Why not build all RV’s with 50 amp service ? With AC, microwaves, electronic water heaters plus numerous other electrical appliances we take with us it seems to make More sense to have 50 amp

Simple, most smaller RV's don't need it and it adds to the cost. Smaller RV sales tend to be more price driven than bigger RVs that need the 2nd air/con.Really other than air/con, there aren't generally any long term draws that are needed (water heater can run on gas, microwave is typically just for a few minutes, most other items are low draw and can be on with the air/con)

Staying at a small RV park here in Montana, only has 30 amp service anyway, and my previous fifth wheel only had one air conditioner ,so it was not issue. Although we seldom used it anyway, nor will we use the two we have now. We have never camped in 100 degree weather ,and don't plan on it. If I want to be in 100 degree weather I will go home to Utah :B

We have a small tt and when hooked up to power we use electric for water heater, AC, refrigerator, wife uses hair dryer TV, and cook with electric induction cook top. Why use gas when your paying for full hookups. 50 amp instead of 30 would not add that much to the cost. Maybe it could be offered as an option.

Agree with valhalla, a 20' TT or smaller generally serves more as sleeping quarters than living quarters. And 50 amp power is not needed. As the RVs get larger with more amenities and needing more power, then yes, 50 amp makes more sense. 50 amp service is not a lot more dollars to install, but at the low end of the price spectrum even a few dollars can make a difference.And 50 amp RV sites typically cost more than 30 amp only sites.

It really comes down to manufacturing cost. The designers have a price point to meet and few pennies over thousands of units makes a difference. Once you start letting manufacturing cost creep, where do you stop it? It's easy for us as the consumer to think "it would have cost only a few pennies or a few dollars more, I would pay that" But then each consumer has their own idea what they are willing to pay extra for. Start adding up all those extra pennies and the cost goes up and profit goes down.

Why 30 amp and not 50 amp | Good Sam Community

pianotuna
Nomad III
Jul 01, 2020
My furnace is 25,000 BTU's. Some of the ones in the link are smaller than that.
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Jun 30, 2020
time2roll wrote:
Fisherman wrote:
I wish we could still get those old convection furnaces, no noise, no battery use.
??? Very much available for self install.

https://www.ecomfort.com/heating/williams-direct-vent-furnaces.html?

Combine with a Mini-split A/C for efficiency and you should be very comfortable.

I've looked into them but, for 970 dollars I can figure out a way to charge may battery or do something else for the few times I need heat and don't have electric.

I would love one if it was cheaper. I also think that maybe they are way to many BTU's for small campers.
time2roll
Nomad
Jun 30, 2020
Would need to re-jet or adjust the propane flow for proper mixture.
pnichols
Explorer II
Jun 30, 2020
time2roll wrote:
Fisherman wrote:
I wish we could still get those old convection furnaces, no noise, no battery use.
??? Very much available for self install.

https://www.ecomfort.com/heating/williams-direct-vent-furnaces.html?

Combine with a Mini-split A/C for efficiency and you should be very comfortable.

Note that with some of those furnaces in the link above it's stated that they won't operate at very high altitudes. What's the deal with that?
time2roll
Nomad
Jun 29, 2020
Fisherman wrote:
I wish we could still get those old convection furnaces, no noise, no battery use.
??? Very much available for self install.

https://www.ecomfort.com/heating/williams-direct-vent-furnaces.html?

Combine with a Mini-split A/C for efficiency and you should be very comfortable.
Fisherman
Explorer
Jun 29, 2020
FWIW, our first 1969 Class C RV had both 12V lights and propane lights in it. It also had a vented, pilot-light-lit propane furnace with no circulation fan - but it worked well to heat the interior without draining the battery while it did it.

And ... it's absorption refrigerator worked fine.

Boy ... for the good old days of RV designs.

I wish we could still get those old convection furnaces, no noise, no battery use.
pnichols
Explorer II
Jun 29, 2020
CavemanCharlie wrote:
Skipg wrote:
Why not build all RV’s with 50 amp service ? With AC, microwaves, electronic water heaters plus numerous other electrical appliances we take with us it seems to make More sense to have 50 amp

I'm wonder if it doesn't, at least somewhat, have to do with History.

There were once campers that had no electric at all and had things like Propane Gas Lanterns build into the camper. Then they had 15 amp campers. (I once had a camper that had no AC and only had a 15 amp plug.) Then there was 30. Now they have 50.

Times change and it takes awhile for the infrastructure to catch up.

FWIW, our first 1969 Class C RV had both 12V lights and propane lights in it. It also had a vented, pilot-light-lit propane furnace with no circulation fan - but it worked well to heat the interior without draining the battery while it did it.

And ... it's absorption refrigerator worked fine.

Boy ... for the good old days of RV designs.
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Jun 25, 2020
Skipg wrote:
Why not build all RV’s with 50 amp service ? With AC, microwaves, electronic water heaters plus numerous other electrical appliances we take with us it seems to make More sense to have 50 amp

I'm wonder if it doesn't, at least somewhat, have to do with History.

There were once campers that had no electric at all and had things like Propane Gas Lanterns build into the camper. Then they had 15 amp campers. (I once had a camper that had no AC and only had a 15 amp plug.) Then there was 30. Now they have 50.

Times change and it takes awhile for the infrastructure to catch up.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Jun 22, 2020
DrewE wrote:
Bobbo wrote:
But, it is also true that a 50 amp trailer has access to 100 amps of power. You just have to use two circuits to access it. Sometimes, simplifying a subject can get the concept across even though the technical details are wrong.

I think it is both simpler and more correct to use units of power when comparing power, rather than units of current--doubly so when one of the current values must be incorrectly stated for the comparison to work out. "Amps of power" is a nonsensical phrase, if taken at face value. In the context, it is a shorthand form (or a shorthand way of thinking) based on the assumption that the voltage is invariant, when in fact the different voltages are at the heart of the matter. Similarly, saying that a 50A circuit supplies 100A is also something of an absurdity, and is also forced by incorrect assumptions about the voltages. Comparing power using the proper units--watts or kilowatts--avoids all the confusion.

You have just made my case for me. If Joe Blow, who knows less than nothing about electricity, were to read your statement and my statement, which one would he understand better? There is no reason, at all, for him to understand the nitty gritty details.

Also, please note that I did not say "that a 50A circuit supplies 100A." I said a 50a RV has access to 100a of power. You just have to use 2 circuits to get it.

Remember that I am not trying to educate Mr Blow about electricity. I am just trying to get him to understand that his 50 amp RV has more than 3 times the amount of power available than a 30 amp RV. The phrase "30 amps of power" vs "100 amps of power", while you say is "nonsensical", Mr Blow can understand.

I understand being a purist and wanting it technically correct. I, as a Pharmacist, often explained to patients if they asked, that aspirin prevents heart attacks by "greasing platelets" so they don't stick together to form a clot in the heart. My wife, as a Specialist In Blood Banking, understood the chemistry of how platelets clot in biochemical detail. However, she agreed that "greasing the platelets", while wildly inaccurate, was understandable, and would accomplish the goal. That was enough understanding for Mr Blow.
valhalla360
Navigator
Jun 22, 2020
linnemj wrote:
I wonder if the market would pay more for improved axles and suspension, higher quality tires, better furniture and better quality control? Every new buyer doesn’t understand the value of these items but experienced buyer certainly would!

Companies have tried it. They are pretty much all bankrupt now.

It's a tiny percentage of the RV crowd that have that experience. Plus if their rigs last 40yrs, they likely won't ever buy another, so it's one sale and they are gone.