50 or 30 amp?

[Lagniappe]

If your trailer calls for 30 amp, can you plug into a 50 amp if that is all that is available, or does the excess amps cause damage??

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Lagniappe

If your trailer calls for 30 amp, can you plug into a 50 amp if that is all that is available, or does the excess amps cause damage??

As long as you have the proper "pigtail" adapter you have no worries at all.

What happens to the "extra amps" when you swap out a 100 watt light bulb (0.83 amps) and put a 40 watt light bulb (0.33 amps) in its place?

They stay in the wire "ready to go" where they belong!

[Lagniappe]

Thanks.

[Killman]

Herk,

Here is my question on that though...
I'm having the issue of popping the 30 amp breaker on the pedestal when the AC is on along with the TV and then trying to run the microwave (or my wife is using a hairdryer). Plugging into the 50amp instead of the 30amp will take care of that issue (at the pedestal), but then won't I run into an issue with my wiring being undersized and potentially causing an overheat scenario?

[VTX Al]

The Main Breaker in the trailer Converter panel is a 30A breaker. Any attemped draw to the trailer at 30A or more will pop the trailer Main Breaker. That is why it is there.

...VTX-Al

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Killman

Herk,

Here is my question on that though...
I'm having the issue of popping the 30 amp breaker on the pedestal when the AC is on along with the TV and then trying to run the microwave (or my wife is using a hairdryer). Plugging into the 50amp instead of the 30amp will take care of that issue (at the pedestal), but then won't I run into an issue with my wiring being undersized and potentially causing an overheat scenario?

Larry,

The 30 amp breaker is the most used and abused breaker in any park. They are always one step away from failure in the best campgrounds.

Since most folks plug in and disconnect without turning the breaker off the constant arcing at the tips burns the blade contacts inside the socket. This increases resistance at the socket which reduces current available for you to use. That current is "dropped" in the cable and connections from the pedestal to the camper.

You can never pull more amps than your breakers can handle. If you try to "use" more amps than your panel can handle, the main in your camper will blow. If you try to draw more amps than the pedestal can handle the pedestal will blow.

A perfect example is using an autotransformer to up VOLTAGE at the pedestal to prevent brown out failures of your computerized control boards. They work by converting amps to volts. Since it is between the pedestal and the camper, if you try to run the air conditioner and the microwave at the same time while using the autotransformer, the camper will be perfectly happy delivering the 28 amps or so. However to give you the higher "proper" voltage, the autotransformer will consume enough amps to possible exceed the 30 available at the pedestal. The 50 amp connection will provide that extra coupe of amps but you run the risk of overloading the autotransformer (NOT the camper).

The pedestal connections have the POTENTIAL of providing the rated amperage. The 30 amp connection can provide UP TO 30 amps and no more, no matter how hard you try. Same with the 50. It has the POTENTIAL to deliver 50 amp, but your camper's 30 amp main breaker will prevent that from happening if you try.

[Killman]

Thanks VTX AL and Herk for responding. That makes perfect sense to me. I always figured that the breaker in the camper would trip before the breaker on the pedestal, but increased resistance at the pedestal because of improper 'use' makes perfect sense.
Thanks again.