Need electrical advice 30A or 50A?

[Hudgen]

I signed the papers on a 2017 Surveyor 251RKS and it has a 30A plug. I've been reading here where several others have the 50A plug and there's comes pre-wired for the second AC and the fireplace lug.

Here's the question, will the 30A unit unit do well with normal activity or will I be resetting breakers all the time? I want to make sure or do I need to look for a unit with the 50A service?

[Rrickim63]

I believe the 2nd ac requires 50 amp service. Otherwise you would be overloaded on a 30 amp circuit if both a.c. were on

[Ford Idaho]

Depending on the weather and what other appliances you are using you could end up resetting the breaker with just one AC unit running.

[FrankG]

Originally Posted by Hudgen

I signed the papers on a 2017 Surveyor 251RKS and it has a 30A plug. I've been reading here where several others have the 50A plug and there's comes pre-wired for the second AC and the fireplace lug.

Here's the question, will the 30A unit unit do well with normal activity or will I be resetting breakers all the time? I want to make sure or do I need to look for a unit with the 50A service?

Is there an option for 50Amp service?

You should be fine with a single air conditioner in that unit, under normal conditions. Now if you park in full sunlight and it is 114 deg F outside you may want to reconsider.

I would opt for a cold weather package if offered. We get along fine with one air conditioner and 30 amp service.

[Hudgen]

As I understand it, if you request pre-wiring for the second AC (or installed second AC) or pre-wiring for the fireplace (or installed fireplace) you get the 50A plug and interface . . .

[donniedu]

Get a 50A RV. 30A would force you to run one AC, water heater and refer on gas, no fire place, no washer at times.
Water heater and refer on AC, could mean no AC use. AC use could mean no washer. Its just worth the extra to go 50Amps on new RVs if you want to use more than one or two things at once

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Hudgen

I signed the papers on a 2017 Surveyor 251RKS and it has a 30A plug. I've been reading here where several others have the 50A plug and there's comes pre-wired for the second AC and the fireplace lug.

Here's the question, will the 30A unit unit do well with normal activity or will I be resetting breakers all the time? I want to make sure or do I need to look for a unit with the 50A service?

If you RV is only wired for 30 amps, you are going to be limited somewhat as to what you can have turned on at the same time (and what must be turned off to stay within the 30 amp limits)

This is not hard to do, but just requires a little learning and understanding of how many amps things use in your RV.

Now, here is where you have to open up your mind a little and understand what a 30 amp service is as opposed to a 50 amp service.. The difference between a 120 volt 30 amp RV service and a 120/240 volt split phase 50 amp RV service is not just a mere 20 more amps.

A 30 amp service is a simple enough, and you have a 120 volt hot line, a neutral, and a ground wire. It works just like your outlets in your house (which are usually wired for 15 amps). A 30 amp service has 30 amps capability.

A 50 amp 120/240 volt split phase service has TWO 120 volt hot lines, a shared neutral, and a ground. Each hot line is capable of 50 amps...so in reality since there are two hot lines, you have 100 amps capability.

That's a big difference between 30 amps and 100 amps.

Do you need this 100 amps capability? Well, that depends on your RV and how much power it needs to operate everything. It wouldn't hurt to have it, but it's not always needed. Are you going to add a second AC? Are you going to be staying in places that always have a 50 amp outlet? (some places do not)

Here is some more reading, that as a new RV owner, should help you a little. I usually always recommend these articles to new RV owners.

https://www.rvtechmag.com/electrical/chapter3.php

Basic RV Electricity - RV Information (RV Maintenance)

RV Electric

[Hudgen]

Thank you all for the replies and clear answers!

[WolfWhistle]

Go 50amp for sure. Get the second AC... and any and all "extreme" weather options. You can adapt down to 30 .. even 15 ... you just have to learn how to manage energy use. when 50 is available you just about don't have to think about it.

oops... I just noticed you said you signed the papers
WW

[Iwannacamp]

If the 50 amp is available...then get it(along with 2nd a/c prep). One can always add the a/c.

