I am a degreed (Department of Labor), IBEW, union electrician from Cook County, llinois - Local #134. I "stumbled" accross your video when trying to help a friend who has electrical problems with his RV. I must sincerely commend you. Many non- electricians "pretend" to know the real truths of the trade, when of course, they do not. You took an interesting 'nitch' of people, RV owners, (I myself do not own an RV), and accurately, and simply explained basic electrical concepts in a way easy to be understood. You are to be commended sir . . .
Mark outstanding presentation of 30 versus 50 amp service. I've had numerous discussions with many people over the years as to the use of the 50 to 30 amp adapter (dogbone). My 2001 Discovery motorhome came wired for 30 amps. In some of the older RV parks, I experienced frequent breaker trips at the pedestal due to overload. I bought the 50 to 30 amp adapter and it solved most all my problems. The Discovery has a load management system on board that sheds power when needed but I still experienced frequent breaker trips when running both roof AC's on the 30 amp service. The adapter cured that issue as it supplied 50 amp single phase and allowed the 30 amp load controller to do its job. The arguments I encounter were from people that said all that I was doing was dividing the 50 amp service in half and only getting 25 amps. You have verified that argument and confirmed the fact that my adapter has solved my load problems. Thanks again for the great video!
Wow, that was great. I’m new to the RV world but not at all new to electrical wiring. His explanation is exactly what I thought the situation is and his explanation was excellent. I’m installing new circuits at my house for an RV. The reason I’m here is because of my confusion from consulting “experts” at RV places and all the dumb, misleading and conflicting information I’ve received from them, even the mechanics and repair guys. I tried to explain my understanding and assumptions, but I just got the response “RVs are different.” Turns out its exactly like I was trying to explain it to them. Electricity is electricity like gravity is gravity. Anyway, my work is done and everything is working as expected, just like explained here. So this is proper in case you were wondering.
Thank you for this,just purchased an RV and they sold me a 50 amp plug and adapter for the 30 amp plug. Thanks to this I’ll be bringing the 50amp and adapter plug back for a 30 amp surge protector.
Very nice, clear explanation of the topic. Thanks so much. It is confusing in our country because our homes actually have 240 volt service but residential appliances are usually 120 volts. I still have to wrestle with why you get 240 volts across the two 120v hot wires, but I'll figure that out eventually!! Thanks again.
Mike I've watched 100/s of videos on electrical and you explained it the best. THANK YOU. Im building a skoolie conversion and am thinking I'm only going to need a 30 amp electrical service system
Perfect i was wondering about this my Lincoln 10,000 welder generator has a 50 amp outlet and I wanted to make sure if I got the 50 to 30 adapter it wouldn’t fry something
I personally plug my 30 amp into the 50 amp with the adapter with a surge protector I found that the 30 amp most campgrounds will blow or trip the breaker and 50-amp it gives me adequate power
In Australia we use 240 volts 50 hz 10 amp switched wall plug and 15 amp. The 15 amp is the lowest for heavy use and goes up to 50 amp ? . RVs, travel trailers, vendors use 15 amp for everything. power tools have a 15 amp 240 volt 3 pin plug. Our 3 phase is 415 amp 50 hz.
It is very helpful to test your outlet with a meter. I caught a mis-wired 50 amp outlet at a campground once. Instead of two separate 50 amp wires feeding the outlet, there was one hot wire and a jumper wire connecting the two hots on the back of the outlet. Instead of 240 volts across the two hots, I was getting zero. It was at the site my buddy was in. I told him he would melt the outlet if he ran both air units. The next day a couple sites away, a power pedestal caught fire. I assume it was mis-wired as well.
Thank you. This helps with knowing what has to be done to obtain 240v for my shop tools. I always thought that it was a split 25a/25a but see now that it is split 50a/50a. It was helpful to see you meter the voltage in the 50 amp service. Do many parks offer both the 30 and 50 amp service? I was wondering if parks would let me hook up to both? Just tossing this idea around for tools in the toy hauler section
Thanks for the information... Question.. to get surge protection do I need to get two separate protectors one for 30 amp service and one for 50 amp service ?
