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Old 05-24-2013, 05:37 AM   #1
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30amp-50amp

After reading some on the subject maybe not enough.. But I still don,t know what amp my mh is.
Is it ok to just plug into my reg. home service like an outside outlet when at home? Now if 50amp service is all that is available at a site & mine is 30amp can I use this with only an adapter ? Thanks
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Old 05-24-2013, 06:43 AM   #2
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Look at you shore power plug. If it has three prongs, a ground and two angled blades then it is a 30 amp. If it has four prongs, a ground and three blades then it is 50 amp.
With the correct adapters you can plug them into a standard house outlet BUT the only thing that will support is battery maintenance and MAYBE the fridge, not much else.
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Old 05-24-2013, 06:55 AM   #3
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So the 30/50 difference ,amps are for how much they can handle not really amps going in? no harm done if hooked up to 50amp service using a adapter to plug into my 30 amp ? Thanks
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Old 05-24-2013, 07:05 AM   #4
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No problem as long as you manage your current draw. If you don't you will be resetting a breaker when you try to draw more than the circuit is rated for. I lived a week on 20 amp house current by just not running too much at the same time.
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Old 05-24-2013, 07:31 AM   #5
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You definitely need to manage the draw no matter the hook up. Just look at your main breaker. They should be identified with the amperage.
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Old 05-24-2013, 07:35 AM   #6
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Hi Skynyrd,
If you determine the coach is a 30 AMP coach, STOP! Do not plug into a house 30 AMP plug without first checking how the plug is wired.

House 30 AMP receptacles are usually 240 VAC. Connecting to this outlet will damage your coach. Motor coaches need 120 VAC, 30 AMP circuit. They look the same, but are wired differently. If you are uncomfortable making this check, with a meter, please consider contacting a professional.

When at a CG, the power pedestal usually has a separate 30 and 50 AMP receptacles. If only a 50 AMP receptacle is available adapters are available to allow you to connect to the pedestal. Go to http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...-handles/69614 to see an example of an adapter.
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Old 05-24-2013, 10:23 AM   #7
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So 30amp will only work as long as you draw less than ,same with 50 amp? You don,t need anything other than the adapter not some kind of a reducer to lower from 50 to 30? Doesn't really have anything to do with these amps just have to make sure its 120 instead of 220 , ? Thanks
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Old 05-24-2013, 11:10 AM   #8
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So you want to just plug into an ordinary 15 amp receptacle on/in your house? I think this is what you meant. Or do you want to be able to plug into a 30 or 50 amp outlet? That's a whole other ballgame, starting with the voltage (120 or 240?).

If just plugging into a 15 amp receptacle, just get an adapter(s) to go from 30 (or 50?) down to 15 amp plug. Then just plug into an extension cord. The only thing here is that you have to watch your voltage drop. Depending on how long the extension cord will be and how far the receptacle on/in your house is from the panel, you may need a 14 or 12 gauge extension cord. For long runs you may even need a #10 gauge cord. If you have a voltmeter, you can see what the voltage drops down to.

As stated, do not plug into just any old 30 amp receptacle you may find in your house. May not fit but I think it's a 30 amp 240 volt welder plug looks the same as an RV 30, or is it the dryer one? A 30 amp recept. in your house could be 30 amps 120 volts if it was installed for something like a compressor or table saw, but the plug will likely not fit. MANY RV owners out there have ended up plugging their 120 volt RV into a 240 volt source causing serious and expensive damage. Even electricians have done this before because they didn't understand RVs.

As long as you don't have excessive voltage drop (105V or less), you should be able to operate the microwave or anything else that draws up to 1500 watts (12.5 amps). I've had a 1500 watt heater running continuously in our old trailer for extended periods no problem on a 15 amp circuit plus some of the lights plus the occasional short duration of a drill or saw. The worst thing that could happen is tripping a breaker. Gotta really watch your voltage under full load of 15 amps, not when unloaded.... Circuit breakers are designed to operate on a time-current basis (inverse curve) and will operate for short periods over their rating. This allows things that have a higher startup current to work.

