30 amp service

[dennismhamm]

if i plug in to 30 amp service, will everything in the motorhome still work? Thanks in advance.

[birddog2you]

It should but not all at the same time.

[C.Martin]

Originally Posted by dennismhamm

if i plug in to 30 amp service, will everything in the motorhome still work? Thanks in advance.

If you have a 50amp RV...and use one of the commonly available 50 to 30 amp adapters...your RV will have everything powered. Additionally, if it has an Electrical Management System, like the Precision Circuits System...it will detect the fact that you are connected to a single phase of ac power and default to 30 amps for it’s process...which is to shed certain high amp devices to keep you from tripping the 30amp breaker on the pole.

If you do not have an Electrical Management System...then you are it. You cannot run the microwave, air conditioner and water heater electric element at the same time... you have to have a handle on how many amps things take...and only power a few of them,,,so you do not exceed 30 amps. If you do...it’s back to turning stuff off..,and going back outside to reset the breaker on the service pole.

Things that require significant amperage...

Converters
Inverter’s
microwave
Air conditioner
Electric hot water elements
Blow dryers
Ceramic space heaters
Refrigerator on electric

It just takes a little juggling. Our first fifth wheel was a 30 amp unit...and we had a routine of turning some stuff off before energizing other stuff. In five years I think we had three trips...one was blow dryer...another was ceramic heater on the high setting instead of the low setting...the other was the microwave while he air conditi9ner and hot water heater were both on...

[Old Scout]

...there is a much more precise explanations on the forum but figure you have 30 amps of power available on 30 amp plug and 100 amps [two 50 amp legs] on a 100 amp plug-in. Typically, rig rarely uses 100 amps but you can overload a 30 amp service pretty easily. For 30 amp only--summer time, usually only one AC unit plus few other items; winter time, one heat pump or a few space heaters....Many new rigs have a power share system that sorts all this out for you.....

[Mr_D]

Yep, you have to watch the loading though since you only have 3,600 watts available rather than 12,000 like a full 50 amp can supply.

However, in some rigs (mine is one) the dryer is a 240 volt unit and won't work on a 30 amp supply.

[DrDaveMA]

Originally Posted by dennismhamm

if i plug in to 30 amp service, will everything in the motorhome still work? Thanks in advance.

Dennis, using a 30 to 50 amp adaptor on your 50 shore cord you will be able to operate everything, just not at the same time. This time of year in Florida you probably won’t need both A/C units to cool the coach, but if both the A/C’s are also heat pumps you might be tempted to use them. Do not do that, 30 amps will not support both units running at the same time. Everything else in the coach will turn on, just watch your total power load, if you exceed 30 amps you will pop the circuit breaker on the power pedestal.

[wa8yxm]

Short answer YES
Longer answer But not all at one time.

[Janet and Todd]

Dennis, you can monitor how much you are using through the Silverleaf on the television. Once you get the RV on the Silverleaf screen, choose monitor on the remote and scroll through the choices until you get to the AC power screen. I will show you the power available in volts and your usage in Amps.

[YC1]

Welcome to the forum. There are several youtube videos that explain it well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoOR2AJGjOI

[bcbowers]

Interestingly ... the above video claims that 120V X 50 Amps = 6000 Watts and since there are 2 - 120V circuits that comprise a 50 Amp receptacle, you can double that to 12000 Watts. That is flat WRONG!

You'll notice that a typical park pedestal provides 1 - 20 Amp receptacle, 1 - 30 - Amp receptacle, and 1 - 50 Amp receptacle. The reason is that the 20 Amp & 30 Amp circuits are used to feed the 50 Amp receptacle because the reasonable assumption is that only 1 - receptacle is used at a time. You can plug a standard extension cord into the 20 Amp receptacle while using the 50 Amp receptacle and use it for other things (temporarily hopefully) but you're literally "robbing" amps from the 50 Amp circuit. Be careful!

[Mr_D]

A 50 amp RV receptacle can optimaly supply 12,000 watts.
It is 2 hots (L1 and L2) at 120 volts each with a 50 amp breaker on each hot so it can supply 12,000 watts at 120 volts (50 x 120 x 2) or 12,000 watts at 240 volts (50 x 240) or 12,000 watts.

[YC1]

Bob, I would need to see the inside of the box to support your supposition.

I highly suspect there is a heavy run into the box for the 50 amp outlet and the 50 amp side may feed the other outlets via breakers of course.

Until you prove the video wrong I stand by it.

[325BH]

Originally Posted by bcbowers

Interestingly ... the above video claims that 120V X 50 Amps = 6000 Watts and since there are 2 - 120V circuits that comprise a 50 Amp receptacle, you can double that to 12000 Watts. That is flat WRONG!



You'll notice that a typical park pedestal provides 1 - 20 Amp receptacle, 1 - 30 - Amp receptacle, and 1 - 50 Amp receptacle. The reason is that the 20 Amp & 30 Amp circuits are used to feed the 50 Amp receptacle because the reasonable assumption is that only 1 - receptacle is used at a time. You can plug a standard extension cord into the 20 Amp receptacle while using the 50 Amp receptacle and use it for other things (temporarily hopefully) but you're literally "robbing" amps from the 50 Amp circuit. Be careful!

The video is correct. 50 amp service is 12,000 watts. Each leg of 120 volts can carry 50 amps.

[C.Martin]

Originally Posted by bcbowers

Interestingly ... the above video claims that 120V X 50 Amps = 6000 Watts and since there are 2 - 120V circuits that comprise a 50 Amp receptacle, you can double that to 12000 Watts. That is flat WRONG!

You'll notice that a typical park pedestal provides 1 - 20 Amp receptacle, 1 - 30 - Amp receptacle, and 1 - 50 Amp receptacle. The reason is that the 20 Amp & 30 Amp circuits are used to feed the 50 Amp receptacle because the reasonable assumption is that only 1 - receptacle is used at a time. You can plug a standard extension cord into the 20 Amp receptacle while using the 50 Amp receptacle and use it for other things (temporarily hopefully) but you're literally "robbing" amps from the 50 Amp circuit. Be careful!

Truly?? Most parks put a section of poles on a 1/0 feed. Unless all the RVs in the “ring” as they call it exceed the main service panel breaker...you can get 50,30,20 as rated by the poles breakers protecting each receptacle.

Since I have only one pole at home...it is serviced by an 80A breaker from my houses MAIN distribution panel. I can hook up a 50 amp coach, a 30 amp coach, and still run a pressure washer off the 20 amp receptacle.

If someone is doing it on the cheap....then Oh well... It’s usually cheaper to buy UG rated 1/0 conductors in bulk than 4AWG stranded in conduit...or if you save anything...it’s just not worth seeing how small you can go.

Have I seen variations...of course. There are plenty of hack jobs out there.