50/30 amp surge protectors
I have two questions that are somewhat related. 1. I seem to recall that the 30 amp circuit wiring is basically 1/2 of the 50 amp circuit. However, I had weird things happen in my camper when 1/2 ...
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SoundGuy,
You need to think "outside the box" a little more. Checking voltage under load, before plugging in the RV, is easy.
I created an adapter that has a 30 amp male plug which feeds a multiple outlet box. Into the box, I plug a polarity checker, a kill-a-watt meter, and a hair drier--which provides the load. First test is polarity, then I check voltage, then I turn on the hair drier and observe the voltage.
If the pedestal passes, only then do I plug in the RV, which has an OEM 30 amp service.
If the voltage drop is excessive (i.e. below 107) then I plug in the autoformer at the RV end of the cord(s).
I deliberately limit my "draw" to 80% of the rated value. So on a 30 amp pedestal I "set" for 24 amps, and on a 15, 12 amps. On 15, I turn on the load support feature of the inverter/charger.
On a 50 amp service, I use a "break out box" which has a 30 amp breaker on one leg, and twin 20 amp breakers on the other leg. It is not balanced of course. On 50, I do limit the OEM 30 to 30 amps. The twin 20 amp legs feed the dual auxiliary shore power cords. They are used to power extra electric heaters for winter time use. In the summer time I can move the water heater to one of the auxiliary shore power cords.
You need to think "outside the box" a little more. Checking voltage under load, before plugging in the RV, is easy.
I created an adapter that has a 30 amp male plug which feeds a multiple outlet box. Into the box, I plug a polarity checker, a kill-a-watt meter, and a hair drier--which provides the load. First test is polarity, then I check voltage, then I turn on the hair drier and observe the voltage.
If the pedestal passes, only then do I plug in the RV, which has an OEM 30 amp service.
If the voltage drop is excessive (i.e. below 107) then I plug in the autoformer at the RV end of the cord(s).
I deliberately limit my "draw" to 80% of the rated value. So on a 30 amp pedestal I "set" for 24 amps, and on a 15, 12 amps. On 15, I turn on the load support feature of the inverter/charger.
On a 50 amp service, I use a "break out box" which has a 30 amp breaker on one leg, and twin 20 amp breakers on the other leg. It is not balanced of course. On 50, I do limit the OEM 30 to 30 amps. The twin 20 amp legs feed the dual auxiliary shore power cords. They are used to power extra electric heaters for winter time use. In the summer time I can move the water heater to one of the auxiliary shore power cords.
SoundGuy wrote:
Impossible ... when you "check the pedestal" before plugging in it's not under load, rather it's unloaded. :R