If adapting a 50 amp cord down to 15 amps, you could find that some things you need running may not work because you will only get one leg of the normal 240 legs running in the panel in your MH. The most important of course is the inverter, but I am not positive if the RV industry has 50 amp RVs wired up in a standard configuration to keep an inverter running when using an adapter cord/plug.
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Old 05-24-2013, 11:36 AM   #9
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Thanks, yes I was asking at least 2 questions.
Sorry, Just trying to get a handle on this electrical hookup stuff. Read many posts about it but didn,t quite get it.
My MH is 30amp. Which I suspected. So it seemed worth asking about hooking up to a 50 amp service (with a 30amp MH) at a CG & was wondering what I needed. Now another question what about running off a portable gen?? Still having problems with Onan onboard (start button has to be held for it to stay running) Mirolite 4000 . I guess I will have to take it to somebody to check out . Thanks
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Old 05-24-2013, 12:27 PM   #10
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Though it's called a 50amp circuit, calling it that is slightly misleading. For RVs, it is TWO 50amp leads, both at 120v. Not 240v. In other words, it's a combined 100amps! The 50amp to 30amp adaptors generally just tap into one of the individual 50amp circuits, giving a potential of 50amps on a system designed for only 30amps. So, make sure your 30amp extension cord can handle the addition power.

I wired up a 50amp outlet (four prong) at my home, with the help of a city electrical inspector (did it by the book!), so I've learned some of the dangers of not doing things right. Just be careful. Household 20amps will shock you, 50amps will KILL you!
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Old 05-24-2013, 01:16 PM   #11
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An Ampere is a unit of electrical current. A wire can only deal with so much current before it overheats, like a garden hose and too much water pressure. A 30 amp circuit is designed to handle UP TO 30 amps of electrical flow. If you use an adaptor and plug your unit into a 50 amp pedestal, it doesn't mean you can use more than the 30 amps your shore cord and everything in the RV is rated for. Conversely, If you plug your 30 amp cord with adaptor into a 15 amp household outlet you will only have up to 15 amps available before the circuit breaker on the main panel trips or you overload the wiring's capacity.
Most all RVs use 120 volt power. Unfortunately a 30 amp dryer outlet is very similar to the 120 v 30 amp RV outlet, BUT THE DRYER WORKS ON 240 V! Hooking up an RV to a dryer outlet will burn up many things in your RV, perhaps including the whole unit!

Never plug in to a strange outlet unless checking it with a multimeter or an Electric Management System.(EMS) that is either hard wired into your RV or one added at the plug on the shore cord. An EMS is designed to prevent electrical connection unless the outlet is supplying the proper power. It also usually has a built in surge protecter and delayed restart to prevent damage from trying to restore power too fast in case of a shutdown.
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Old 05-24-2013, 09:25 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Falcon190 View Post
Though it's called a 50amp circuit, calling it that is slightly misleading. For RVs, it is TWO 50amp leads, both at 120v. Not 240v. In other words, it's a combined 100amps! The 50amp to 30amp adaptors generally just tap into one of the individual 50amp circuits, giving a potential of 50amps on a system designed for only 30amps. So, make sure your 30amp extension cord can handle the addition power.

I wired up a 50amp outlet (four prong) at my home, with the help of a city electrical inspector (did it by the book!), so I've learned some of the dangers of not doing things right. Just be careful. Household 20amps will shock you, 50amps will KILL you!


It only takes 0.2amps to kill.
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Old 05-25-2013, 02:48 AM   #13
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I am going to get the ems sounds like a must have item. Thanks
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Old 05-25-2013, 08:32 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Skynyrd View Post
I am going to get the ems sounds like a must have item. Thanks
The Progressive Industries EMS is the one I have, the company is wonderful to work with, life-time guarantee and great techs.

Progressive Industries
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