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12-02-2015, 01:41 PM
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#21
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 51
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Splitter
As said those 30 and 20 adapters won't work if the 20 is a gfci. I got around that by using a double ended (male ) extension cord that I plug into a 20 amp receptacle that is fused to a outlet inside so that I can use an electric heater plus my fireplace, and w/h on electric. Run the fridge on propane just to be safe. The outside receptacle is a standard weather proof one from Lowes. Everything came from Lowes and have maybe $25 in everything except the extension cord which I have at least a dozen being a contractor. Yes FUSED, just like the old days.
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12-02-2015, 01:43 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Englewood FL
Posts: 2,797
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Those of us who can handle wiring all use them, but double ended male cords are not for the faint hearted!
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2015 335DS
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12-02-2015, 01:46 PM
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#23
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 175
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottBrownstein
Those of us who can handle wiring all use them, but double ended male cords are not for the faint hearted!
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They are called suicide cords for a reason...
There are safe, code compliant ways to provide additional power - backfeeding through an outlet isn't one of them.
__________________
2014 Grey Wolf 28BH, behind a 2015 F350 Diesel Crew Cab
Nights Camped 2016: 44
Nights Booked 2017: 11
Nights Camped 2017: 6
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12-02-2015, 01:46 PM
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#24
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 15,287
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You can not count on 50A ( 30A + 20A) from a 30A pedestal. Many parks are wired in a tree configuration where 3 30A sites are protected upstream but a 100A breaker. If the two other sites sharing your 100A breaker are at 30A you might get 40A if you are lucky. If anyone on another site on your branch is doing the same thing you are doing, none of you will have power long. Every campground lists their amenities before you make your reservation, if it doesn't fit your needs go elsewhere or accept the limitations.
__________________
2015 Freedom Express 248RBS
TV 2015 Silverado HD2500 Duramax
TST Tire Monitors
Honda 2000I + Companion
2 100W solar panels
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12-02-2015, 01:48 PM
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#25
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Englewood FL
Posts: 2,797
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OntarioFireFighter
They are called suicide cords for a reason...
There are safe, code compliant ways to provide additional power - backfeeding through an outlet isn't one of them.
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if you notice, I never said that they were acceptable or safe OR LEGAL, but I did say that there are times that they are used anyway.
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2015 335DS
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12-02-2015, 02:00 PM
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#26
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Pickin', Campin', Mason
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: South Western PA
Posts: 19,142
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockwoodjoe
Where have you bought the adaptor to run a 50 amp RV on 30 amp service?
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Like this one?
Available on Amazon HERE.
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2022 Cedar Creek 345IK 5th Wheel•Solar & Inverter•2024 Ford F-Series SCREW•7.3L•4x4•Factory Puck•B&W Companion•TST Tire Monitor w/Repeater•Sinemate 3500w Gen.
F&AM Lodge 358 Somerset, PA - JAFFA Shrine - Altoona, PA
Days Camped ☼ '19=118 ☼ '20=116 ☼ '21=123 ☼ '22=134 ☼ '23=118☼ '24=90
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12-02-2015, 02:04 PM
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#27
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 142
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Use my 50 amp fiver all summer on a 30 amp pedestal
Our seasonal campsite on the Ohio River near Cincinnati does not have 50 amp service. I use a 50/30 adapter and we have learned to watch power consumption to not exceed 30 amps. On occasion the DW forgets to be thrifty with power and dumps the 30 amp pedestal breaker. The last few times I made her reset the breaker in hopes that there is a lesson to be learned.
I would not use the 30/20 in hopes I could get 50, our power system would not handle this very well. When 3 campers are pulling near 30 amps the voltage sags to 105 or lower. I use an autotransformer to keep my voltage above 112. The campground is old and overhead feed lines appear to be 6 gauge wire and 8 gauge near the end of the campground. The whole system is too light for modern campers.
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Nick, Sharon and Finnigan
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12-02-2015, 02:26 PM
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#28
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Who Dares, Wins
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Chester County, PA
Posts: 7,063
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Bit OT but I thought the auto formers had their own issues of taking the available power from the neighbor's? Now potentially damaging their stuff.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
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Pat, Jen, Heather & Sapphire, the head mouser.