Thank you for these videos. They are hugely informative. If my RV has a 50-amp, balanced split fuse box, and I plug the 50-amp service cord into a 30-amp plug (using an adaptor) will only one side of the split fuse box then receive 120-volt power, or does the adaptor plug send 30-amp, 120v up both sides of the 50-amp cord? Thank you, again. Charlie
The way the adapter is configured is the single 120-volt hot wire from the 30 amp supply jumps across supplying 120-volts to both sides of the 50 amp plug but it only totals 30 amps between them, so you are limited in what you can use.
I notice that 3 things 30 amp plug years ago in State park ..where they make u paid same price even if u are tent camping .. I found a old 3 thing plug and wire and then connect a couple of 110 plug box... So now tent camping I got electricity for tv,VCR ,light small heater or what ever ...HA ha nothing like roughing it ..lol
I only wish most youtube videos were this accurate and to the point. Trapped in the 1970s?... Perhaps, but hiring a dead sexy model like Mr Polk here, made it both watchable AND educational.
Now, that was helpful! I never understood that. So, most RVs are 120v no matter the 30/50 amp service. Good to know that. Mine is 30 amp, but I have friends with 50 amp, so I am wiring outside RV electric service with both. When I have time!
Very well said , thanks for schooling me :-D ....... I have a new Trailer camper and I'm crazy trying to find out if I have 30 amps or 50 amps....now just by looking at the plug I can tell now that it's a 30 amps..Lol
hey this is a very informative video because I couldn't find a video explaining the power, however when you have a 50 amp camper adapt to a 30 amp plug you will basically eliminate the ability to run approximately half of the circuits is this correct because there is only 1 phase of power and not 2 is this right? in other words 1 half of the panel will have no power right?
RV Education 101® , I am curious how this is achieved, each 120 is isolated from the other and if the panel is balanced then half of the circuits are split between either A or B phase would be my understanding....I am not trying to doubt but to better understand. if you are feeding a normally 240v circuit with 120 half will not receive power unless there is some sort of internal power supply . Again thanks for your help here
It's pretty simple. The way adapter is configured is the single 120 volt hot wire from the 30 amp supply jumps across supplying 120 volts to both sides of the 50 amp plug but it only totals 30 amps between them.
The RV internal main 30A breaker would probably trip if total internal load exceeds 30A even when plugged in to a 50A line. So 30A is single phase between hot and neutral with ground. Since the 50A is two phases @ 240in between and 120 to neutral and ground then the adapter to 30A must be using only one phase out of the two. I will ring it to confirm. One must be disconnected internally. At this point if that is what happens I wonder about phase balance from the 50A external service line. If ten 30A RVs plug in at the 50A connector with an adapter and all use only the same one leg off of the 240 it could create a balancing problem in the service line. Interesting. Thanks for the video. I will have to check now.
Changing mine to 50amp. The kits that I've seen uses a 3 prong twist lock on the rv and a 4 prong on the base panel. It's confusing to me. Is the neutral or ground done away with?
This is all new to me and cornfusing. Getting the house outlet to run to a 30 AMP RV is what I am dealing with. The outlet having 250v and not an RV 30 AMP Outlet on house.
If you have a Twist-Lock 50A connector on your cables, it is advisable that you DO twist to lock the cables in place to prevent them from separating and to provide a better contact pad for each of the connector pins. It is MORE advisable to make sure you shut off the main breaker before you pull apart or connect any of your Twist-Lock connectors to extend the life of your connectors.
Comment & a question. So if you use an adapter to plug in a trailer that has a 30A plug into a 50A receptacle then any electrical draw above 3600 watts would trip the main breaker in the trailer. However if by some bizarre chance the main (30A) breaker should fail then being plugged into 50A receptacle would then pose a danger. Normally the 30A breaker on the pedestal is your backup in case your main 30A breaker fails. Question: When you plug an RV that has a 50A plug into a 30A pedestal (using a dog bone adapter) are both 50A legs receiving electricity or is just one of the 50A legs receiving electricity?
