioners, Water heater, Space heaters, Microwave, and if the batteries are hungry some converters.

Medium is 5-10 amps (Basically the fridge)

Small items, Television, radio, Sat receiver, Do not count


The rule

20 amps (House current) 1 BIG item, if batteries charged, Otherwise just the fridge.

30 amps, 2 big items but only one of them can be an Air Conditioner.. IE: water heater and A/C.. if you need to microwave, turn off water heater. Fridge is usually OK as well.

50 amps, All you can eat.

Also, obtain an voltage monitor and use it.. Two suggestions on that, one is the Kill-a-watt meter, this is a multi function digital meter which performs about a kilo-buck's worth of stuff but comes in a 20 dollar (or less) box.

Www.gigaparts.com has the Kill-a-watt P3 for 25 bucks.. They also carry this one from MFJ and as it happens I have one it is very nice
MFJ-850B

This is an expanded range ANALOG meter with a very nice soft blue backlight.. Mine was a bit less expensive than the 22 dollars Giga Parts asks,, but then.. I won a contest :). (It was free).. I do like it though very nice meter.

However it only does voltage.

[Pogoil]

We use 30 amp all the time with our 50 amp coach. No problems. We tend to stay away from areas that require running 2 air cond. Although it can be done on 30 amps with some planning.

Pogoil.

[Heisenberg]

A friend added a residential unit to his 30A served Southwind RV years back and asked for electrical help with it. I was able to extend his Dometic 120V service outlet down into his basement and his cord on his little Kenmore refrigerator followed it. I made him a 12 gage extension cord which he plug his Kenmore into and drop out and use the pedestal 110V outlet so he could run both ACs when in the Texas heat. He had no inverter and was dependent on keeping the frig door shut and his 3500 watt Generac on the highway. It served him well until his kids came along.

[dodge_guy]

WOW! that was fast! isn`t anyone camping? LOL

Thanks for the quick reply`s and the info on the cheater cord. Just so we`re on the same page, This is a "cheater cord"? And this is a 30A-50A adapter?

So I can run a 50A RV just like my 30A RV, but I need to watch what is running? One thing I didn`t mention was that the Georgetown has a residential fridge. that is why I was considering the cheater cord. I`m not worried too much about using the 50-30 adapter, but with a residential fridge and A/C running along with a few other items the 30A will be maxed. I know at home I can run the cheater cord If I wanted to run everything, or I could run the adapter because the only thing running would be the fridge (and the A/C only when we would be loading up.

It sounds like the 30A will be a non-issue though according to all of you.

[pugslyyy]

OP, not sure if you realize that 50Amp = 2 50Amp wires or 100Amp total. So a 30Amp connection is going to provide less than 1/3 what you would get from your 50Amp.

Even if you plugged a cheater cable that powered each 50Amp zone from separate sources (like 2 different pedestals), you would still only have 60Amp compared to 100Amp normally.

[msmith1199]

I need to restate my above comment about this being safe. I didn't catch that you were asking about the "cheater" cord. I have never used one so I have no idea if they are safe or not. My comment was based on just using the adapters to plug your 50 amp plug into a 30 amp or 20 amp plug.

[RoyB]

Here is a couple of DMBRUSS schematics of what the 30AMP Service will do with the 50AMP trailer.

The 50AMP trailer basically has two 50AMP 120VAC POWER ZONES which is fed by the 50AMP Service.


Using a 30A-50A Adapter cord (WALMART) you will essentially power both 50AMP ZONES up but you will be limited to using only 30AMPs of appliance service plugged into both of the two 50AMP ZONES...

When looking more closly to the 30A-50A Apapter you can see the two HOT leads are tied together thus providing 30A SERVICE to both of your 50A 120VAC POWER ZONES.


When plugged into the 30A Service then the biggest thing you will not be able to use would be both air conditioners at the same time. You can use one or the other but not both at same time otherwise it will trip the pedestal breaker. We even have problems sometimes when plugged into 30A Service with our 30AMP trailer setup where we would be running the Air Conditioner and turn on the high Wattage Microwave which would trip the breaker.

Using the 30A-50A Adapter is common thing alot of users use here in the USA.

Roy Ken

[BB_TX]

Just get the adapters. The splitters will not work where they have GFCI outlets, which is most parks as it is now a requirement.

As noted, you can get by with 30 amps. And even less in the right environment. A 41' MH parked next to us the last two weeks and we both only had 20 amp hookups. But at 8,500' elevation we did not need AC and had little problem running whatever else we needed.