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Old 05-30-2016, 02:23 PM   #21
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30A / 50A

I wrote a long and detailed explanation post on this before detailing that there is very slight risk of doing this. My recommendation is that there is no issue doing this. I can't find the post so a quick summary is below.

For something bad to happen 2 to 3 simultaneous events have to occur for there to be a burning issue. There is no single point of failure that would not be covered.
Your trailer and all the internal wiring is protected with its own 30A circuit breaker. So that CB would have to fail and CB's almost never fail by not tripping. If they fail, they trip prematurely.
The only way to draw more current than your trailer 30A wiring can handle that would not be protected by your trailer 30A CB tripping is a short in the wiring from the trailer CB to the 50A hookup. This would due to insulation abrasion or wires getting crushed or cut. And these short circuit events usually draw very short duration extremely high currents (arcing and sparking) that would trip the 50A site hookup CB.

So I concur... Just do it!
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Old 05-30-2016, 02:32 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by nephi007 View Post
So i have a Progresssive Industries SSP-30X Smart Surge Protector Q: If I use a 39 to 50 amp adaptor do I now need a 50 amp PI Surge Protector?
No, the wiring in the adapter will take care of that.
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Old 05-30-2016, 03:36 PM   #23
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Hey everybody thanks for the tip. So i will buy to 30 amp to 50 amp adaptor and use the Progressive Industries 30 amp protector and call it good.
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Old 05-30-2016, 05:13 PM   #24
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I agree.
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Old 05-30-2016, 10:30 PM   #25
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I always use the 50 amp plug when available, never had a problem. Most 30 amp breaker are so worn out they trip easy. Also, when it's hot with high humidity, run your a/c fan on high, not on auto. The fan will run all the time, the compressor will work when it's needed. In the evening, when it cools down, turn the fan control back to auto so it will cycle when you sleep.
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Old 06-01-2016, 10:29 PM   #26
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Talking 30 amp breaker

Don't think I saw this in any of the posts. You said your A/C kept popping breaker. One thing to remember, each time the breaker pops, that breaker weakens and eventually will fail. So at this point your breaker could be in a weaker condition and pop easily. So you might want to replace it.
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Old 06-01-2016, 10:54 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by Iwannacamp View Post
I posted this one time before and got backlash...
I have a Progressive Industries EMS(had on a 30amp 5er) and had a warranty issue. While talking to the tech from PI he told me to always use the 50 amp plug(with adapter) when applicable, because it was cleaner power. FWIW
That's funny. Power "cleanliness", which I assume he was referring to the quality of the waveform, is a non issue with utility power. The only issue I can see is that with a 50 amp supply you are using 1 leg to supply a 30 amp plug. A 50 amp breaker is meant to supply 25 amps to each leg. Wire size at the panel breaker may also become an issue, not sure about that one as I don't recall if wire gauge is larger when increasing from 25 to 30 amps. If you are using a generator with a 220v outlet don't use a single leg of it to supply 30 amps, the breaker will kick. If you have access to a 30 amp plug for your 30 amp RV, use the 30 amp plugs.
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Old 06-01-2016, 11:44 PM   #28
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That's funny. Power "cleanliness", which I assume he was referring to the quality of the waveform, is a non issue with utility power. The only issue I can see is that with a 50 amp supply you are using 1 leg to supply a 30 amp plug. A 50 amp breaker is meant to supply 25 amps to each leg. Wire size at the panel breaker may also become an issue, not sure about that one as I don't recall if wire gauge is larger when increasing from 25 to 30 amps. If you are using a generator with a 220v outlet don't use a single leg of it to supply 30 amps, the breaker will kick. If you have access to a 30 amp plug for your 30 amp RV, use the 30 amp plugs.
I believe a 50 amp, 220 volt circuit supplies 50 amps to each leg. Check the breaker at the pedestal or in your RV and you will see double 50 amp breakers ganged together...
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Old 06-02-2016, 04:47 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by Brewhedd View Post
That's funny. Power "cleanliness", which I assume he was referring to the quality of the waveform, is a non issue with utility power. The only issue I can see is that with a 50 amp supply you are using 1 leg to supply a 30 amp plug. A 50 amp breaker is meant to supply 25 amps to each leg. Wire size at the panel breaker may also become an issue, not sure about that one as I don't recall if wire gauge is larger when increasing from 25 to 30 amps. If you are using a generator with a 220v outlet don't use a single leg of it to supply 30 amps, the breaker will kick. If you have access to a 30 amp plug for your 30 amp RV, use the 30 amp plugs.
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I believe a 50 amp, 220 volt circuit supplies 50 amps to each leg. Check the breaker at the pedestal or in your RV and you will see double 50 amp breakers ganged together...
Dalford is correct. A 50 amp 120/240 volt split phase service is TWO 50 amp hot legs with TWO 50 amp breakers ganged together in essence.....which provides 100 amps total.

