Several questions regarding hookups

[Metallicat]

I have a few questions for you guys (and lovely ladies) about the various hookups. All of my questions are referencing your typical RV park setup.



1) Will the power cord on my RV (30amp service) be sufficient in length to plug in or will I need an extension cord?


2) Roughly how long of a water supply hose should I get for my first one?


3) Will the RV park have the correct setup for my 30amp plug and if not, is there a way to plug my 30 amp plug into a 50amp plug without damage to the RV's electrical system?


4) What length of sewer line should be sufficient for a typical setup?


I realize these are all loaded questions given all parks are probably set up a little differently then each other. I'm just looking to get information from experienced RV'ers. Thanks for any and all help. You can see I'm VERY new to this.

[BirchyBoy]

The short answer is, it all depends. My last trailer had the water line on the very back wall. Some sites have the water at the front, making for a very long hose. Generally speaking, my 30’ power cord, 2 25’ water hoses and 40’ feet of sewer hose have covered my needs. You can get a “dog bone” adapter to go 30 amp to 50 amp. I use one every trip to plug my 30 amp MH into my 50 amp EMS.

[Loydmeeks]

RV parks are minimum 30 amp, some have 50 in the same box but not all carry 50. We carry a 50, 25 ft water hose. Your power cord is long enough in 90% of parks. You can get adaptors for 50 to 30 amp cords. I recommend a good surge protector. plug it in first so be sure you get clean power.

[sbleiweiss]

Regarding water hoses, I like to carry three 10 foot Flexzilla hoses. They easily attach and come apart from one another without tools. That way I can use the shortest hose needed for the site. I have never had a site that needed more than 30 feet, although it is possible. If I encountered that I would use or add my heated 25 foot "winter" hose.

[wny_clipper]

Originally Posted by Metallicat

I have a few questions for you guys (and lovely ladies) about the various hookups. All of my questions are referencing your typical RV park setup.

1) Will the power cord on my RV (30amp service) be sufficient in length to plug in or will I need an extension cord?

We carry an additional 25' extension cord and I have had to use it several times

Originally Posted by Metallicat

2) Roughly how long of a water supply hose should I get for my first one?

We have two 25' potable water hoses and a expanding 75' hose we use for our black tank flush.

Originally Posted by Metallicat

3) Will the RV park have the correct setup for my 30amp plug and if not, is there a way to plug my 30 amp plug into a 50amp plug without damage to the RV's electrical system?

We also have a 30amp system and I carry with us a 50a Male to 30 amp Female adapter, and a 15amp Male to 30amp Female adapter to cover any situation we might come across.

Originally Posted by Metallicat

4) What length of sewer line should be sufficient for a typical setup?

We have two 10' hoses and one 5' hose. The combination works for us to keep the length as short as possible, both at the campsite and at the dump site.

[Bill 3rd]

I carry a 25ft 30amp extension cable, three 10ft and one 5ft sewer hose, two 25ft fresh water hoses and a 50a male to 30a female dog bone. Where I am right now, I actually had to use all 35ft of sewer hose, luckily, this is not always the case.

[Bigbird65]

Originally Posted by Metallicat

I have a few questions for you guys (and lovely ladies) about the various hookups. All of my questions are referencing your typical RV park setup.
We have been trailer camping for 5 years and we are on our second Minnie Winnie.


1) Will the power cord on my RV (30amp service) be sufficient in length to plug in or will I need an extension cord? Yes, whatever length that came with your trailer should be enough.


2) Roughly how long of a water supply hose should I get for my first one? I don't think you will need more than 25'. Get the white hose specified for drinking water. A Camco inline water filter is very useful but not 100% necessary.


3) Will the RV park have the correct setup for my 30amp plug and if not, is there a way to plug my 30 amp plug into a 50amp plug without damage to the RV's electrical system? Yes they will but you can buy an adapter for 50 amp to 30 amp. Suggest you buy a 30 amp surge protector, either pedestal mounted or hard wired. I use a Progressive Industries hard wired unit.


4) What length of sewer line should be sufficient for a typical setup? Get two 10' sections. Usually one 10' section is sufficient.


I realize these are all loaded questions given all parks are probably set up a little differently then each other. I'm just looking to get information from experienced RV'ers. Thanks for any and all help. You can see I'm VERY new to this.

Best of luck.

[Persistent]

You can see from the posts that conditions vary widely. 2018 was my first year using hookups. I did mostly dry camping before.

I have two 25 ft potable water hoses, one of which I have never used. I will probably get a 10 ft because most pedestals are at the middle to rear on the drivers side when you back in. My TT has hook ups at drivers middle. A 25 ft is much harder to manage and keep clean when things are cold or wet and muddy.

I bought a 25 ft 30 amp extension cord which I have never used. I do have a 15 amp adapter but only need it at home.

I bought a long sewer hose. I have never needed more than 15 feet. I may get a shorter one. Having a short and long one is more of a problem due to storage concerns. A hose that has been used must be kept isolated from everything else.

That being said, there was one time years ago I could have used a 70 foot potable water hose. It was late fall in the Wisconsin State Park and the only water was 60 feet from the road. There was also an Arkansas State Park this winter that had the water at the road end passenger side of each back in site. (I wonder what the designer was thinking.)