2015 Chevy HD D-Max
2022 Impression 315MB
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12-02-2015, 02:32 PM
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#29
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Whereever our Berkshire is Parked!
Posts: 7,082
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockwoodjoe
Where have you bought the adaptor to run a 50 amp RV on 30 amp service?
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You can get them at Amazon.com Joe:
http://www.amazon.com/Camco-55185-Po...30+Amp+adapter
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Bob & Anne-Marie [BamaBob & 6 Actual]
| 2017 Berkshire XLT 43A with Ultrasteer Tag | Blue Ox Avail + KarGard II |
| SMI AF-1 Air Brake | 2016 Jeep Cherokee Overland TOAD | Pedego Bikes |
Nights Camped: 2013 - 24 • 2014 - 42 • 2015 - 56 • Jul 2016 - Fulltime •
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12-02-2015, 02:35 PM
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#30
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 51
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Called a Fool
Don't really appreciate that! I'm a contractor and Licensed Electrician and certainly know what's what. Been at this since '80 and just because you "think" it's unsafe, doesn't make it so. If you plug into the trailer first, which is separate from everything, you can hold right onto the "suicide end because there's nothing there. There is no "back feeding' anymore than hooking up the standard 30 amp cord.
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12-02-2015, 02:55 PM
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#31
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 175
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leland1950
Don't really appreciate that! I'm a contractor and Licensed Electrician and certainly know what's what. Been at this since '80 and just because you "think" it's unsafe, doesn't make it so. If you plug into the trailer first, which is separate from everything, you can hold right onto the "suicide end because there's nothing there. There is no "back feeding' anymore than hooking up the standard 30 amp cord.
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Not going to get into a pissing match - but as both an electrician and an emergency responder, suicide cords hurt and kill people, and are a hack job at best.
It's not what I think, BTW - it's code...
Quote:
406.6(B) Connection of Attachment Plugs. Attachment plugs
shall be installed so that their prongs, blades, or pins are not
energized unless inserted into an energized receptacle or
cord connectors. No receptacle shall be installed so as to
require the insertion of an energized attachment plug as its
source of supply.
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Using a proper inlet to feed into the trailer would be a different thing altogether.
You may know it's setup to hurt people, and treat it accordingly - not everyone would...
Imagine a scenario, if you will - kid walking past trips on the cord, and pulls it out of the trailer end - kid, wanting to be helpful (and to try and hide he was cutting through someone's campsite), grabs the cord to plug it back in, and catches the live, exposed blades, and burns his hand, or worse...
a) How would you feel?
b) How fast would a lawyer be on you?
__________________
2014 Grey Wolf 28BH, behind a 2015 F350 Diesel Crew Cab
Nights Camped 2016: 44
Nights Booked 2017: 11
Nights Camped 2017: 6
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12-02-2015, 03:32 PM
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#32
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Posts: 9,230
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X2!
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12-02-2015, 04:00 PM
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#33
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 142
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Urban legend
Quote:
Originally Posted by doc73
Bit OT but I thought the auto formers had their own issues of taking the available power from the neighbor's? Now potentially damaging their stuff.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
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You can't "take" power from the system. It's all about watts consumed. Volts x Amps equals watts. At lower system voltages your current demand rises. As the system voltage rises the current demand is less.
30 amps at 100 volts = 3000 watts
25 amps at 120 volts = 3000 watts
Your rv electrics (AC, TV, etc. ) will run more efficiently at 120 to 125 volts quite possibly reducing the current requirement by a tiny amount.
The closer you can run your camper electrics to design (usually 120) voltage the lower your current draw will be.
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12-02-2015, 04:34 PM
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#34
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Thackerville, OK
Posts: 29
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I can only speak from the standpoint of having 30AMP & 50AMP sites and having campers say they need 30amp and having a 50amp RV. Our new equipment we are installing are multiplex boxes 50-30-20 AMP. They are load sensing and are designed to shut down in the event of an overload. The ones currently installed and functional will not allow a 30AMP receptacle to be dogboned or used with a splitter. This is purely a safety issue for us.
