I don't know how long this has been going on but I learned today that some RV parks including the Washington/Pittsbugh KOA I had booked has a policy that if your rig has 50 amp service, you can't use a 30 amp site. I wanted a 2 night stay later this month and all they had left was 30 amp sites. I booked one thinking no big deal. I'll just use my 50a to 30a reducing dogbone. I really don't have a need for 50 amps anyway in my rig. Turns out it's not allowed. In fairness, I didn't read the policy which is clearly stated on their website and they did offer to make an exception for us but with the caveat that if they felt we were using too much power, they would kick us out. Because we wouldn't have any idea what their idea of "Too much power" is, we cancelled. Is this becoming a thing now? Did I buy a 50a to 30a reducing dogbone for no reason?

I've never heard of it either, but I can believe there's a few park owners out there that think a 50 amp RV is somehow able to draw more than 30 amps from their 30 amp receptacles. I'd love to hear them tell how that's done though...

Each CG sets their OWN policy/rules/restrictions as they should be able to do. Their monies invested...their risk on returnsAnd we as RVs can choose cause we have wheels. Yes/No to the rules.Now if you are a 50A rig and want to use a 30A power receptacle the 'idea you would use too much power' is ridiculous 30A is only 3600W TOTAL50A is 12,000W TOTAL:HWe ran into that 'rule' in Washington State at a CG.No adapters allowedSO if you were 50A you had to use 50A and pay higher priceIf 30A you had to use the 30AOh well it was their CG/business/rule so we stayed one night....cancelling the rest of our planned stay and went down the road to another CGSuch is life.......full of rules and one can choose.

Well if you are using more than 30 amps you will blow a 30 amp breaker. Makes no sense to me in terms of wiring.Either they have no faith in their wiring/circuit breakers (quite possible) or they really don't understand how electrical consumption works (which is also quite possible.) Maybe they think that a 50 amp service means you are ALWAYS using 50 amps. And the most likely explanation--- they charge more for 50 amp sites. They just want to force people into those sites. As best I can tell, you only need 50 amps for running 2 AC units at the same time. 30 amps will run 1 AC and pretty much everything else, IME.

Crack Down on 50 Amp Rigs Using 30 Amp Sites | Good Sam Community

KO
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018
Never heard of this.
2chiefsRus
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018
never heard of it.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Jul 09, 2018
I've never heard of it either, but I can believe there's a few park owners out there that think a 50 amp RV is somehow able to draw more than 30 amps from their 30 amp receptacles. I'd love to hear them tell how that's done though...
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jul 09, 2018
Each CG sets their OWN policy/rules/restrictions as they should be able to do.
Their monies invested...their risk on returns

And we as RVs can choose cause we have wheels. Yes/No to the rules.

Now if you are a 50A rig and want to use a 30A power receptacle the 'idea you would use too much power' is ridiculous
30A is only 3600W TOTAL
50A is 12,000W TOTAL

:H

We ran into that 'rule' in Washington State at a CG.
No adapters allowed
SO if you were 50A you had to use 50A and pay higher price
If 30A you had to use the 30A
Oh well it was their CG/business/rule so we stayed one night....cancelling the rest of our planned stay and went down the road to another CG

Such is life.......full of rules and one can choose.
coolmom42
Explorer II
Jul 09, 2018
Well if you are using more than 30 amps you will blow a 30 amp breaker. Makes no sense to me in terms of wiring.

Either they have no faith in their wiring/circuit breakers (quite possible) or they really don't understand how electrical consumption works (which is also quite possible.) Maybe they think that a 50 amp service means you are ALWAYS using 50 amps.

And the most likely explanation--- they charge more for 50 amp sites. They just want to force people into those sites.

As best I can tell, you only need 50 amps for running 2 AC units at the same time. 30 amps will run 1 AC and pretty much everything else, IME.
RobWNY
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018
I never did either but its true.

Seems to me that if they have no 50amp sites available, they turn away customers because they can't use the 30amp sites but Old Biscuit is correct. Their campground, their rules. Our Rigs, we decide where we stay or don't
time2roll
Nomad
Jul 09, 2018
With all the low voltage issues reported I can completely understand the requirement.

However it seems odd that the reservation sequence did not start by asking if you have a 30 or 50 amp RV and restate the warning.
RobWNY
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018
time2roll wrote:
With all the low voltage issues reported I can completely understand the requirement.

However it seems odd that the reservation sequence did not start by asking if you have a 30 or 50 amp RV and restate the warning.

That was my fault for not seeing the warning on the site. I only caught it after making the reservation and seeing it in the confirmation email. That's all on me for completing the booking without thoroughly reading everything. I'm not complaining about the policy whatsoever. I just didn't know if this is becoming the norm and if I wasted my money on the dogbone reducer.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018
RobWNY wrote:
In fairness, I didn't read the policy which is clearly stated on their website and they did offer to make an exception for us but with the caveat that if they felt we were using too much power, they would kick us out. Because we wouldn't have any idea what their idea of "Too much power" is, we cancelled.

Rob - JMO but I think you let this get the best of you and instead should have not cancelled, particularly since they did offer you an exception. Although not specifically stated I would think "too much power" would mean anything more than 30 amps. Realistically the most I would ever pull with my rig is 20 amps and that's only if I'm running A/C, otherwise I pull WAY under that most of the time. IMO there's no reason anyone can't get along for a night or two with just 30 amp service.
2oldman
Explorer II
Jul 09, 2018
I don't think they know what they're talking about.