Terry I want to install a 30 receptacle on the side of my camper conversion and a GFI receptacle and an additional receptacle inside. I watched this installation of the female receptacle but I am looking to do a male on the outside of the RV. then run the wire to the two additional plugs. Can you explain
The rv has a hubbell 30 amp three prong , the cord has a 3 prong rv side and a 4 prong plug side. Now we are going to try a hubbell 3 prong on both ends to a generator next week.
i have a generac gp 7500e and it has a 4 plug 120/240 split but is says 30amp on it and 1times 30 amps 120/240 it doesn't say 50amp anywhere so jam not sure, i have a 50 amp fifth wheel and was thinking i could use it for boon docking but confused if its 30a or 50a
It is 30 amps but at 120/240 split phase. So you have two 120 volt hot connections but they are rated at 30 amps instead of 50. You can use a total of 7200 watts. You will need an adapter like the camco 55422. It needs to be L14-30p (plug) to 14-50r (receptical). That should provide plenty of power most diesel pushers have a similar sized generator. Only issue would be if you have 3 air conditioners.
I still need further explanation of use of a 30amp adapter to a 50 amp receptacle. The coach with a 30amp system is set up for only one 110 volt input. the 50 amp receptacle provides 2- 110 volt circuits. Does the 30 to 50 amp adapter eliminate one of those 110 volt inputs internally?
Yes, when you use an adapter to plug your RV into a 50 amp receptacle the adapter is configured to only use 30 amps when connected to a 50 amp receptacle. So there is no difference plugging your 30 amp RV into a 30 or 50 amp receptacle.
Thanks, 50 Amp service =~ a 12KW generator, a 30 amp service = 3.6 KW generator. I do think it is funny that someone might think that an 30 Amp adapter to an RV with 50amp requirement might be the way to go. I can see keeping some critical circuits hot. But you are denying power to one of the legs of the 240 V circuit.
This is tricky because I’m putting a 50 amp (120 voltAC) inverter/charger in a old Motorhome with 30 amp wiring. I’m taking out the 28 year old 30 amp converter and replacing it with a panel wired for 50 amp AC split phase service to power the inverter/charger. This is not because I will be running two air conditioners or a lot of big loads. It’s because the battery charger part of the inverter/charger is a additional 20 amps AC and sometimes I may want to rapid charge my Lithium batteries at 130 amps DC. But I’ll actually only have 45 amp service because I’ll use a Combiner Adapter to combine a 15 amp outlet and a 30 amp outlet so that my power is all in phase for the inverter charger. I’ll just need to adjust the inverter/charger to draw only 45 amps rather than the full 50 amps it’s capable of. This may be a lot of wiring for nothing as I boondock mostly and don’t have more than my solar and little 2000 watt generator can provide. But I may need it sometimes.
I'm having trouble with this video. Shouldn't that be 25 amps and 25 amps for a total of 50 amps? 50 amps available plus 50 amps available = 100 amps available. Also, it seems to me like 50 amps of 120V service on a leg would smoke the plug. 30 amp tends to get hot, I can't imagine what 50 amps per leg would do. Wouldn't it also mean that when you plug a 30 amp cord with an adapter into a 50 amp outlet you would get 50 amps? Please explain this further.
The wiring used for a 50 RV outlet is called a 120/240 split phase service. All it really means is there are two 50 amp, 120 volt legs at the outlet that supply two separate 50 amp 120 volt legs at the RV power distribution box. The electrical load in the RV is balanced between the two separate 50 amp 120 volt legs at the distribution box. The gauges of wire used in a 50 amp power cord are sized to handle the load and prevent it from getting hot and causing damage to the plug or the receptacle. Compare a 30 amp power cord to a 50 amp power cord and you will see a significant difference in size. When you use an adapter to plug a 30 amp service into a 50 amp outlet the adapter is wired to only use on leg of the 50 amp outlet, and the 30 amp RV distribution panel still only allows a maximum of 30 amps.
Of course some countries (Not USA for example who run 110 volts in their homes etc) watching this will actually run a 240V power system. Such as us here in New Zealand. And have different power socket/plug needs. (www.power-plugs-sockets.com/new-zealand/) This video, although a global internet video, is specific to 110V based countries like USA and I assume Canada etc. (www.power-plugs-sockets.com/new-zealand/) Here, in New Zealand, house power sockets are 10Amp rated but other devices such as Ovens, Cooking tops, hot water heating units etc vary in Amp needs for example an oven is high and tends to be around 60 amps I am not completely sure what the actual camp site service here is regarding Amp ratings (I will try and find out) but I do know a single kiwi style 3 pin plug provides 240V capabilities. I think the NZ plug/socket amperage here in NZ is 16Amp.. so 16 x 240 = 3840 And New Zealand motor homes and "campers" all use this. As I said I need to double check this.