The double pole breakers are tied together because they share a common neutral wire between them, which carries the return load imbalance between the two sides.

These links will explain it better:

Electrical Tutorial - Chapter 3 - 30 Amp versus 50 Amp

RV Electric

and this pic helps:

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Old 06-02-2016, 07:52 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by dalford View Post
I believe a 50 amp, 220 volt circuit supplies 50 amps to each leg. Check the breaker at the pedestal or in your RV and you will see double 50 amp breakers ganged together...
That would be the first time I've heard of that. A 50 amp breaker in a supply panel, say the one in your home, is rated for 50 amps total not 100. There seems to be a large misconception that because a 50 amp breaker is marked 50 amps on each leg it can carry 100 amps. That is not the case, it is a 50 amp breaker.


Here's a 50 amp breaker, as you can see it's rated @ 50 amps.
New Cutler Hammer BR 2 Pole 50 Amp Breaker Free Shipping | eBay
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Old 06-02-2016, 08:00 AM   #31
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Originally Posted by Brewhedd View Post
That would be the first time I've heard of that. A 50 amp breaker in a supply panel, say the one in your home, is rated for 50 amps total not 100. There seems to be a large misconception that because a 50 amp breaker is marked 50 amps on each leg it can carry 100 amps. That is not the case, it is a 50 amp breaker.


Here's a 50 amp breaker, as you can see it's rated @ 50 amps.
New Cutler Hammer BR 2 Pole 50 Amp Breaker Free Shipping | eBay
There are 2, 50 amp breakers ganged together at all power panels for rv hook up. There are 2 power busses in the rv and each one has 50 amps available to it. You do the math.
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Old 06-02-2016, 08:09 AM   #32
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Be careful, you want a 50A to 30A adapter as shown below. There is also a 30A to 50A which you do not want.


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Originally Posted by nephi007 View Post
Hey everybody thanks for the tip. So i will buy to 30 amp to 50 amp adaptor and use the Progressive Industries 30 amp protector and call it good.
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Old 06-02-2016, 08:25 AM   #33
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But the bottom line is if you are tripping your 30A breaker now.... using an adapter on the 50A outlet is not going to change anything. You will still be tripping your 30A breaker on the trailer.

Using the adapter is fine though.

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Old 06-02-2016, 08:33 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brewhedd View Post
That would be the first time I've heard of that. A 50 amp breaker in a supply panel, say the one in your home, is rated for 50 amps total not 100. There seems to be a large misconception that because a 50 amp breaker is marked 50 amps on each leg it can carry 100 amps. That is not the case, it is a 50 amp breaker.


Here's a 50 amp breaker, as you can see it's rated @ 50 amps.
New Cutler Hammer BR 2 Pole 50 Amp Breaker Free Shipping | eBay
It's all explained in the links I provided in post #29. It's 50 amps total at 240 volts..... or 100 amps total at 120 volts (which is how the RV's utilize it). The links will help explain it all, as I know it's hard to sometimes get a understanding of it.

The double pole breaker you have linked is just that, a double pole breaker. Each pole is 50 amps at 120 volts.

When a 120/240 split phase service is used as 120 volts only (both legs separate), then the total amps available are added together (50 amps on L1 + 50 amps on L2).

Another thing that may help get a handle on it, is to look up RV power cords. You will see that a 50 amp power cord, utilizes larger wires (the L1, L2, and neutral), since they have to be rated to handle 50 amps of 120 volt power on each wire..... as opposed to a 30 amp cord having to handle 30 amps on each wire.

You should find that your typical 25' cord utilizes #6 wire for the L1, L2, and neutral in a 50 amp cord.......... whereas a 30 amp cord utilizes #10 wire.
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Old 06-14-2016, 10:33 PM   #35
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adapters 30 to 50 amp

Can we talk about getting 30 or 50 amps from the dryer plug, my son has no spare circuits or anything else to supply us with power to the trailer when we visit. Looks like the second picture dogbone would fit the dryer plug. Can I do this???
thanks
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Originally Posted by wmtire View Post
They make adapters to go both ways. The 50 amp male to 30 amp female adapter just terminates the L2 leg inside the adapter so there is no second 120 volt leg (L2), which a 30 amp RV doesn't need.



12" Adapter 50 Amp Male to 30 Amp Female Dogbone Adapter



The 30 amp male to 50 amp female jumps the L1 leg over onto the L2 side, to provide power to both legs inside a 50 amp RV, albeit you are limited to 30 amps total power between both legs.

