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Old 02-06-2020, 01:53 PM   #1
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Question 2 15a dongles to 30amp to trailer?

I have a 50amp trailer with 2 ac units. When operating off 30amp we are limited to 1 ac unit.

Is it possible to use a dongle that takes 2 15amp inputs (on different breakers) to a 30amp dongle then to a 50amp dongle to trailer when moochdocking? Will we be able to run at least 1 ac unit this way?



In this case, the 2 15amps would need to be male, not female as in pic above.


Thanks!!

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Old 02-06-2020, 02:10 PM   #2
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Based on your question and the adapter you posted, I would not recommend trying to expand your current capacity as you risk damage to appliances in your rig. The Item you show does not take two 15A inputs but rather takes a single phase 30A output and provides two 15A style single phase sockets. Connecting two 15A household outputs together to provide a higher current output could be possible if the two 15A outputs were on the same phase. If they are not you will run into issues. I am not sure you will even find an adapter like you are looking for.
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Old 02-06-2020, 02:29 PM   #3
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Based on your question and the adapter you posted, I would not recommend trying to expand your current capacity as you risk damage to appliances in your rig. The Item you show does not take two 15A inputs but rather takes a single phase 30A output and provides two 15A style single phase sockets. Connecting two 15A household outputs together to provide a higher current output could be possible if the two 15A outputs were on the same phase. If they are not you will run into issues. I am not sure you will even find an adapter like you are looking for.
I think my dongle above is just wrong to begin with. I went back and looked at the youtube video...

They are running a 50amp to dual 30amp dongle, then separate dongles for 30amp to 15amp. (video starts right at the right spot)

https://youtu.be/80ZucqclD80

Has anyone tried this?

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Old 02-06-2020, 02:43 PM   #4
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Well you certainly could supply 15a to each leg of the 50a shore power circuit as they did in the video but if your goal is to run TWO A/C units then you would have very little current (or any) left over for anything else but the A/C units once you turned them on.

Much of it working (to run the A/C units) would depend on extension cord size/length and you'd have to BE SURE both 15a supply outlets were on separate breakers.

Where are you wanting to do this? At home or in a campground that only has 30a at the pedestal?
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Old 02-06-2020, 02:51 PM   #5
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One of these...


And then two of these would be what you'd need...
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Old 02-06-2020, 02:53 PM   #6
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Dongles are used in the computer world. In the RV world they are called Dog Bone Adapters.

30 amp service is 120 volts. 50 amp service is 240 volts. Dog bones can not increase the voltage. Only decrease it.
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Old 02-06-2020, 03:01 PM   #7
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30 amp service is 120 volts. 50 amp service is 240 volts. Dog bones can not increase the voltage. Only decrease it.
I don't think they're trying to increase it. It sounds like they're trying to power one 120v leg of the 50amp service from 2 x 15amp outlets to combine them for 30amp service (still on one leg of the 50amp service). The other 50amp leg would be provided by a 30amp receptacle.
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Old 02-06-2020, 03:02 PM   #8
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With careful management, I've successfully ran 2 air conditioners on 30amp service. The trick is to remove all other loads. I'll shut off my converter, switch the fridge to gas, and either turn off the water heater or also switch it to gas. Small loads are fine- TV, games, device chargers, etc but nothing big. No microwave, no kitchen appliances, etc.

It's even better if you can add something like the MicroAir EasyStart to the air conditioners. It makes them easier to start and limits the rush of amps used when they start up.
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Old 02-06-2020, 03:21 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by 5picker View Post
Well you certainly could supply 15a to each leg of the 50a shore power circuit as they did in the video but if your goal is to run TWO A/C units then you would have very little current (or any) left over for anything else but the A/C units once you turned them on.

Much of it working (to run the A/C units) would depend on extension cord size/length and you'd have to BE SURE both 15a supply outlets were on separate breakers.

Where are you wanting to do this? At home or in a campground that only has 30a at the pedestal?

This would be at a friends house. We would only need to run "1" AC unit.

dongle = dog bone. Yeah, I'm in the computer industry. lol

I'd be switching to gas for fridge/waterheater/stove. NC can be fickle with weather come May/June. It might be awesome one year and hotter n hell the next. Just planning what I may need, or do I lug 2 generators and such around ...

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Old 02-06-2020, 03:28 PM   #10
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This would be at a friends house. We would only need to run "1" AC unit.

dongle = dog bone. Yeah, I'm in the computer industry. lol

I'd be switching to gas for fridge/waterheater/stove. NC can be fickle with weather come May/June. It might be awesome one year and hotter n hell the next. Just planning what I may need, or do I lug 2 generators and such around ...

James
Again, yes it can be done and you should be able to run the A/C units (both if necessary) as long as you manage other current draws. You will have 15a on one leg of the 50a service and 15a on the other leg.