If I am reading this correctly...i ain't sure it's available...someone smarter than me will have to cipher it out. From the website

15K Air Conditioner IPO 13.5K (Select Models) (N/A on Expandables, Std. on FWs)
13.5K Air Conditioner in Bedroom (Select Models) (Requires 50AMP Service) (N/A Expandables and LE)
50AMP Service & Prep for 2nd A/C in Bedroom (N/A Expandables and LE; Std FW)
Electric Fireplace (Select Models) (Requires 50 AMP Service)(N/A Expandables and LE, Std. on FWs)

[Boso]

If your unit is less than 30' and you have less than 3 slides 30 amp and 1 13000 but ac is all you need unless camping in desert. If you have the desire for 2 ac's the unit will have 50 amp from factory. Never seen 2ac units in a30 amp Rv from factory.

[wanderingbob]

Hundreds of thousands of us have got by with 30 amps for many years .

[Oaklevel]

Originally Posted by wanderingbob

Hundreds of thousands of us have got by with 30 amps for many years .

X2

Our 4 campers over the years have all been 30A our current trailer is 36 feet long which does limit us to one AC.

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by WolfWhistle

Go 50amp for sure. Get the second AC... and any and all "extreme" weather options. You can adapt down to 30 .. even 15 ... you just have to learn how to manage energy use. when 50 is available you just about don't have to think about it.

oops... I just noticed you said you signed the papers
WW

X2, 50 amp for sure. If you can change it, do it.
We popped the breaker every weekend in the Coachman.
Wife`s hairdryer, AC on and Electric Water heater does it every time.

[Bluepill]

Personally, I would go for the 50 Amp upgrade if it is no more than $500. It is nice to be able to do a quick cool-down with dual A/C units at the end of a long hot day on the road.

This past July I was forced to pull off the road because of a major traffic tie-up. I wanted to get some rest, so I started the generator and the A/C in my "Little" A-Frame. I was in full sunlight, and the camper was already very hot inside. It took about an hour to get below 90 degrees inside with just the one A/C.

I say if you don't like sweating, you can't have too much A/C.

[GreenImp]

These answers are all relative. I live and camp in Oregon and about half of my camping is off season. I can only recall ever using our (one and only) AC unit on one trip.

Also, more than half of the places I camp (mostly State Parks) don't even have 50a pedestals anyway.

I say 50a is definitely in the "nice to have" category, but far from necessary.

[EdnKat]

Originally Posted by Hudgen

I signed the papers on a 2017 Surveyor 251RKS and it has a 30A plug. I've been reading here where several others have the 50A plug and there's comes pre-wired for the second AC and the fireplace lug.

Here's the question, will the 30A unit unit do well with normal activity or will I be resetting breakers all the time? I want to make sure or do I need to look for a unit with the 50A service?

As I found out many years ago, (Army years) it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. It's hot in the desert day time, but colder than well digger's bottom night time.

[Iwannacamp]

I had a trailer with one a/c and 30 amps...as stated it is worth the extra when available. If it wasn't available I would have chosen a different trailer or SOME smaller....recently it was over 115 here many days. Normally 110 or so in hot weather mostly under 100 in the summer. JMO


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[cincia]

It's all in the details. We have 30 amp with one AC and get along fine, but we live in Minnesota and most of our trips are up north here. The one trip we did to Missouri was in the fall so it wasn't very hot. We barely use our AC (we run a fan most of the time) but if I lived and/or camped down south all the time then I would definately look long and hard about the 2nd AC. Cincia

[Oscarvan]

Originally Posted by wanderingbob

Hundreds of thousands of us have got by with 30 amps for many years .

You had electricity? All we had was a oil lamp and a terracotta flowerpot upside on the alcohol stove for heat.