Camping at Sebastian Inlet FL State Park @ 30 amp ?

[wtfjr]

Hi Guys & Gals
We are curious if anyone here has camped at this location & if so how did you do & manage on their 30 amp service being in your Class A ?
We have camped here for years graduating from a Coachman 19' now to a 2014 Open Road 31 SA over the last 15 years.
We started to experience our first power problems with our first Class A here about two years ago & we know to only run one a/c & to run none if you are using the nuker etc.
We are seeking any tips anyone may have to offer on how to successfully camp in a Class A with only 30 amps available ?????
Thank you for any & all help offered !!!

Bill & Marilyn in sunny FL

[Aridon]

The inlet is nice. Bugs come out around sunset or an hour / two before and stick around for a couple of hours.

Power was fine. We could run 2 AC's and used the Diesel / propane portion for hot water.

Its a pretty area, enjoy your time there.

[wtfjr]

Kiwi_too wrote:
The 31SA is a 50 amp rig. The discussion about needing an adapter to use a 30 amp circuit is very valid.

On 30 amp CB you can use TWO major appliances at a time. That is 2 AC or 1 AC an one other major appliance. If using 2 AC, you will need to shut one down to use a hairdryer, MW or other such high draw.

When on 30 amp, we leave the fridge and WH on gas. They come on auto, by themselves. Since we cannot control when they come on, we opt to gas.

Someone mentioned above that older CG may be under powered. That is a peeve of mine. They need to be able to provide what they advertise and charge for. Every site needs to have full access to the 30 (or 50) amps that they charge me for. If the park is full and I can only get 25 amps (or 100 volts) the CG is stealing from me because I paid for a full site with full elec. I did not pay for a site wih 90% of what they promised. That's my soap box.

What do you mean by using a CB ?
And we have never been able to run both a/c units at Sebastian ?
We do use an adapter but that is only to adapt the 50 amp plug to work into the 30 amp plug in. Were you talking about some other type of adapter ?
This CG does warn you when checking in that you are apt to experience "brown out conditions".
Most all of FL CGs now have upgraded to 50 amp, but some are lots slower than others.
Thanks !!

[AllegroD]

The 31SA is a 50 amp rig. The discussion about needing an adapter to use a 30 amp circuit is very valid.

On 30 amp CB you can use TWO major appliances at a time. That is 2 AC or 1 AC an one other major appliance. If using 2 AC, you will need to shut one down to use a hairdryer, MW or other such high draw.

When on 30 amp, we leave the fridge and WH on gas. They come on auto, by themselves. Since we cannot control when they come on, we opt to gas.

Someone mentioned above that older CG may be under powered. That is a peeve of mine. They need to be able to provide what they advertise and charge for. Every site needs to have full access to the 30 (or 50) amps that they charge me for. If the park is full and I can only get 25 amps (or 100 volts) the CG is stealing from me because I paid for a full site with full elec. I did not pay for a site wih 90% of what they promised. That's my soap box.

[helperzack]

Sebastian Inlet? x10 on the bug spray.

When only have 30amp available we only use the rear AC, it doesn't draw as much as the front larger AC.

Great suggestion above to have fridge on gas too.

FYI: If I recall, site 15 was impossible to get level backed into it. Had to change sites.

[Big_Katuna]

Microwave. Bring lots of bug spray.

[jolooote]

RoyB, humm...Poster didn't mention 50 amps service, so why do you suggest he go buy a 30 to 50 amp adapter rather than just plug into the 30 amp outlet? Is there some advantage to this? You already stated he is still limited to 30 amps even with the adapter. BTW...Whats a "nuker"?

[RoyB]

When you hookup to the 30AMP Pedestal Connection using the 30A to 50AMP Adapter both HOT 50AMP legs to your Class A is powered up to the 30AMP MAX point. This means all of your on-board appliances are ready to be used but will be limited to only 30AMPs. You will really have to watch what you have on at the same time otherwise it may trip the 30AMP Pedestal Breaker.

This is a DMBRUSS drawing of how the 30AMP to 50AMP adapter is wired up. Note the two HOT sides are wired together feeding your 50AMP CLASS A..





Of course you will be required to provide this adapter to be able to use the 30AMP Pedestal... I saw them at our local WALMART recently
Be sure to look at the adapter as there is a 50A-30A adapter as well as 30A-50A. You will need the one with the MALE standard 30A PLUG on one end and the 50A FEMALE connection on the other end like the above GOOGLE diagram shows.

The Camp Ground Pedestal will also most likely have the 20AMP service connections as well. I always bring along a couple of HD extension cords and use those as well at the camp grounds. These are all on separate pedestal circuit breakers so it what you are using on the 20AMP side is not taking away any power from the 30AMP side...

Typical 30A PEDESTAL setup


Roy Ken

[Dog_Folks]

ed6713 wrote:
You already have the solution. One A/c unit. Run the frige on gas. Turn the A/C off when operating the microwave.
Not much else you can do. Also. Be sure to monitor the voltage. Running a motor on low voltage will do damage over time.
Ideally you would have a whole house electrical management system that would shut down the power should the voltage drop below, as I recall, 108 volts. I might be remembering wrong on the 108 number, but the rule of thumb for safe operation is 120 volts +- 10%.

Enjoy Sebastian. We lived in Fort Pierce for years and have camped there often.

Also run the water heater on electric only when needed, or use propane.

[ed6713]

You already have the solution. One A/c unit. Run the frige on gas. Turn the A/C off when operating the microwave.
Not much else you can do. Also. Be sure to monitor the voltage. Running a motor on low voltage will do damage over time.
Ideally you would have a whole house electrical management system that would shut down the power should the voltage drop below, as I recall, 108 volts. I might be remembering wrong on the 108 number, but the rule of thumb for safe operation is 120 volts +- 10%.

Enjoy Sebastian. We lived in Fort Pierce for years and have camped there often.

[HappyKayakers]

This subject shouldn't be restricted to a particular CG. Any older park will have problems providing sufficient electrical service as modern, power consuming RVs all turn on their AC units, microwaves, residential refrigerators, etc.