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06-04-2015, 11:23 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: in the white river fishing for trout
Posts: 104
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Fifty vrs thirty amps
My twenty foot mini lite seems to function well on thirty amps. What advantage is the extra 20 amps service to me?
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06-05-2015, 12:09 AM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,845
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None
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Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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06-05-2015, 12:29 AM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 24
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With 50 amp service you can run everything in the camper without fear of popping a breaker. Sorry my DW loves her hair dryer and it's a pain on 30 amp lol.
Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums
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06-05-2015, 03:36 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Clarksville Va.
Posts: 10,422
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lon
My twenty foot mini lite seems to function well on thirty amps. What advantage is the extra 20 amps service to me?
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There is none, Your limiting factor is your 30 amp breaker and wire size. It's good still to carry a 50/30 dogbone. The reason is most of the time the 50 amp socket is in better shape at some poles. Your still only going to pull 30 amps max.
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Coachmen M/H
Concord
2018 / 300 DSC
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06-05-2015, 05:40 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Waynesville
Posts: 14,428
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nbenn3
With 50 amp service you can run everything in the camper without fear of popping a breaker. Sorry my DW loves her hair dryer and it's a pain on 30 amp lol.
Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums
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Not True in the OP case! He could still trip his breakers! Youroo!!
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06-05-2015, 06:28 AM
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#6
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Northeast Louisiana
Posts: 33,954
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lon
My twenty foot mini lite seems to function well on thirty amps. What advantage is the extra 20 amps service to me?
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Unless your trailer is set up for a 50 amp service, there is none as everyone has stated.
A 30 amp service has one 30 amp hot leg, a neutral, and a ground...that is capable of providing 3600 watts of 120 volt AC power. (120 volts X 30 amps = 3600 watts)
A 50 amp service is a 120/240 volt split phase service, that has TWO (2) 50 amp hot legs, a common neutral, and a ground. Each leg is capable of providing 6000 watts of 120 volt AC power...or 12000 watts total. (120 volts X 50 amps X 2 = 12000 watts)
So as you see, there is really more than an extra 20 amps, it would be 70 amps extra in total... or closer to 3 1/2 times more.
If your RV is prewired for 30 amps, it has a 30 amp main breaker in the RV and appropriate sized wiring, so that is your limiting factor at the onset.
More good reading:
http://www.rv-dreams.com/rv-electrical.html
http://www.myrv.us/electric/
http://www.rvtechmag.com/electrical/chapter3.php
http://www.rv-motorhome-answers.com/AC-Electricity.html
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2011 Flagstaff 831 RLBSS
A 72 hour hold in a psych unit is beginning to intrigue me as a potential vacation opportunity.
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06-05-2015, 12:34 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Full timer,,,at Lake Georgetown in central Texas for the winter.
Posts: 442
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Lon,,,,when I had a 30 AMP rv I installed a 50 AMP adaptor, because,,,,like gljurczyk said above,,,,,the 50 plug will almost always be in better shape. The 30's get fried too often and your rv won't know the difference. No, you aren't adding more electricity to your system. No harm to do it at all.
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06-05-2015, 12:39 PM
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#8
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Old Ram Guy
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Chambersburg, PA
Posts: 138
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Will my 30 amp TRC Surge Guard still work too?
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Marty, Jenice and DD
2019 Entegra Odyssey 29V
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06-05-2015, 12:47 PM
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#9
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Site Team - Lou
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,269
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Avenger61
Will my 30 amp TRC Surge Guard still work too?
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Not sure I understand your question.
If you are asking if you can use a 30 amp surge guard on a 50 amp wired camper, the answer is no.
There are two circuits the each have to be protected not one as in the 30 amp camper.
You could use a 50 amp surge guard (with appropriate adapters) on a 30 amp camper (only one leg would be used); but not the other way round.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
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06-05-2015, 12:50 PM
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#10
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Old Ram Guy
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Chambersburg, PA
Posts: 138
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Sorry, to be more specific, I'm asking if I use a 50 amp adapter with my 30 amp trailer supplied cord will my TRC 30 amp surge guard still function normally? If I understand you correctly, the answer is "no"
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Marty, Jenice and DD
2019 Entegra Odyssey 29V
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06-05-2015, 01:10 PM
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#11
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 37
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50 amp
Why in this age of technology ,why can they not make a smaller 50 amp cable instead of the un-yielding logs we have to use now?
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06-05-2015, 01:20 PM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Bay Saint Louis, MS
Posts: 45
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This does not answer your question but - I would gladly have paid more for my Forester 3051S to be wired for 50AMP service. Or at least a power management system like most coaches with 50 amp service have. I get sick and tired of turning off the fridge/hot water heater/ac to run the microwave, coffee maker, induction cooktop, hair dryer, and on and on. If you have ever had 50 amp and go to 30 - believe me - you will miss the 50.
Shelley
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06-05-2015, 01:21 PM
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#13
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Site Team - Lou
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,269
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Avenger61
Sorry, to be more specific, I'm asking if I use a 50 amp adapter with my 30 amp trailer supplied cord will my TRC 30 amp surge guard still function normally? If I understand you correctly, the answer is "no"
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The answer to that question is yes!
Since the 50->30 adapter is only using one leg of the 50 amp service, your 30 amp surge guard will work just great. Your surge guard and your camper's main will still prevent you from pulling more than 30 amps from the available service.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
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06-05-2015, 01:23 PM
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#14
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Site Team - Lou
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,269
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DAPYES
Why in this age of technology ,why can they not make a smaller 50 amp cable instead of the un-yielding logs we have to use now?
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I suppose if you soaked a 30 amp gauge cable in Liquid Nitrogen you could get it to carry 50 amps without melting.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
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06-05-2015, 08:37 PM
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#15
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5
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Amen to the 50amp unforgiving log
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06-05-2015, 09:13 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Weatherford, TX
Posts: 977
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Yes, the plugs are big... but they need to be to stay cool and still carry that much current. Perhaps technology will give us cooling, microwaves, etc that use less current, someday and the current-carrying hardware can be smaller.
The easiest way to describe the 2 different plugs is to compare them to the old style dryer plug and the new style. The old has 3 prongs... 120V - 30A hot... neutral... and ground. But for the old dryer, it was 2 hot prongs, and a neutral, no ground. The new has 4 prongs... 120V - 30A hot... neutral... 120V - 30A hot... and ground. The adaptor just drops a hot leg and you're still hooked up as normal with a 30A trailer. The second hot is usually just for a second A/C, fireplace, or both. That's the case for TTs and probably 5ers. Larger 5ers may share more of the load for other things on the second leg. I have no experience with motor homes, so I don't know if they're the same, but suspect they are.
Is something is wired incorrectly in the coach, with the 50A plugged in, you could end up with 240V across something designed for 120... But this will not happen to a coach using a 30A plug and a 50A adaptor... since one leg is dropped.
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J & D in Lovely Weatherford, TX
2016 Jayco White Hawk 28DSBH TT
2014 Ram 2500 Crew Cab 4X4 6.7L Cummins
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06-08-2015, 02:49 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: in the white river fishing for trout
Posts: 104
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Because I didn't properly winterize my outside shower it sprays a small stream of cool water on my 30 amp plug at the power pole keeping it from over heating. You can tell its working from the steam that comes off the plug. ;-)
In all seriousness I am always amazed by the level of expertise present in this forum. Many thanks for your knowlegible help and for the time you spent answering my inane question as well as keeping me in the know on CURRENT events!
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06-12-2015, 01:27 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 113
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Guess that can be filed under a newbie question we all needed to know, but were afraid to ask! Lol
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