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12-02-2015, 04:34 PM
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#35
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Who Dares, Wins
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Chester County, PA
Posts: 7,063
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick M
You can't "take" power from the system. It's all about watts consumed. Volts x Amps equals watts. At lower system voltages your current demand rises. As the system voltage rises the current demand is less.
30 amps at 100 volts = 3000 watts
25 amps at 120 volts = 3000 watts
Your rv electrics (AC, TV, etc. ) will run more efficiently at 120 to 125 volts quite possibly reducing the current requirement by a tiny amount.
The closer you can run your camper electrics to design (usually 120) voltage the lower your current draw will be.
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Ok, not an electrician so sorry... But it acts as a capaciter to build up the lost power or is it a fancy device to stop your usage at 25 amps now to keep the voltage right.
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Pat, Jen, Heather & Sapphire, the head mouser.
2015 Chevy HD D-Max
2022 Impression 315MB
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12-02-2015, 04:38 PM
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#36
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Who Dares, Wins
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Chester County, PA
Posts: 7,063
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OntarioFireFighter
Not going to get into a pissing match - but as both an electrician and an emergency responder, suicide cords hurt and kill people, and are a hack job at best.
It's not what I think, BTW - it's code...
Using a proper inlet to feed into the trailer would be a different thing altogether.
You may know it's setup to hurt people, and treat it accordingly - not everyone would...
Imagine a scenario, if you will - kid walking past trips on the cord, and pulls it out of the trailer end - kid, wanting to be helpful (and to try and hide he was cutting through someone's campsite), grabs the cord to plug it back in, and catches the live, exposed blades, and burns his hand, or worse...
a) How would you feel?
b) How fast would a lawyer be on you?
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As above, no electrician here... But if I am reading right I have seen these 30 / 20 plugs that end in a FEMALE 50 plug. I can see how they would be a suicide plug from their looks. But, if someone has one (and will admit it LOL), the two male ends musts be isolated from one another I would think??? Leg one on the 30 plug and leg two on the 20 plug, if not would they make fireworks when a hot 30amp plug is shorted into a hot 20 amp plug on another circuit? DISCLAIMER!!! I am not an electrician so be gentle...
__________________
Pat, Jen, Heather & Sapphire, the head mouser.
2015 Chevy HD D-Max
2022 Impression 315MB
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12-02-2015, 04:39 PM
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#37
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Who Dares, Wins
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Chester County, PA
Posts: 7,063
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Camper John
I can only speak from the standpoint of having 30AMP & 50AMP sites and having campers say they need 30amp and having a 50amp RV. Our new equipment we are installing are multiplex boxes 50-30-20 AMP. They are load sensing and are designed to shut down in the event of an overload. The ones currently installed and functional will not allow a 30AMP receptacle to be dogboned or used with a splitter. This is purely a safety issue for us.
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So how does the box know I am using a dogbone? Do they look different than a regular box?
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Pat, Jen, Heather & Sapphire, the head mouser.
2015 Chevy HD D-Max
2022 Impression 315MB
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12-02-2015, 04:43 PM
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#38
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Georgia Rally Coordinator
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: GA
Posts: 24,457
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BamaBob
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Or go to Walmart as I have bought all kinds of adapters. There. later RJD
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2018 Dodge Ram 2500 6.4 3:73 gearing. Traded 2015 Chevy 2500 6.0, 4:10
Traded 2015 30WRLIKS V-Lite
Days camped 2019 62
Days camped 2020 49 days camped 2021-74 2022-40 days 2023 5 days
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12-02-2015, 05:00 PM
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#39
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Thackerville, OK
Posts: 29
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They do look a little different. They are about 8" taller and the inside has 3 breakers and a GFCI. When we wire them in, they wire just like a 50AMP but the multiplexer is draw sensing and decides which plug to energize. It has helped our line draw tremendously. We can have 4-50's on a 200AMP master and not see any drop in source amperage at the RVs.
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12-02-2015, 05:11 PM
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#40
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Site Team - Lou
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,269
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A bit a hijack. So for any further discussion on autotransformers please check the reviews of the Frank's Autotransformer in the product review forum.
If you need more info please start a specific thread.
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2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
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