Living on 30 amps

[RGrimm]

Originally Posted by MarkPW

TitanMike: That's a nice meter but I can't make out a brand name or model. Can you provide an Amazon link?

Cheers!

TitanMike posted the link in post #17 (see below)

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Here's the link:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(I use the "smile.amazon" site and have my favorite charity set for Pancan. They are a major research/support group for Pancreatic Cancer which took my late wife's life in 2016. Just a olug for the charity)

Still costs less than $20 at $19.98

I mounted mine near the thermostat and then mounted the 2-piece Current Transformer (CT) around one of the leads where power enters the TT. For voltage I just tapped the back of a nearby outlet.

[RGrimm]

I purchased and installed the meter TitanMike posted. I like being able to look at a glance and see what my current draw is.

Here's mine, taken when my AC (15k) was running.

[samTummo]

I have run across TWO campgrounds that the 30 amp breaker on the power post tripped regularly. I swapped over to the 50 amp plug and never had another problem. Weak 30 breaker.
A 30 amp TT is designed to operate on 30 amps. When I use 2 small 1500 amp heaters one on high and one on low (750a) I just run them on separate lines. I have a right and left breaker in the TT.
Don’t use your hair dryer and micro at the same time. Price Free.
Samtummo

[RGrimm]

Originally Posted by samTummo

I have run across TWO campgrounds that the 30 amp breaker on the power post tripped regularly. I swapped over to the 50 amp plug and never had another problem. Weak 30 breaker.
A 30 amp TT is designed to operate on 30 amps. When I use 2 small 1500 amp heaters one on high and one on low (750a) I just run them on separate lines. I have a right and left breaker in the TT.
Don’t use your hair dryer and micro at the same time. Price Free.
Samtummo

If my site/pedestal offers me the option to connect to either 30 amp or 50 amp, I will always choose the 50 amp plug. While this does NOT give me 50 amp, my RV's main breaker is still a 30 amp breaker, it does eliminate me tripping the CG pedestal breaker and this is a good thing especially at 2:00 am

As you have found sometime the pedestal's 30 amp breakers tend to get weak and trip at a current draw lower than their 30 amp rating. I suspect that pedestal 30 Amp breakers get 'weak' because of their use. Most of us with 30 amp campers are probably drawing 24-26 amps 'often' when connected, so CG Pedestal 30 amp breakers are 'often' seeing current draws thru them close to their trip rate. Then add to that in a CG setting we use the Circuit Breaker like a switch, turning it on and off every time we connect and disconnect our campers. 'My feeling" is that current flow close to the trip rating for long periods and the 'switch function' use, helps 'weaken' a CG 30 amp breaker much sooner than a breaker in a home environment.

So when I have the option, I'll always connect to the CG's 50 amp plug.
-Russ

[BriaBeck]

Originally Posted by RGrimm

If my site/pedestal offers me the option to connect to either 30 amp or 50 amp, I will always choose the 50 amp plug. While this does NOT give me 50 amp, my RV's main breaker is still a 30 amp breaker, it does eliminate me tripping the CG pedestal breaker and this is a good thing especially at 2:00 am

As you have found sometime the pedestal's 30 amp breakers tend to get weak and trip at a current draw lower than their 30 amp rating. I suspect that pedestal 30 Amp breakers get 'weak' because of their use. Most of us with 30 amp campers are probably drawing 24-26 amps 'often' when connected, so CG Pedestal 30 amp breakers are 'often' seeing current draws thru them close to their trip rate. Then add to that in a CG setting we use the Circuit Breaker like a switch, turning it on and off every time we connect and disconnect our campers. 'My feeling" is that current flow close to the trip rating for long periods and the 'switch function' use, helps 'weaken' a CG 30 amp breaker much sooner than a breaker in a home environment.

So when I have the option, I'll always connect to the CG's 50 amp plug.
-Russ

That's sound logic!


Add to that the surge when the AC starts, and that could put the current going through that 30A breaker at upwards of 50A or more. A 30A breaker in a campground pedestal lives a hard life.


Knock on wood, haven't come across a bad one yet... but I've got a 50A-30A dogbone ready and waiting...