The majority of outlets in a house are 15 or 20 amps which limits what you can use in the RV. It's best to have an electrician wire a 30 amp outlet just for the RV.
I disagree with using a 30 amp to 50 amp adapter you'll only get 3600W. You will get 50 amps (6000W) since the each hot leg of the 50 amp service is wired with a 50 amp circuit breaker. All the adapter does is drop a hot leg. Not sure if it matters. A dedicated 30 amp RV can only use 30 amps since the main breaker inside an RV is wired for 30 amps maximum (unless you swap it out with a larger circuit breaker).
You said the same thing he did in the video. You will not get more than 30A in your RV because "your RV is still a 30A service". That is not a disagreement.
Theoretically if you had a 50 amp rv and adapted down to a 30 amp cord then adapted back up to plug into 50 amps on the pedestal you would get 6,000 watts to the rig. I imagine this could lead to problems but would be possible.
If you have 50amp RV and use a 30amp to 50amp dogbone because RV park only has 30amp service...will the panel inside your RV feed both Main Breakers since you need 2 hot legs? As far as I know 30amp service only has 1 hot leg, so does this Dog bone split that 1 Hot leg coming from 30 amp RV service into 2 hot legs that plug into the RV?
The guy who wired my Raptor should have taken a electrical class... Kept burning up 50 amp cords, plugs and went through 2 power surge protectors. Found that he had wired backwards somehow and both legs onto one 50 amp breaker and removed the transfer switch making the onboard onan generator useless unless you ran the power cord from side of the coach around the front into the generator compartment and plug it into a 50 amp plug mounted inside the compartment. It caused me to have to replace both AC units, microwave and the 12v power supply/converter, on top of replacing the power cords and surge protectors and the actual power cord connector on the rv itself. After finding this out, my dealer not only fixed it but replaced the missing transfer switch at no cost. Untrained people should not be messing with electrical systems in an rv.
Couldn't help - Black wire to ground wire will 120 VAC, White wire to ground wire will measure 120 VAC. Measuring black wire to white wire should measure 240 VAC. Am I right?
I am a degreed (Department of Labor), IBEW, union electrician from Cook County, llinois - Local #134.
I "stumbled" accross your video when trying to help a friend who has electrical problems with his RV.
I must sincerely commend you. Many non- electricians "pretend" to know the real truths of the trade, when of course, they do not.
You took an interesting 'nitch' of people, RV owners, (I myself do not own an RV), and accurately, and simply explained basic electrical concepts in a way easy to be understood.
You are to be commended sir . . .
Every person who wants to get into Rving NEEDS to watch this video, this gentleman explained this particular subject perfectly.
Mark outstanding presentation of 30 versus 50 amp service. I've had numerous discussions with many people over the years as to the use of the 50 to 30 amp adapter (dogbone). My 2001 Discovery motorhome came wired for 30 amps. In some of the older RV parks, I experienced frequent breaker trips at the pedestal due to overload. I bought the 50 to 30 amp adapter and it solved most all my problems. The Discovery has a load management system on board that sheds power when needed but I still experienced frequent breaker trips when running both roof AC's on the 30 amp service. The adapter cured that issue as it supplied 50 amp single phase and allowed the 30 amp load controller to do its job. The arguments I encounter were from people that said all that I was doing was dividing the 50 amp service in half and only getting 25 amps. You have verified that argument and confirmed the fact that my adapter has solved my load problems. Thanks again for the great video!
Thank you. I have looked at countless sources that can't seem to explain what you said in less than 5 minutes. You da man!
Wow, that was great. I’m new to the RV world but not at all new to electrical wiring. His explanation is exactly what I thought the situation is and his explanation was excellent. I’m installing new circuits at my house for an RV. The reason I’m here is because of my confusion from consulting “experts” at RV places and all the dumb, misleading and conflicting information I’ve received from them, even the mechanics and repair guys. I tried to explain my understanding and assumptions, but I just got the response “RVs are different.” Turns out its exactly like I was trying to explain it to them. Electricity is electricity like gravity is gravity. Anyway, my work is done and everything is working as expected, just like explained here. So this is proper in case you were wondering.
