Campsight electric outlets

[Acdii]

When a sight says it has 50 Amp service, do they usually have both the 50 amp outlet, and the 30 am outlet in the same post? My first trip out last weekend had 30 amp posts, and there were also 20 amp outlets in the post. I was told when I got my trailer, that I wouldn't need a 50 amp to 30 amp convertor. I did get a 15-30 converter that I use at home.

[SoundGuy]

kellertx5er wrote:
All 50A and 30A sites will also have a 20A receptacle.

spoon059 wrote:
OP, each campground is different. In my experience, the majority of 50 amp sites will also have 30 amp hookups, but not all. Furthermore, the majority of 30 amp sites will have a standard 20 amp hookup as well, but not all.

And that in itself, because this is an international website, is incorrect as well. :W Here in Canada one would be hard pressed to find any 20 amp service as that's not not a standard configuration one would normally find anywhere in this country, including homes. So-called "standard" configuration would be 30 amp & 15 amp service, some 50 amp service mostly in private campgrounds, but certainly not 20 amp service, so for anyone traveling up here from the US shouldn't expect to see it. And I too know of a few 50 amp only sites. More to the point though, there's just no reason every RV owner with a camper wired for 30 amp service and who ever camps on an electric campsite shouldn't carry a 30 amp Female > 15 amp Male dogbone (which will also plug into 20 amp service) and 30 amp Female > 50 amp Male dogbone - that way you're covered for any eventuality one may find in the US or here in Canada. 🙂

[spoon059]

2oldman wrote:
Who says this stuff?

People who also say stuff like this...

kellertx5er wrote:
All 50A and 30A sites will also have a 20A receptacle.

OP, each campground is different. In my experience, the majority of 50 amp sites will also have 30 amp hookups, but not all. Furthermore, the majority of 30 amp sites will have a standard 20 amp hookup as well, but not all.

There is no guarantee that a site will have anything other than what it specifically states it will have, and even then there is no guarantee that what the campground says it will have will work.

Your best bet would be to buy a 50amp to 30amp dongle (not the small adaptor, the dongle is better for handling the heat transfer) and never worry about.

[CharlesinGA]

Between Harbor Freight, Walmart, and the internet, you can get every different possible type of adapter for not too much money. They should all be in a tool bag ready to use, never know what you might encounter. Even a 30 down to 20 adapter would be helpful if you need another outlet for cooking, etc. Like a good boy scout, always be prepared.

Charles

[DrewE]

Arcamper wrote:

kellertx5er wrote:
'Most' sites with 50A service also have a 30A receptacle. Best to verify in advance.

All 50A and 30A sites will also have a 20A receptacle.

This is not entirely accurate. Pirateland in Myrtle Beach were we have stayed many times has only a 50 and a 30 amp plug in on the post. If any sites have a 20 also I have never seen them.

It would be more accurate to say that the current version of the NEC requires any campsites with power to have a 15/20A receptacle. I think that's been the code for awhile now. Certainly campgrounds exist that are not like this; they may have a setup that predates the requirements, or they are in some locale where the NEC is not legally required (or has local changes), or even that just plain are noncompliant.

[Arcamper]

kellertx5er wrote:
'Most' sites with 50A service also have a 30A receptacle. Best to verify in advance.

All 50A and 30A sites will also have a 20A receptacle.

This is not entirely accurate. Pirateland in Myrtle Beach were we have stayed many times has only a 50 and a 30 amp plug in on the post. If any sites have a 20 also I have never seen them.

[Acdii]

LOL IT was the guy at Camping World who said that! OK, thanks, I will grab one next time I am at the store.

[4x4van]

As others have verified; you were told wrong. It is always good to have adapters so that you will always be able to hook up. A 50A-30A is absolutely necessary for the reasons already given.

I frequent a campground that has mostly 30A sites, but the few that are 50A do NOT have a 30A on the pedestal. There is a specific set of 3 sites that we like and usually try to get, and one of those sites is a 50A.

[Dick_B]

Dogbones seem like an unnecessary expense until you need one. Some campgrouds/resorts will rent/loan them to you. I have one to use at my site so I'm relaxed when I leave to view the sights in the area.

[Johno02]

Somebody told you wrong. When possible, use the 50 plug with a dogbone adapter. The connections in the post are usually better, as too many folks overload the 30s and many are damaged.

[myredracer]

The quantities of 30 and 50 amp receptacles in a CG/RV park is dictated by code (NEC) and it has changed quite a bit over the years. The latest NEC edition requires a min. of 20 percent 50 amp pedestals and min. 70 percent 30 amp pedestals. All pedestals are required to have a 20 amp receptacle regardless. Providing more 50 amp pedestals gets expensive pretty quick so unless a CG, private or public, has spent more than the min. code requirements, finding 50 amps can be tough. At one time, 50 amps wasn't required at all. Have been in a couple of with nothing but 30 amps, not even a 20 amp recept.

If a pedestal has a 50 amp receptacle, electrically speaking, it's not a problem having a 30 amp receptacle in it as well since it would be fed off one leg of the 50 amp circuit. Some CGs can have 50 amp only pedestals (plus a 20 amp recept.) as long as they met the min. quantity requirements.

If you have a choice of staying at a 50 or a 30 amp pedestal or using the 50 amp recept. in a 30/50 amp pedestal, you are often better off using a 50 amp recept. because the wiring to a run of 50 amp pedestals is heavier gauge and there's less chance of having low voltage problems. Also, 30 amp recepts. tend to be in worse shape than 50 amps and you can sometimes get a bad connection and overheating. If you find pedestals that all look pretty new, you should be fine but if they look old and tired, you may end up with problems. I have an 18" 30 to 30 amp pigtail adapter that I use if a 30 amp recept. is in really rough shape, that way if it overheats, only the $20 adapter will be lost.

It is a really good idea to check voltage at a pedestal before you start to set up. We were at an old CG last year and the 1st site we backed into had only 106 volts. Moved to another and still 106 volts. Then moved to a section with 30/50 amps and the voltage stayed close to 120 the whole time we were there.

There's a lot of 50 amp RVs being sold nowadays and the NEC is waay behind on the min. quantity of 50 amp pedestals.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Acdii wrote:
I was told when I got my trailer, that I wouldn't need a 50 amp to 30 amp convertor.

I will disagree strongly with that.

You need a 50 -> 30 converter plug.

I've been at a site with 50 / 30 / 20 amp plugs, and the 30 amp plug-in was bad. Having the converter allowed us to plug into the 50 amp outlet and not have to move.

[fla-gypsy]

Just buy the 50x30 and use the 50 when available. They're usually in better condition

[tatest]

In some RV parks you may find "big rig" sites that do not have the 30-amp connector in the box. I've not yet encountered this in a public campground, but I mostly go to old campgrounds that do not offer 50 amp service at all.

You will not usually be assigned to a 50-amp only site if you need 30-amps, because park owners like to save those for folks willing to pay extra for the 50-amp service. But it can be all that is available when you arrive.

Park stores often have an adapter to sell, sometimes a loaner or rental, but I preferred to buy one of my own, of the quality I wanted. I've used it twice to work around a bad 30-amp connection, and loaned it as an extension to a fellow RV club member who found himself about a foot short on his 30-amp cord.

[korbe]

Part of the supplies for the rig is to have all the different scenarios for connection to shore power. Good to have IMHO.