Newbies with power connection question

[sampson]

Hi all,
We are newbies out on our first trial overnight. Very proud that we have figured out as much as we have, but are stumped on a few things.

First...electrical connection.
We have a 1995 Excella 31'. We have a power cord that comes out of a narrow, latching compartment on street side bumper, near the water/sewer hookups/outlets. Anyway, the heavy black cord is in there, and the end is a connector much like a typical 3 prong household outlet.

We also have some other connector/adaptors..."pigtails" i think they are called. They are different higher-amp connectors....but we have nothing to connect the household-style end to one of those.

Question: are we ok to hook up to the normal household-style 3 prong plug to power the trailer? Is there any reason we'd want to use the bigger connection? And do we just need to get an adaptor in the right size??

thanks,
Nikki

[xrvr]

You should be able to plug directly into the campground pedestal without the use of an adapter. Jom

[Jarrod White]

The trailer cord had a 30 amp end that will work at campgrounds and other places setup for rvs. There is a device you can buy at Walmart and other places that will attach to this plug and change it to a standard household style plug. This can be used at home for low power needs but you probably cannot run ac with it since it only supplies 15 amp (or less depending on extension cord). Please remember your trailer uses 110 current and cannot be plugged into household 220 current which has plugs that look similar (this matters if you or someone decides to add Rv plug at home). The other adapters you already have are to let you plug your 30 amp into 50 amp at a campground if needed.

[dwightdi]

Previous owners may have cut off the 30 amp male connector. Get a 30 Amp RV 110 volt connector and return the standard configuration. Then buy dogbones as your camping style needs.

[Rich W]

Your trailer is 110 volt, NEVER plug into 220, be very cautious of household connections which are usually for electric stoves and clothes dryers.

There are adapters (dog bones) to allow you to plug to different connections. Male and female ends, depending on your need. I use a 30 to 15 amp adapter when at the house (can't use the A/C). I keep a 50 to 30 amp adapter to use at parks where the 30 amp is worn or burned up. The 50 amp service plugs are usually in better shape.

30 amp service to 15 amp service



50 amp service plug to 30 amp adapter


50 amp to 15 amp, you may need this at the house if your AS plug was converted to a 50 amp. You cannot run the A/C or that electric water heater on it, but everything else should work.

[Skatiero]

Look closely and make sure you don't have the short 30 to 15 adapter on the end. It could be on tight from use over time.
Rob

[sampson]

Thank you all for your help! I have a new question on the water heater, I'll start a new thread for that.

[Rich W]

Sorry, got your post confused with another one. You're probably scratching your head about the water heater comment; please ignore.

Like Skatiero says, make sure you don't have the 30 to 15 adapter on your long cord. The PO may have left it on there, just separate them. If the 30 amp was replaced with a 15 amp plug, you should go back to a 30 amp. You can always convert down to a lower amp connection.

The dog bones are very handy to have, especially the 30 to 15 amp so you can use everything except the A/C at the house.

[sampson]

Ok all, thanks for the help.

We do indeed feel like big dorks...as we were unplugging to go home Sunday, we realized that there was an adaptor on the business end already! Somehow with all the crud around the seam, we didn't notice it when we plugged it in. The PO had left it on there, and we missed the obvious.

Thanks! Now we know....