As many have mentioned, this is the clearest explanation thus far
Thank you for this,just purchased an RV and they sold me a 50 amp plug and adapter for the 30 amp plug. Thanks to this I’ll be bringing the 50amp and adapter plug back for a 30 amp surge protector.
Very nice, clear explanation of the topic. Thanks so much. It is confusing in our country because our homes actually have 240 volt service but residential appliances are usually 120 volts. I still have to wrestle with why you get 240 volts across the two 120v hot wires, but I'll figure that out eventually!! Thanks again.
Mike I've watched 100/s of videos on electrical and you explained it the best. THANK YOU. Im building a skoolie conversion and am thinking I'm only going to need a 30 amp electrical service system
That’s the best video on UA-cam explaining EXACTLY what’s what.....thank you!
Very clear explanation.
Plain and and simple for the DIY Guy,.
Thank you
You just answered my questions and doubts.....in a very simple way. I appreciate your services very much. Thank you
Perfect i was wondering about this my Lincoln 10,000 welder generator has a 50 amp outlet and I wanted to make sure if I got the 50 to 30 adapter it wouldn’t fry something
You're a great teacher! Thank you for the clear explanation.
I watched 10 other videos trying to understand this before watching this one. Thanks!
Great to hear!
Thank you! Very helpful information about the electrical systems.
Easy to understand and straightforward video. Thank you so much for sharing.
I personally plug my 30 amp into the 50 amp with the adapter with a surge protector I found that the 30 amp most campgrounds will blow or trip the breaker and 50-amp it gives me adequate power
Very good explanation. Clear and concise. I was surprised that the 50 amp was 2x 120 / 50 amp legs (phases) for a total 100 amps. Wow!
Really nice video simple explanation for new campers thank you
Very informative did not know both legs carried 50 amps separately... thanks
Great info for those who dont understand the difference.
GREAT VIDEO AND KNOWLEDGE _ EXTREMLY HELPFUL
Very good explanation. Thank you!
In Australia we use 240 volts 50 hz 10 amp switched wall plug and 15 amp. The 15 amp is the lowest for heavy use and goes up to 50 amp ? . RVs, travel trailers, vendors use 15 amp for everything. power tools have a 15 amp 240 volt 3 pin plug. Our 3 phase is 415 amp 50 hz.
It is very helpful to test your outlet with a meter. I caught a mis-wired 50 amp outlet at a campground once. Instead of two separate 50 amp wires feeding the outlet, there was one hot wire and a jumper wire connecting the two hots on the back of the outlet. Instead of 240 volts across the two hots, I was getting zero. It was at the site my buddy was in. I told him he would melt the outlet if he ran both air units. The next day a couple sites away, a power pedestal caught fire. I assume it was mis-wired as well.
Very educational. Thanks for the video.
Thank you. This helps with knowing what has to be done to obtain 240v for my shop tools. I always thought that it was a split 25a/25a but see now that it is split 50a/50a. It was helpful to see you meter the voltage in the 50 amp service. Do many parks offer both the 30 and 50 amp service? I was wondering if parks would let me hook up to both? Just tossing this idea around for tools in the toy hauler section
Yes, the majority of campgrounds offer both 30 and 50 amp connections at RV sites.
Thanks, very informative!
Great explanation Mark! God bless!
Very informative and practical. exactly what I came for.
Thank you, this was very concise and informative.
Thanks for the information... Question.. to get surge protection do I need to get two separate protectors one for 30 amp service and one for 50 amp service ?
Excellent video and explanation. Thank you.
This helped a lot. Thank you for the information.
Thank you for these videos. They are hugely informative. If my RV has a 50-amp, balanced split fuse box, and I plug the 50-amp service cord into a 30-amp plug (using an adaptor) will only one side of the split fuse box then receive 120-volt power, or does the adaptor plug send 30-amp, 120v up both sides of the 50-amp cord? Thank you, again. Charlie
The way the adapter is configured is the single 120-volt hot wire from the 30 amp supply jumps across supplying 120-volts to both sides of the 50 amp plug but it only totals 30 amps between them, so you are limited in what you can use.
I notice that 3 things 30 amp plug years ago in State park ..where they make u paid same price even if u are tent camping .. I found a old 3 thing plug and wire and then connect a couple of 110 plug box... So now tent camping I got electricity for tv,VCR ,light small heater or what ever ...HA ha nothing like roughing it ..lol
Great explanation.
