30 amp Campground Power

[CEG]

On our last trip, the breaker on the campground power supply connection would trip any time we tried to run the convection oven and the AC at the same time. With my very limited knowledge of anything electrical, my thought was that the camp power was not putting out 30 amps? Does this sound right? Another thought that came to mind was; can I hook to the 50 amp and step it down to 30 amp? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
CEG

[Lily&Me]

Sounds like you were drawing too much power, and overloaded.

You can get an adapter to plug into 50 amp...

Maggie

[OTRA15]

Welcome to the forum!

Sure you can plug into the 50 Amp outlet with a special adaptor which has a female 30 Amp plug on the end to match your shore power cord. Most commercial campgrounds have these for sale or maybe even a loaner:

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55173-M...bone+30+50+amp

Are you also using a surge protector? One is recommended at all times.

There is no need to "step down" from 50 to 30 Amps from an electrical standpoint IMO. The available "capacity" of 50 amps is just that -- extra capacity. Your rig will only draw what it needs.

Good luck!

Peter

[lsbrodsky]

Wait, there is still a 30 amp breaker inside the trailer for AC Main. If you draw more than 30 amps, it will trip. The AC and the convection will draw more than 30 when the AC starts up. Basically, if you are going to run the AC, you should be running any other major AC loads like the convection oven. You can usually get away with the water heater, but it draws 12-14 amps. If you have the refrig on AC and the battery is charging, forget it.
Larry

[OTRA15]

Pretty sure you meant to say " . . . you should not be running any other major AC loads. . . "

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Using any breaker to measure your current draw is a really bad idea. They are not perfect devices. They are designed as a "last resort" protection for the wiring. They can and do wear out if cycled to many times.

AC plus Microwave plus battery charger plus random this and that ... sure, you can / will pull more than 30 amps. If your trailer is wired for 240V 50A shore power, then hook up to it. If you are wired for 120V 30A shore power, hook up to it.

Bob

[Two Peas]

On 30 amp you will most likely trip the breaker when you run AC and any of the following: microwave/convection, electric water heater, or blow dryer. We're full timing and use propane water heater and turn AC off when other 2 appliances need to be run. Could also turn off AC for elec water heater but seems impractical. The owner of campground said you could plug into 50 amp but would only marginally more than 30 amp. For all these reasons we're considering an upgrade to 50 amp for convenience. No 2nd AC, but maybe.

[NY24]

30A is the IDEAL, not REAL amount of power you'll get. There will ALWAYS be friction losses and, as already mentioned, with the initial power surge MANY AC units require, you will exceed the 30 listed amps when you simultaneously use another high amp appliance. You would be wise to expect 10% LESS than the stated power so, 30A - 10% (3A) =27 TRUE amps. If power is being supplied by a generator, altitude lessens delivered power even more. Bottom line, you need to be MORE AWARE of the power you're consuming and live accordingly. It sounds like you've never attended an RV Boot Camp. Power Management is just one of the many topics covered in a good RVBC. The Escapees RV Club run an EXCELLENT RVBC, often over a weekend. RVSEF, FMCA, RV~Dreams, and others also run RVBCs. Some insurance companies offer discounts to RVBC graduates as the know graduates are safer RVers (and smarter RV buyers). The time and money spent attending an RV Boot Camp will be a good investment in your RV lifestyle.

[GammaDog]

I've experienced the same phenomenon. The total load that your trailer can exert (AC + microwave + water heater + converter + fridge in "auto" mode + 2 tv's + 120 volt outlets including hair dryer or coffee pot + ?) can easily exceed 30 amps. You didn't happen to be at Sebastian Inlet State Park, did you? (I see you're in PSL... I literally had what you describe happen to me at SISP). Anyway... old tired breakers in campground pedestals might trip at less than rated load... or more. Your new trailer has a 30 amp main breaker that will add protection for the trailer and its wiring. Load management can usually get you through a bad campsite. I highly recommend a 30 amp surge protector that includes low voltage protection and detection of wiring issues like open ground, hot/neutral reversal, etc. if you camp enough your protector will eventually alert you to every one of the faults than can occur (mine has). Enjoy! (And glad to see another Treasure Coast 'streamer on the Forums)

[fordgt40]

Uncle Bob, the 50 amp shore power is 120 VAC, just like the 30 amp service, not the 240 VAC you mentioned.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by fordgt40

Uncle Bob, the 50 amp shore power is 120 VAC, just like the 30 amp service, not the 240 VAC you mentioned.

Well, it's really both. At the campground outlet, 240v is available. Normal 50A RVs are wired to use that as 2 branches of 120v/50A each. So, in reality, you have about 100A of 120v service available in total, but only 50A is available on each branch.

