Stupid question from a total newbie

chr$ wrote:
If you need more current than 30A, sometimes there is an extra 20A outlet on the pedestal next to the 30A one for the trailer. Sometimes they have their own breaker, which gives you 50A total.Sometimes they are on the same circuit breaker as the 30A (not to code) so it won't help you.

You can plug things into that if you need to, but you probably won't need to.

I think that this is simply wrong. You can't add current to get more. Someone who really knows this should chime in. And.....how would you connect your trailer to two power sources? A 20 amp service will carry a max of 20 amps, likewise with a 30 amp service. If you could somehow connect them, the 20 amp leg could not carry more than 20 amps. Where did you get this idea?

Just read it again. You are talking about running a separate cord to power a separate appliance. I suppose you are correct. Sorry, I misread your post.

If you need more current than 30A, sometimes there is an extra 20A outlet on the pedestal next to the 30A one for the trailer. Sometimes they have their own breaker, which gives you 50A total.Sometimes they are on the same circuit breaker as the 30A (not to code) so it won't help you.

You can plug things into that if you need to, but you probably won't need to.

We have 30 amp service and we normally run everything (TV, coffee maker, curling iron, toaster oven, small table lamps) even when using air conditioner and the only time I tripped the breaker was when the air was running and I tried to bake potatoes in the microwave and of course then it runs for about 10 minutes. After about 7 minutes it all stopped. But I can use the microwave with the air on if only running it for a couple minutes. Otherwise I don't worry about it. Husband reset the breaker and I finished the potatoes and then we turned the air back on. Lesson learned.

Thank you everyone. So far our maiden trip in this camper is going well. Haven't tripped a breaker yet! This is such a step up from our popup

Don't worry too much. just remember you can't run everything at once, and even experienced RVer's trip their breakers sometimes. A couple of years ago, I was camping over New Years and microwave and hair dryer were running (maybe water heater too, I don't remember). anyhow, when furnace blower came on, it was too much and tripped outside breaker. I was not thinking clearly and didn't think it could be outside breaker, because I still had lights. After that panicked call for help, I now remember that the lights are 12V and will run off battery, even when the breaker is tripped. I also remember my power management lesson, so I usually do better.

You should know or have a good idea of what appliances you can use at the same time.
Don't hesitate to ask questions. At one time all of us knew nothing about RV's. You learn by asking questions and doing it.
Enjoy your travels.

Since you're asking about ampere usage, here's a short, very short tutorial.

Every appliance uses electricity to operate. Electricity is measured in amperage and wattage. Breakers are used to control amperage so you don't melt wiring and start fires. If you exceed the amperage of the breaker it will "pop" and shut off the electricity. A breaker is a manual device controlled by heat generated by electricity. Common to RVs is 30amp service and 50amp service. Common household service is 15amp and 20amp except for dryers and cooktops.

As stated above, every appliance uses electricity to operate. In order to determine how much you can use at any one time, it's important to know how many amps each device uses. But appliance use is measured in watts. So, we need to convert watts to amps. There's a simple formula to determine this. Amps=Watts/Voltage. This also can be shown as Watts=Amps X Volts or Volts=Watts/Amps. Simple mathematical variations. Using this formula, say your coffee maker, at 900 Watts would be equal to Amps=900W/120V equals 7.5amps. Total the amount of amps you're using at any one time would tell you if you're exceeding your 30amp service. Using that same formula, 30amps=?/120V equals 3600watts. Got it?

Using that same formula, consider how 30amp and 50amp service differ:
Amps X Volts = Watts
30Amps X 120Volts = 3600 Watts
50Amps X 120Volts = 6000 Watts - BUT, 50amp service actually has TWO legs of 120Volts so the ACTUAL result is:
50Amps X 120Volts X 2 = 12,000Watts!

This is why the larger coaches are using 50amp service. Can you use 50amp service in your rig? No. You can use an adapter, 50 to 30 but you'll still be relegated to only 3600watts because you'll only be using ONE leg of the 50amp service. Hope this wasn't too confusing.

To determine the ACTUAL amount of electricity any appliance uses, you could buy a simple device called a Kill-a-Watt, which is a simple plug in device that shows you how much wattage each appliance uses. Add them together and you'll know which ones you can use together and which ones you cannot.....Dennis

fla-gypsy wrote:
It's all about power management. You will learn quickly. Every electrical device lists its power consumption. Read those manuals and learn.

The power consumption is listed on every device as xxx Watts. Take xxx/115 to calculate current (A). xxx/110 to be conservative.

It's all about power management. You will learn quickly. Every electrical device lists its power consumption. Read those manuals and learn.

dave17352 wrote:
I thought the only stupid question is the one you didn't ask!

X2 It is.

You will never know if you don't ask.