Since the front/rear A/C units on a 50a service are on separate legs, you shouldn't have any issues supplying current to both 50a legs with the dogbone adapters I posted earlier. And again, you need to be sure of proper extension cord length and size if you are using them.
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Old 02-06-2020, 07:32 PM   #11
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don't know what type of generators you have but can they be paralleled so that they have a 30 amp receptacle? then plug us a 30 to 50 amp adapter to connect your shore power cord.
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Old 02-06-2020, 08:59 PM   #12
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I have run my 15k BTU AC off a dedicated 20A outlet in my garage. The outlet is the ONLY item on the breaker. I cannot run 2 with it.

I run my 30A RV cord to the outlet and converted to 15A with this
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Dogbone...1039441&sr=8-3

You will want a high gauge cord for the conversion and make sure it is not loose in the plug with no weight pulling it down.

Since my AC draws 12A I have enough start current and can run continuously without blowing the breaker.

I installed this for tools in my garage before I got the RV...next time I will just install a 50A outlet for an RV or welder. Wiring is properly sized for the distance and amperage to the outlet in my case. It is NOT a standard 15A outlet.
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Old 02-06-2020, 09:16 PM   #13
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don't know what type of generators you have but can they be paralleled so that they have a 30 amp receptacle? then plug us a 30 to 50 amp adapter to connect your shore power cord.
oh yeah, generators are no problem. got the dual hondas. But don't plan on doing much boondocking this season so don't really want to haul them (and fuel) thousands of miles for only being used 1x (about 5 days) on the journey. A friend has 10+ acres. So plan to do some "moochdocking" and tap into their electricity. Will be in NC May/June time period... can be hit and miss with weather. Pretty sure AC will be needed. I only need 1 and can survive. lol Now, come July/Aug/Sep yeah, both AC will be needed (very much wanted).

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Old 02-07-2020, 02:22 PM   #14
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Just remember that there is additional voltage drop every time that you use another plug/socket combo. It adds up quickly. Here are the numbers on my 30 amp shore power with just a single 25 foot power cord:

Voltage at the breaker panel inside the RV with no power being drawn:



Voltage at start-up with only a single 10K BTUH (small)A/C :



This is connected to an outlet that is only 12 inches from my main Home outdoor meter panel, so better than most connections for power loss:

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Old 02-07-2020, 02:32 PM   #15
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Just remember that there is additional voltage drop every time that you use another plug/socket combo. It adds up quickly. Here are the numbers on my 30 amp shore power with just a single 25 foot power cord:

Voltage at the breaker panel inside the RV with no power being drawn:



Voltage with only a single 10K BTUH A/C running:



This is connected to an outlet that is only 12 inches from my main Home outdoor meter panel, so better than most connections for power loss:
I'm not sure I can understand how a fair comparison of voltages can be done when the first reading is being taken with NO current draw and the second (downstream with an extension cord) is WITH a current draw.

What is the voltage at the 30a outlet WITH the A/C running?
Or even easier... what is the voltage at the breaker box WITHOUT the A/C running. (and everything else off)
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Old 02-07-2020, 02:39 PM   #16
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I'm not sure I can understand how a fair comparison of voltages can be done when the first reading is being taken with NO current draw and the second (downstream with an extension cord) is WITH a current draw.

What is the voltage at the 30a outlet WITH the A/C running?
Or even easier... what is the voltage at the breaker box WITHOUT the A/C running. (and everything else off)
Just displaying a 6 volt drop during start-up under best conditions for a direct 30 amp shore power connection. Add a few plug & socket connections and probably a 13.5K or 15K A/C unit and the voltage drop would be quite a bit more.

Voltage take in both cases at the breaker inside the RV, which is as close to the actual A/C unit as possible without disassembly to access the connections at the compressor input.

This shows a 38 amp inrush current at startup:

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Old 02-07-2020, 02:46 PM   #17
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But you are not proving the loss is because of the connections or the cord. You are comparing measurements taken at two different places, one with a draw and one without.

Measure the voltage in your home breaker box (on the breaker that feeds your R/V) when the R/Vs A/C kicks in and I'll bet you a dollar to a donut, you see a voltage drop there as well.
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Old 02-07-2020, 02:59 PM   #18
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Bluepill... my apologies for the misleading comments about the voltages being taken at two different places. Somewhere along the line I missed they were both taken at the R/V's breaker box.

Regardless... unless you take a measurement at the breaker in your home that feeds the 30a outlet (or at the 30a outlet itself) and compare that to your measurement in the R/V's breaker box, (when the A/C kicks in) you simply can't blame the voltage drop on connections or cords.
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Old 02-07-2020, 07:31 PM   #19
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The 30 amp outlet I plug into at home is wired to the main EXTERIOR panel at the service entrance. That's how outside loads are done here in Florida. Central A/C, patio and pool power, and my RV service all have breakers at that panel. With 12 inches of #8 THHN (That's what I had in stock) from the 30 AMP breaker to the 30 AMP outlet, I'll bet we're dealing with millivolt levels of voltage drop between the buss bar and the outlet.

As proof of my qualifications, I present this:



That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.
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Old 02-07-2020, 07:44 PM   #20
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I don't have a picture but I have an adaptor that plugs into a 30 amp plug a 20 amp plug and then goes to 50 amp. it doesn't work on gfi protected outlets and ive never used it with a generator for boondocking.
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