Thanks!
Thanks this clears up a lot.
I only wish most youtube videos were this accurate and to the point. Trapped in the 1970s?... Perhaps, but hiring a dead sexy model like Mr Polk here, made it both watchable AND educational.
Another excellent video!
Yep. Another great tutorial... Thanks for posting.
Now, that was helpful! I never understood that. So, most RVs are 120v no matter the 30/50 amp service. Good to know that. Mine is 30 amp, but I have friends with 50 amp, so I am wiring outside RV electric service with both. When I have time!
Very helpful. Thanks Mark!
Very well said , thanks for schooling me :-D ....... I have a new Trailer camper and I'm crazy trying to find out if I have 30 amps or 50 amps....now just by looking at the plug I can tell now that it's a 30 amps..Lol
Glad to help!
this actually helped me with hooking up a welder lol thanks!
Very good informational video.
Glad you liked it
Awesome info and explanation. It answered my questions.
hey this is a very informative video because I couldn't find a video explaining the power, however when you have a 50 amp camper adapt to a 30 amp plug you will basically eliminate the ability to run approximately half of the circuits is this correct because there is only 1 phase of power and not 2 is this right? in other words 1 half of the panel will have no power right?
No, it will distribute the 30 amps across both sides but it severely limits what
can be used in the RV
RV Education 101® , I am curious how this is achieved, each 120 is isolated from the other and if the panel is balanced then half of the circuits are split between either A or B phase would be my understanding....I am not trying to doubt but to better understand. if you are feeding a normally 240v circuit with 120 half will not receive power unless there is some sort of internal power supply . Again thanks for your help here
It's pretty simple. The way adapter is configured is the single 120 volt hot wire from the 30 amp supply jumps across supplying 120 volts to both sides of the 50 amp plug but it only totals 30 amps between them.
Thank you for that great video
The RV internal main 30A breaker would probably trip if total internal load exceeds 30A even when plugged in to a 50A line. So 30A is single phase between hot and neutral with ground. Since the 50A is two phases @ 240in between and 120 to neutral and ground then the adapter to 30A must be using only one phase out of the two. I will ring it to confirm. One must be disconnected internally. At this point if that is what happens I wonder about phase balance from the 50A external service line. If ten 30A RVs plug in at the 50A connector with an adapter and all use only the same one leg off of the 240 it could create a balancing problem in the service line. Interesting. Thanks for the video. I will have to check now.
Great presentation..
Excellent video
Thank you for this video!
Changing mine to 50amp. The kits that I've seen uses a 3 prong twist lock on the rv and a 4 prong on the base panel. It's confusing to me. Is the neutral or ground done away with?
Great Job! Thanks a LOT!
Will you move next to us for a while? Thanks for all the videos.
For the 50 amp recept what gauge wire would you suggest. #6?
This is all new to me and cornfusing. Getting the house outlet to run to a 30 AMP RV is what I am dealing with. The outlet having 250v and not an RV 30 AMP Outlet on house.
How important is it to twist/turn the plugin on the 50 amp RV?
If you have a Twist-Lock 50A connector on your cables, it is advisable that you DO twist to lock the cables in place to prevent them from separating and to provide a better contact pad for each of the connector pins. It is MORE advisable to make sure you shut off the main breaker before you pull apart or connect any of your Twist-Lock connectors to extend the life of your connectors.
Thank you so much! This information is very hard to find and it shouldn't be.
Comment & a question. So if you use an adapter to plug in a trailer that has a 30A plug into a 50A receptacle then any electrical draw above 3600 watts would trip the main breaker in the trailer. However if by some bizarre chance the main (30A) breaker should fail then being plugged into 50A receptacle would then pose a danger. Normally the 30A breaker on the pedestal is your backup in case your main 30A breaker fails.
Question: When you plug an RV that has a 50A plug into a 30A pedestal (using a dog bone adapter) are both 50A legs receiving electricity or is just one of the 50A legs receiving electricity?
Thanks you,you've answered my question.
Awesome information thank you
Terry I want to install a 30 receptacle on the side of my camper conversion and a GFI receptacle and an additional receptacle inside. I watched this installation of the female receptacle but I am looking to do a male on the outside of the RV. then run the wire to the two additional plugs. Can you explain
I Mark I have question: if my generator only have connection for 30 amps plus two standard connections how can i run my 50 amp RV?