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Old 06-14-2016, 11:12 PM   #36
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Along the same lines, my garage outlets and the driveway lighting are on a 30 amp circuit. I have an outlet box wired in line with the mercury vapor driveway light that I plug my Hauler into with the 30 amp RV cord with the plug adaptor. With this in mind my question is, am I asking for trouble if I run my Haulers AC off of this?
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Old 06-14-2016, 11:37 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by Rivnut View Post
Can we talk about getting 30 or 50 amps from the dryer plug, my son has no spare circuits or anything else to supply us with power to the trailer when we visit. Looks like the second picture dogbone would fit the dryer plug. Can I do this???
thanks
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You could do this...and fry everything. That dryer plug is wired for 240V. Stay away from it.
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Old 06-15-2016, 01:22 AM   #38
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Originally Posted by Rivnut View Post
Can we talk about getting 30 or 50 amps from the dryer plug, my son has no spare circuits or anything else to supply us with power to the trailer when we visit. Looks like the second picture dogbone would fit the dryer plug. Can I do this???
thanks
Rivnut
Probably not. The dryer is most likely 240 volts without a separate ground wire....which any RV has to have the ground whether 30 amps or 50 amps.

This link helps explain it better. Click on the appliance links to the left.

RV Electric

You'll also probably find out the dogbone adapter does not fit the dryer plug, as the ground terminal plug on the adapter is not the same as neutral terminal on the dryer outlet. Even if you made it fit, you would be sending one leg of of 120 volts onto the neutral wire of your RV, and burn something up.

DO NOT attempt this

As from the link:
No adapter is made or available to plug your RV into the OLD 50-amp 120/240-volt 3 pole 3 wire (10-50R) OR a 30-amp 120/240-volt 3 pole 3 wire (10-30R) APPLIANCE service.


Is using a generator out of the question at your son's home?

If so, there is a way to convert his dryer outlet to at least a 120 volt 30 amp service using the existing wiring. You'll have to change the breaker (remove the double pole dryer breaker and install a single pole 30 amp breaker) and wire connection in his electrical box. You'll just make one of the currently used hot wires into a ground. Then you will remove his dryer outlet and wire in a TT-30R like this:

http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/30-amp%20Service.pdf

If you want to make it a 120/240 volt 50 amp split phase service though, you'll have to get someone to pull a new ground wire.

It's explained in the appliance tab of the link above. However I would caution against doing this yourself as you don't seem to be very familiar with this (no insult intended), and may be best to hire an electrician to do it for you. You can show him the diagrams.

But if you do this, then you may likely be taking his clothes dryer out of the picture, which I assume he uses.
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Old 06-15-2016, 05:20 AM   #39
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Originally Posted by raspivey View Post
You could do this...and fry everything. That dryer plug is wired for 240V. Stay away from it.
so are 50 amp rv plugs... what's the difference?
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Old 06-15-2016, 05:22 AM   #40
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Originally Posted by wmtire View Post
Probably not. The dryer is most likely 240 volts without a separate ground wire....which any RV has to have the ground whether 30 amps or 50 amps.

This link helps explain it better. Click on the appliance links to the left.

RV Electric

You'll also probably find out the dogbone adapter does not fit the dryer plug, as the ground terminal plug on the adapter is not the same as neutral terminal on the dryer outlet. Even if you made it fit, you would be sending one leg of of 120 volts onto the neutral wire of your RV, and burn something up.

DO NOT attempt this

As from the link:
No adapter is made or available to plug your RV into the OLD 50-amp 120/240-volt 3 pole 3 wire (10-50R) OR a 30-amp 120/240-volt 3 pole 3 wire (10-30R) APPLIANCE service.


Is using a generator out of the question at your son's home?

If so, there is a way to convert his dryer outlet to at least a 120 volt 30 amp service using the existing wiring. You'll have to change the breaker (remove the double pole dryer breaker and install a single pole 30 amp breaker) and wire connection in his electrical box. You'll just make one of the currently used hot wires into a ground. Then you will remove his dryer outlet and wire in a TT-30R like this:

http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/30-amp%20Service.pdf

If you want to make it a 120/240 volt 50 amp split phase service though, you'll have to get someone to pull a new ground wire.

It's explained in the appliance tab of the link above. However I would caution against doing this yourself as you don't seem to be very familiar with this (no insult intended), and may be best to hire an electrician to do it for you. You can show him the diagrams.

But if you do this, then you may likely be taking his clothes dryer out of the picture, which I assume he uses.
Any dryer plug wired in the last 20 years must have ground separate from the neutral. 4 prongs he's good to go, 3 he's not.
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