My 1 year of experience informs me to have one short hose or cord and one long extension. You should also have a black water flush hose that looks much different than the potable water hoses. No sense in risking typhoid fever.

[1bigmess]

Originally Posted by Metallicat

1) Will the power cord on my RV (30amp service) be sufficient in length to plug in or will I need an extension cord?
Most of the time, the shore power cord you have will be plenty.


2) Roughly how long of a water supply hose should I get for my first one?
I don't know. I bought a 25 foot hose, and over time I have had to add extra lengths, and now have about fifty feet of hoses in the storage area. I also have a 25 foot long frost free hose for winter.

3) Will the RV park have the correct setup for my 30amp plug and if not, is there a way to plug my 30 amp plug into a 50amp plug without damage to the RV's electrical system?
You can get an adapter to plug in a 30 amp cord to a 50 amp receptacle. It won't hurt anything just by doing that, but pedestals also sometimes have their own problems, and the adapter won't solve them. I have a Hughes Autoformer to show me if the pedestal is wired properly and it has built in surge protection.

4) What length of sewer line should be sufficient for a typical setup?
They can be expanded in length, and 15' seems to be the norm. I have two 15' lengths because I've been in places where the distance to the sewer connection is pretty far.

Originally Posted by Loydmeeks

RV parks are minimum 30 amp ...

Don't bet on that. Ask before you assume. I've been in parks where the only spaces available had 20 amp electricity available. Call and ask.

[tcg]

Originally Posted by Metallicat

I have a few questions for you guys (and lovely ladies) about the various hookups. All of my questions are referencing your typical RV park setup.

1) Will the power cord on my RV (30amp service) be sufficient in length to plug in or will I need an extension cord?

2) Roughly how long of a water supply hose should I get for my first one?

3) Will the RV park have the correct setup for my 30amp plug and if not, is there a way to plug my 30 amp plug into a 50amp plug without damage to the RV's electrical system?

4) What length of sewer line should be sufficient for a typical setup?

I realize these are all loaded questions given all parks are probably set up a little differently then each other. I'm just looking to get information from experienced RV'ers. Thanks for any and all help. You can see I'm VERY new to this.

My wife does not allow hookups when we're camping.

My onboard 25' cord is usually long enough but I do have an extra 25' that I've used a couple times. It's also handy when it's cold and the onboard cord gets too stiff to unroll or or push back in easily.

I have a 25' water hose with an extra 25' just in case. Most of our camping is done without water hookups so that's not all that important. I also carry a regular hose in case I need to wash or flush out the tanks.

Most parks I stay at have a at least a 30amp many have both. The only time we encountered a 50amp only pedestal was at a resort type place but I knew that before we showed up so I ordered an adapter from Amazon before we left. Walmart also sells them in a pinch.

Our sewer hose is 15' and I carry an extra 10' that I've never used.

[Isaac-1]

A lot depends on your RV, tank size, etc. In my case I have 80 gallon fresh, 40 black and 40 gray, so if I site has the sewer connection in an awkward place I will often not hook up to it until I am leaving, then dump as I would do at a dump station. As to the rest, most of the time I am within 10-15 ft of the water and electrical connection, though there have been times that I have used every inch of my 25 ft extension power cord. Also it can be a good idea to carry a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter, in case you pull into a site with a damaged 30 amp outlet that also has a good 50 amp outlet (happens more often than you would think).

[coachmanjay]

As you can see, that are a lot of different answers. The variance is influenced by the length of the rig, whether the connections are at the back or the side, and whether you are dry camping, staying at a park and the length of your stay. The dump hose poses the most challenges. Where are you going to store it/them. They must be isolated for sanitary reasons. If you only do short stays, you don't have to hook the sewer up, just dump when you leave and can move the rig to make your hose work. When you answer these questions it will be easier to pick which of the many options are listed in previous posts. The only consistent is the need for a surge protector.

[60sumtin]

Originally Posted by Metallicat

I have a few questions for you guys (and lovely ladies) about the various hookups. All of my questions are referencing your typical RV park setup.

1) Will the power cord on my RV (30amp service) be sufficient in length to plug in or will I need an extension cord?

Usually sufficient. Should the need arise I also carry a 25' 30 amp extension cord.

2) Roughly how long of a water supply hose should I get for my first one?

I carry a 15 and 35 foot. Usually only need the 15.

3) Will the RV park have the correct setup for my 30amp plug and if not, is there a way to plug my 30 amp plug into a 50amp plug without damage to the RV's electrical system?

Adaptors are available. Most parks have 30 amp but some only have 15 so you'll need an adaptor for that too.

4) What length of sewer line should be sufficient for a typical setup?

20 feet has so far been enough for my needs. Its a Rhinoflex but its too wide for the bumper so I store it in a plastic tub. The hose comes with end caps.


I realize these are all loaded questions given all parks are probably set up a little differently then each other. I'm just looking to get information from experienced RV'ers. Thanks for any and all help. You can see I'm VERY new to this.

Rather than buying a bunch of extensions I might never use I just started off with the basics and bought extensions when needed.

[Isaac-1]

Which works great until you find yourself in a COE campground 40 miles from the nearest town that has one power / water post for every 2 rv sites.