[m.hony]

If you want to run the a/c and the microwave at the same time you need a 50 amp trailer

[Glenn T]

My 50 amp to 30 amp adaptor uses only one of the two "hot" power connections of a 50A outlet. I assume that would provide 25A as it only taps into one half of the available power.

So, in theory, if you have a choice between plugging directly into a 50A vs. 30A outlet, you would get (slightly) more power without using the adaptor. ...but I've seen posts here on the forums claiming that there are 2 x 50A circuits in a standard 50A socket - so which is true?

[greghoro]

Originally Posted by fordgt40

Uncle Bob, the 50 amp shore power is 120 VAC, just like the 30 amp service, not the 240 VAC you mentioned.

Not completely true.

A 50 A shore power pedestal has two (2) 50A 120V hot wires, one neutral wire and one ground wire. You get 120V between any one hot wire and neutral but 240V between the two hot wires.

Wired just like the service coming into a typical residence.


Greg

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by greghoro

Not completely true.

A 50 A shore power pedestal has two (2) 50A 120V hot wires, one neutral wire and one ground wire. You get 120V between any one hot wire and neutral but 240V between the two hot wires.

Wired just like the service coming into a typical residence.


Greg

Thanks Greg. For my own information, are there any RV's which use the full 240 volts to power anything? Seems like it would be more efficient if everything was set up correctly. For instance, maybe the large ones based on a bus chassis?

Thanks,

Peter

[Glenn T]

Originally Posted by greghoro

A 50 A shore power pedestal has two (2) 50A 120V hot wires, one neutral wire and one ground wire. You get 120V between any one hot wire and neutral but 240V between the two hot wires.

OK, that being the case, if you were at a campsite where both 30A and 50A outlets were available, it would be (slightly) preferential to use a 30A to 50A adaptor to connect to the 50A outlet. That way you'd be able to pull a full 30A despite cable resistance - helpful especially if you need to use a 30A extension cord to reach the outlet.

Still, power use awareness is critical, as you don't want to pull more than 30 amps through the trailer's 30 amp electrical system. The main circuit breaker in my trailer is 30A, but I wouldn't want to rely on it to shut off if I were to use too much power.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by Glenn T

OK, that being the case, if you were at a campsite where both 30A and 50A outlets were available, it would be (slightly) preferential to use a 30A to 50A adaptor to connect to the 50A outlet. That way you'd be able to pull a full 30A despite cable resistance - helpful especially if you need to use a 30A extension cord to reach the outlet.

Still, power use awareness is critical, as you don't want to pull more than 30 amps through the trailer's 30 amp electrical system. The main circuit breaker in my trailer is 30A, but I wouldn't want to rely on it to shut off if I were to use too much power.

I use the 50A with an adapter where the 30A feels loose or feels/appears damaged. I've camped one place where only a 50A outlet was available (that's when I bought my 50A adapter, in fact.) Most of the time you'll never have any problem doing this, however it partially defeats the purpose of different capacity service and breakers.

The breaker is intended to protect the conductor, essentially... 50A shore power cords are sized to carry 50A through each of the "hot" conductors, and 50A sockets have 50A breakers sized to interrupt power if enough current is flowing to potentially damage 50A cabling. So, using the 50A adapter means your 30A shore power cord isn't fully protected. As I said, most of the time you'll never have a problem doing this, but the standards and electrical codes are designed to protect against the "surprise" cases.

[greghoro]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Thanks Greg. For my own information, are there any RV's which use the full 240 volts to power anything? Seems like it would be more efficient if everything was set up correctly. For instance, maybe the large ones based on a bus chassis?

I can't say unequivocally.

I know that many larger 5th wheels and Class A Motor Home can be accessorized from the factory with washers and dryers and would assume that the dryer uses 240 V.

Haven't seen a 50A service breaker box from an RV but if they are designed anything like those in a residence, adjacent breaker slot positions are connected to opposite legs of the service to provide the 240V. In that case, four wires go to the item being powered, two hot (one to each of the paired breakers), a neutral and a ground.


Greg

[lsbrodsky]

I am amazed that someone would consider the cost of converting to 50 amp because they cannot manage use of 30 amp. Then there is the agony of that big 50 amp cord. If you had to have two AC units, OK, but for a regular 30 amp trailer you simply have to school DW in not turning on too many AC devices.
Larry

[TravlinMan]

A cheap way to learn is to buy one of these.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009MDBU/

They are only 15amp but by pluggin stuff into it and running them ya can learn a lot about power consumption.