The rv has a hubbell 30 amp three prong , the cord has a 3 prong rv side and a 4 prong plug side. Now we are going to try a hubbell 3 prong on both ends to a generator next week.
Very helpful thank you
I was totally confused about 30 vs 50 watts. This helped a great deal. Thanks
you're still confused, it's amps not watts
Great info
In the rv with a 30 am whats the main breaker numbers
i have a generac gp 7500e and it has a 4 plug 120/240 split but is says 30amp on it and 1times 30 amps 120/240 it doesn't say 50amp anywhere so jam not sure, i have a 50 amp fifth wheel and was thinking i could use it for boon docking but confused if its 30a or 50a
It is 30 amps but at 120/240 split phase. So you have two 120 volt hot connections but they are rated at 30 amps instead of 50. You can use a total of 7200 watts. You will need an adapter like the camco 55422. It needs to be L14-30p (plug) to 14-50r (receptical). That should provide plenty of power most diesel pushers have a similar sized generator. Only issue would be if you have 3 air conditioners.
Awesome show
Very good video
I still need further explanation of use of a 30amp adapter to a 50 amp receptacle. The coach with a 30amp system is set up for only one 110 volt input. the 50 amp receptacle provides 2- 110 volt circuits. Does the 30 to 50 amp adapter eliminate one of those 110 volt inputs internally?
Yes, when you use an adapter to plug your RV into a 50 amp receptacle the adapter is configured to only use 30 amps when connected to a 50 amp receptacle. So there is no difference plugging your 30 amp RV into a 30 or 50 amp receptacle.
Thank you
Great video
Thanks, 50 Amp service =~ a 12KW generator, a 30 amp service = 3.6 KW generator. I do think it is funny that someone might think that an 30 Amp adapter to an RV with 50amp requirement might be the way to go. I can see keeping some critical circuits hot. But you are denying power to one of the legs of the 240 V circuit.
NIce, that's some good information and certainly cleared up some bad info I got. Thanks!
Thank you so much. ❤️
This is tricky because I’m putting a 50 amp (120 voltAC) inverter/charger in a old Motorhome with 30 amp wiring. I’m taking out the 28 year old 30 amp converter and replacing it with a panel wired for 50 amp AC split phase service to power the inverter/charger. This is not because I will be running two air conditioners or a lot of big loads. It’s because the battery charger part of the inverter/charger is a additional 20 amps AC and sometimes I may want to rapid charge my Lithium batteries at 130 amps DC.
But I’ll actually only have 45 amp service because I’ll use a Combiner Adapter to combine a 15 amp outlet and a 30 amp outlet so that my power is all in phase for the inverter charger. I’ll just need to adjust the inverter/charger to draw only 45 amps rather than the full 50 amps it’s capable of. This may be a lot of wiring for nothing as I boondock mostly and don’t have more than my solar and little 2000 watt generator can provide. But I may need it sometimes.
Why would my 30 amp plug melt, the receptacle also shows burns?
That's due to arching at the connections. The connections are worn. You should replace them. That may mean getting a new power cord.
I'm having trouble with this video. Shouldn't that be 25 amps and 25 amps for a total of 50 amps? 50 amps available plus 50 amps available = 100 amps available. Also, it seems to me like 50 amps of 120V service on a leg would smoke the plug. 30 amp tends to get hot, I can't imagine what 50 amps per leg would do. Wouldn't it also mean that when you plug a 30 amp cord with an adapter into a 50 amp outlet you would get 50 amps? Please explain this further.
The wiring used for a 50 RV outlet is called a 120/240 split phase service. All it really means is there are two 50 amp, 120 volt legs at the outlet that supply two separate 50 amp 120 volt legs at the RV power distribution box. The electrical load in the RV is balanced between the two separate 50 amp 120 volt legs at the distribution box.
The gauges of wire used in a 50 amp power cord are sized to handle the load and prevent it from getting hot and causing damage to the plug or the receptacle. Compare a 30 amp power cord to a 50 amp power cord and you will see a significant difference in size.
