Trailer novice here, can you help me plug in my TT?

MicahDD wrote:

opnspaces wrote:
Close. The yellow cord already has a 30 amp male to plug into the pedestal at the campground. You only use the provided black adapter that you already have if you want to plug into a 15 or 20 amp outlet at home.

So the two pictures below are BOTH male 30amp plugs?





The first picture is what's on my trailer.

The second picture is what I plug into the pedestal at the campground, right?

And the picture below is basically what I need to get this all sorted out, right? (I'd get a longer version, but the plug types are correct?)



You guys are great, thanks so much for helping me figure this all out.

I guess I'll never know why there would be two different 30amp male plugs. But for that matter I don't understand why car batteries don't come in a maximum of 3 universal sizes and shapes either. Or why all screws aren't Phillips head.

Yes you've got it. :) Although if you have not yet bought the yellow cord I would think you could find one with picture 1 on one end and picture 2 on the other. This would eliminate having to use an adapter (third picture) at the campground.

How long a cable TV should I put in the travel trailer???

I hope I do not confuse you more but, If you use a drop cord between your 30 amp TT cord and the house use at least a #12-3 cord preferably a #10-3 cord. This has to do with the ability of the cord to carry the amperage without over heating. I hope I did not cause more confusion. Ed

OP, i'm, guessing that you didn't make sure everything worked on the TT before buying it, since there was no way to plug it in?

Best to install a 30A RV plug at home. Second best is to install a dedicated 20A plug at home.

The typical 15A home plug is one of several on a 20A CB which means:
1. The plug is rated for 15A
2. You may have significantly less that 15A for the RV depending upon what else is drawing power on the circuit.

The cord that Roy has pictured is the cord you would need at a campground where you would normally plug into a 30amp receptacle. You need 30 amps to run everything in your trailer, especially the air conditioner. When at home, most people do not have a 30 amp receptacle so they use the adapter to plug into a 15 amp circuit. Keep in mind when plugged into the 15 amp you have to minimize what you run or you will throw the breaker.

LOL, I just read through this whole thread and chuckled because I went through this exact same dilemma last year with our new TT. The TT we had before must have been setup like the OP's in that the shore power plug in cord was coiled up inside a compartment. I only ever plugged it in at home just prior to a trip to get the fridge pre-cooled and the 30A to 15A adapter was already plugged into the end of the shore power cord. I had never pulled the shore power cord out from its storage because I never needed to, I have no idea where the other end of the cord went! Fast forward to our new TT and it had the outlet just like the OP's picture in the first post. The TT came with a starter kit with a 30A to 15A adapter that obviously didn't fit the 30A TT outlet (just like OP described). I stroll back into the dealer with the adapter in hand thinking "these dumb dealers sent me home with the wrong adapter and I'm going to straighten them out and get them to give me the proper one." They explained to me about the 20' shore power cable that is neatly coiled in the rear storage area of the TT, just like the posters here have shown with the yellow shore power cord. Mine is black, by the way.

Now I know, that's why I was chuckling at this thread.

There are several different types of trailer plugs: 50 amp, 30 amp and 15 amp. They all are different so that they only plug into the proper amperage receptacle.

Your trailer is set up for 30 amp shore power service. The first cord is made to connect from your trailer to a 30 amp outlet at campgrounds that have electric hookups. If you want to plug the 30 amp cord into your home electric receptacle, you need a second adapter which changes the 30 amp male plug to work in a 15 amp receptacle.

Keep in mind that you may not be able run everything in your trailer off a 15 amp home circuit. For instance, running the A/C and microwave together might take more than 15 amps, and could trip your home circuit breaker when the trailer tries to draw more than 15 amps.

While you are buying cords - also get you one of these. That way if you are at a CG that has 50 amp, you can plug into it.

MicahDD wrote:

I guess I'll never know why there would be two different 30amp male plugs. But for that matter I don't understand why car batteries don't come in a maximum of 3 universal sizes and shapes either. Or why all screws aren't Phillips head.

I really like the square head screws as they are much better at keeping the bit engaged.

There are many different unique plugs each designed for a particular circuit. It's unfortunate that the RV industry uses the the pictured Y shaped 30A 120V plug when they could have used an standard plug. Physically it's very close to the 240V dryer plug. There are periodic posts about the 30A RV plug being wired for 240V or someone forcing their RV plug into the dryer plug.

FYI Both the 20A and 50A RV plugs are standard household plugs. The 30A RV plug is unique to RVs that you won't find in a house unless it's been wired for a RV.