Newbie amperage question.

[Swaggler]

I am new to camping with a TT. I have a V-LITE with 30A service. Some of the campgrounds I have been looking at (online) have 50A service at their sites. Is this a problem for me? Does a 50A site have outlets for both 50A AND 30A? If not, is it safe for me to plug my 30A into a 50A outlet using an adapter, provided that it is 110V (not 220)?

Newb

[Oakman]

Generally speaking if the campground has a pedestal with 50 amp service there will also be 30 amp available. My previous two fifth wheels were 30 amp and over 8 years of travel I only needed a 50 amp male to 30 amp female adapter twice. Yes it is safe to use an adapter.

On the other hand, at some point those of us who have trailers with 50 amp service will almost surely need a 30 amp male to 50 amp female adapter. Many state parks, county parks, COE campgrounds, etc. haven't upgraded to 50 amp service.

[Witch Doctor]

You can buy a 50 / 30 amp adapter. You are not going to fine any 220 volt plug in's, at least I have never at a CG. I plug into 50 amp all the time with my adapter. That's one thing you should always carry with you. Just about all CG have 30 and 50 amp plus a regular 20 amp plug in on the power pole.

[youroo]

Welcome,We also have a V-Lite. #1 rule before plugging in your Elec.Power anywhere is (Check the Voltage)! There are many post on here for proper procedure. You can check the (50,30,and 20) circuits with the adaptors you will need in the future anyway. Small investment,BIG safety and money saving! PS come on down to the (Tadpole Rally South) we will have Free lessons. Youroo!!

[Swaggler]

Thanks.

Looks like I will need to add a 30A female to 50A male adapter in my collection of adapters.

I bought a plug in voltmeter after reading posts on this forum where someone accidentally plugged into a 220 line. I'm guessing that a 220 and a 50A both use the same style plug?

Where can I find info about Tadpole Rally South?

Newb

[fonzie]

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...uth-35429.html

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Swaggler

Thanks.

Looks like I will need to add a 30A female to 50A male adapter in my collection of adapters.

I bought a plug in voltmeter after reading posts on this forum where someone accidentally plugged into a 220 line. I'm guessing that a 220 and a 50A both use the same style plug?

Where can I find info about Tadpole Rally South?

Newb

Actually, the 50amp service is 240 volts if needed. The 50amp male to 30 amp female adapter just uses one side of this service for 120 volts, while terminating the other 120 volt line inside the adapter....when you plug into a 240 volt 50 amp outlet at the campground.

Simply put: A 50 amp RV with corresponding 50 amp plug, is plugging into a 240 volt service at the campground, if the campground offers true 50 amp service. The RV electrical panel just separates the 240 volts into TWO 120 volt sides to provide power for everything.

A lot of people are actually plugging into a 3 wire 220/240 volt service that looks similar to a 30 amp outlet and was originally wired for a welding or old dryer plug.

Here is a good site to understand how RV electricity works.

RV Electric

This 50-amp service has 4 wires with two 120-volt HOT feeds. It is a misconception that this 50-amp RV service is something special. This service is a STANDARD 120/240 50-amp 3 pole with 4 prongs used for numerous applications.



From this common service we can draw 120 or 240 volts. Each leg is 50 amps @ 120 volts. 50-amp X 120-volt = 6000 watts. But since there are 2 HOT 120-volt legs at 6000 + 6000 = 12,000 watts to use in the RV or 50-amp X 240-volt = 12,000 watts when used as a 240-volt service.

Almost ALL 50-amp wired RV's use both sides of the service separately as 120 volt on each leg. Only a few mostly high-end coaches utilize the 240-volt from this same service.



The 50-amp 3-pole 4-wire service is superior to the 30-amp service because of the total amperage available.


30-amp 120-volt service = 3,600 watts
50-amp 120/240-volt service = 12,000 watts

[Swaggler]

Thanks.
DW and I couldn't make it to the rally but i did follow the links and read up on circuits. Lots of good info there. I guess the key is to ALWAYS use the proper adapters when plugging in and ALWAYS test the circuit and circuit voltage before plugging in.
Newb.

[F and E Damp]

A "Kill-a Watt" meter is a good investment. It has a regular 115V residential type male plug to connect to the power source, but a couple of adapters will make it work on a 50A outlet. It will give a digital display of the voltage.