When you use an adapter to plug a 30 amp service into a 50 amp outlet the adapter is wired to only use on leg of the 50 amp outlet, and the 30 amp RV distribution panel still only allows a maximum of 30 amps.
Thanks, I think that helps.
Of course some countries (Not USA for example who run 110 volts in their homes etc) watching this will actually run a 240V power system. Such as us here in New Zealand. And have different power socket/plug needs. (www.power-plugs-sockets.com/new-zealand/)
This video, although a global internet video, is specific to 110V based countries like USA and I assume Canada etc.
(www.power-plugs-sockets.com/new-zealand/)
Here, in New Zealand, house power sockets are 10Amp rated but other devices such as Ovens, Cooking tops, hot water heating units etc vary in Amp needs for example an oven is high and tends to be around 60 amps
I am not completely sure what the actual camp site service here is regarding Amp ratings (I will try and find out) but I do know a single kiwi style 3 pin plug provides 240V capabilities.
I think the NZ plug/socket amperage here in NZ is 16Amp.. so 16 x 240 = 3840
And New Zealand motor homes and "campers" all use this.
As I said I need to double check this.
DOES A 30 AMPS CAMPER CAN BE CONNECTED TO A HOUSE TO GET THE POWER FOR THE CAMPER?
The majority of outlets in a house are 15 or 20 amps which limits what you can
use in the RV. It's best to have an electrician wire a 30 amp outlet just for
the RV.
RV Education 101® THANK YOU, KEEP UP THE GOOD AND EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS.
Is a fifth wheel a 50 amp?
Some are and some aren't. It depends on how it is equipped
I disagree with using a 30 amp to 50 amp adapter you'll only get 3600W. You will get 50 amps (6000W) since the each hot leg of the 50 amp service is wired with a 50 amp circuit breaker. All the adapter does is drop a hot leg. Not sure if it matters. A dedicated 30 amp RV can only use 30 amps since the main breaker inside an RV is wired for 30 amps maximum (unless you swap it out with a larger circuit breaker).
You said the same thing he did in the video. You will not get more than 30A in your RV because "your RV is still a 30A service". That is not a disagreement.
Theoretically if you had a 50 amp rv and adapted down to a 30 amp cord then adapted back up to plug into 50 amps on the pedestal you would get 6,000 watts to the rig. I imagine this could lead to problems but would be possible.
Thank you. This helped!
Thank you for video!
If you have 50amp RV and use a 30amp to 50amp dogbone because RV park only has 30amp service...will the panel inside your RV feed both Main Breakers since you need 2 hot legs? As far as I know 30amp service only has 1 hot leg, so does this Dog bone split that 1 Hot leg coming from 30 amp RV service into 2 hot legs that plug into the RV?
Yes but you only have 30 available amps so only one ac can be ran
Can 30 Ampere Kill A Man?
Most assuredly
Yes. It only takes 0.005 amps to kill a person within certain conditions. This is why you have GFCI receptacles within your home.
Thank you 🙏
try both don't know which is better
That there Clark is an RV…
Thank you...panic gone. lol
Why does the USA & CANADA use 110 volt &240 volt instead of straight 220/240 volt like most of the world. It will be easier.
Probably for safety reasons, 240 volts gives a much worse shocking zap if you accidentally touch the live wires.
Nice so be listening to a guy who knows wtf he is talking about. Thanks
The guy who wired my Raptor should have taken a electrical class...
Kept burning up 50 amp cords, plugs and went through 2 power surge protectors. Found that he had wired backwards somehow and both legs onto one 50 amp breaker and removed the transfer switch making the onboard onan generator useless unless you ran the power cord from side of the coach around the front into the generator compartment and plug it into a 50 amp plug mounted inside the compartment. It caused me to have to replace both AC units, microwave and the 12v power supply/converter, on top of replacing the power cords and surge protectors and the actual power cord connector on the rv itself. After finding this out, my dealer not only fixed it but replaced the missing transfer switch at no cost. Untrained people should not be messing with electrical systems in an rv.
okay let's just see what you really do know ,on RV there's black and there's white which is positive and which is negative.
Couldn't help - Black wire to ground wire will 120 VAC, White wire to ground wire will measure 120 VAC. Measuring black wire to white wire should measure 240 VAC.
Am I right?
Black or red should always be hot and white should be neutral.
Great info. Many thanks!