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charliej · 06-29-2014, 12:54 PM

Has anyone used one of these adaptor two run two AC units in your 50 amp coach when you only have 30 amp service that also have a 110 15 or 20 amp plug in the same pedestal. How did it work out for you? