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Old 03-21-2017, 06:44 PM   #1
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50 amp and 30 amp

Can I use a 50 amp extension cord with 4 receptacles at the same time I'm using my TT 30 amp service? ie: both plugged in at the same time at the campsite.
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Old 03-21-2017, 06:53 PM   #2
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I am totally confused as to what you are trying to do. You have a 30 amp camper and want to plug into the 30 amp outlet and share that pedestal with someone else plugging in another unit in 50 amp plug?

Or you are trying to feed 80 amps to your camper?

Or are you trying to join a 50 amp cord to a 30 amp cord for a longer cord and more reach?
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Old 03-21-2017, 06:59 PM   #3
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Can I use a 50 amp extension cord with 4 receptacles at the same time I'm using my TT 30 amp service? ie: both plugged in at the same time at the campsite.
Yes.

Sounds like you made up a cord that plugs into the 50 amp receptacle with a box on the other end with four 15 amp outlets. (possibly to plug in an ice maker/small refrigerator etc.)

Properly wired pedestals use different circuits for the 30 amp plug and the 50.

Should be no problems.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:04 PM   #4
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If your intent is like 5picker said then I agree with him it should work, given the pedestal is correctly wired
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:15 PM   #5
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Yes what 5picker said! I received the cord with a generac 6500 a few years ago. As we are newer than new and have never been to a campsite I was not sure if the camp host or camp owner would have a problem doing this. And thanks to all who responded.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:28 PM   #6
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Your 30amp twist lock generator cord will not fit into the 50amp outlet in pedestal without an adapter.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:32 PM   #7
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It depends on how the pedestal is wired, however nothing bad would happen if it isn't meant to support what you want to do.

I have a 50amp/30amp/20amp box on the side of my garage. It is wired with an 80 amp breaker (at the main panel, with 50/30/20 breakers in the box) so I can support all three receptacles, at full capacity, at the same time. Since having both a 30 amp rig and a 50 amp rig plugging in at the same time probably never happens, I can see campgrounds having the 30amp and 50amp hanging off of the 50amp breaker.

Basically you just have to try it and see. Even if wired the "cheap" way, you may not draw enough to trip. You would still have 20 amp on the 30amp leg and 50 amps on the other leg... in addition to the 30 for your camper.
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Old 03-22-2017, 01:11 PM   #8
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What about overcurrent protection

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Originally Posted by 5picker View Post
Yes.

Sounds like you made up a cord that plugs into the 50 amp receptacle with a box on the other end with four 15 amp outlets. (possibly to plug in an ice maker/small refrigerator etc.)

Properly wired pedestals use different circuits for the 30 amp plug and the 50.

Should be no problems.
Big problem if one of the devices pulls more current than it is rated for. Imaging 15 amp 14 gauge wire going to a toaster. The toaster for some reason pulls 25 amps or so. The breaker will NOT trip (it hasn't reached 50 amps yet), and your 14 gauge wire melts and catches on fire. With a dead short, probably OK, but overcurrent, you are NOT protected.
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Old 03-22-2017, 01:24 PM   #9
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Big problem if one of the devices pulls more current than it is rated for. Imaging 15 amp 14 gauge wire going to a toaster. The toaster for some reason pulls 25 amps or so. The breaker will NOT trip (it hasn't reached 50 amps yet), and your 14 gauge wire melts and catches on fire. With a dead short, probably OK, but overcurrent, you are NOT protected.
Correct... and that is a valid point... but... we also don't know whether the 'box' with the 4 receptacles has breakers protecting the outlets. In fact, we know nothing about the box, the outlets, the cord or the plug. So much so, that someone posted the OP's 30 amp twistlock generator plug wouldn't fit the 50 pedestal receptacle. Where did that come from? A lot of assumptions are being made.

The question was about connecting both a 30 amp plug and a 50 amp at the pedestal at the same time.... I'll stand by my statement... no problem doing that.
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Old 03-22-2017, 02:34 PM   #10
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Correct... and that is a valid point... but... we also don't know whether the 'box' with the 4 receptacles has breakers protecting the outlets. In fact, we know nothing about the box, the outlets, the cord or the plug. So much so, that someone posted the OP's 30 amp twistlock generator plug wouldn't fit the 50 pedestal receptacle. Where did that come from? A lot of assumptions are being made.

The question was about connecting both a 30 amp plug and a 50 amp at the pedestal at the same time.... I'll stand by my statement... no problem doing that.
Way too many assumptions being made, by all of Us! I urge the original poster to get someone on site that is more familiar with electrical wiring before he just takes someone's blind advice. Absent breakers in that cord he could be hooking up small appliances to 50 amp circuits! Very dangerous!!
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Old 03-22-2017, 02:37 PM   #11
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Sounds Illegal and dangerous!!! In any jurisdiction. Please don't tell people to do something that could kill someone.
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Old 03-22-2017, 02:40 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by 325BH View Post
It depends on how the pedestal is wired, however nothing bad would happen if it isn't meant to support what you want to do.

I have a 50amp/30amp/20amp box on the side of my garage. It is wired with an 80 amp breaker (at the main panel, with 50/30/20 breakers in the box) so I can support all three receptacles, at full capacity, at the same time. Since having both a 30 amp rig and a 50 amp rig plugging in at the same time probably never happens, I can see campgrounds having the 30amp and 50amp hanging off of the 50amp breaker.

Basically you just have to try it and see. Even if wired the "cheap" way, you may not draw enough to trip. You would still have 20 amp on the 30amp leg and 50 amps on the other leg... in addition to the 30 for your camper.
What you have just said is against National Electrical Code!
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Old 03-22-2017, 02:42 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by USNRET View Post
Can I use a 50 amp extension cord with 4 receptacles at the same time I'm using my TT 30 amp service? ie: both plugged in at the same time at the campsite.
No, Dangerous and against any electrical code anywhere. Please don't listen to the other posters, what they suggest can kill or cause serious property damage!
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:02 PM   #14
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Discussed before. IMO only way to do it is make a sub panel with appropriate breakers for each circuit.
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:19 PM   #15
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I am the original poster and it looks as if I ruffled some feathers not what I was trying to do. the cable yes has a 4 pin twist lock connector on one end goes to a generator at the other end are 4 20 amp receptacles, 2 of the receptacles go to line 1 neutral and ground and the other 2 receptacles go to line 2 neutral and ground. BUT I totally agree this is an Unsafe thing to do! the breakers on the pedestal are 50 amp for each leg (phase, line, leg or what ever) and the cable at best is 10 gauge (cable melts before breaker trips)!!! So I will save the cable in case I need to replace my 30 am TT cable (I will only use 3 of the 4 conductors) and buy a good 12 gauge extension cord for a dedicated circuit if needed. Again thanks to all.
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:51 PM   #16
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Sounds too good to be true, I'll stick with the tried and true. 50 amp wired the wrong way could have 220 volts somewhere. Only takes one hot wire touching wood to ruin a day. We've have seen a couple of missing grounds or neutrals, those were shocking experiences for the people touching the frame/skin, everybody survived.
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Old 03-22-2017, 04:07 PM   #17
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What you have just said is against National Electrical Code!


OK, that leaves us with one person who cares...
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Old 03-23-2017, 06:03 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by NCBBA11043 View Post
Big problem if one of the devices pulls more current than it is rated for. Imaging 15 amp 14 gauge wire going to a toaster. The toaster for some reason pulls 25 amps or so. The breaker will NOT trip (it hasn't reached 50 amps yet), and your 14 gauge wire melts and catches on fire. With a dead short, probably OK, but overcurrent, you are NOT protected.
So true! I'm glad someone finally said this. You would be surprised at the amount of Saturday afternoon electricians who think a 30 to 50 amp conversion is going to give them 50 amps at every receptacle!
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Old 03-23-2017, 06:31 AM   #19
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What you have just said is against National Electrical Code!
Now, perhaps the code violation is on a 50 amp extension cord, which needs separate breakers to protect the 20 amp outlets...at 20 AMPS. In essence he needs a real sub panel, not just an extension cord with 20 amp outlets connected to conductors that are protected at 50 amps at the source.

However, if the code violation is about his description of his sub panel arrangement, I'm trying, and am willing to listen, but frankly I don't see a code violation here. What he has detailed seems to be totally within NEC requirements. He has an 80 amp feed to a subpanel, which really means that he has a total of 160 amps at 115 volts available on the two legs in the sub panel. All of his receptacles are correctly protected at the subpanel by 50, 30 and 20 amp breakers. Now, while the main breaker does not have to support the total load of all of the breakers in the subpanel (take a look at a stick house main and add up the breakers), he looks pretty clean. From what I see, if all receptacles are drawing their maximum fused load he would have:

50 amps per leg on the 50
30 amps on one leg for the 30
20 amps on one leg for the 20

As long as the 20 and 30 are on different legs he has a total load of 80 amps on one leg and 70 amps on the other, both of which are at or below the feed breaker of 80 amps per leg.

As long as the 20 amps receptacle is a spec grade 20 amp receptacle...he is clean with the NEC. In fact, I doubt if any park pedestal has this much capacity since the do not assume a simultaneous 30 and 50 amp load at any given site and I would bet that the feed assumes no more than 50 amps load per pedestal if that.
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Old 03-23-2017, 06:38 AM   #20
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So true! I'm glad someone finally said this. You would be surprised at the amount of Saturday afternoon electricians who think a 30 to 50 amp conversion is going to give them 50 amps at every receptacle!
Actually, the real problem is that it DOES have 50 amps at every receptacle and that would be an accident waiting to happen.
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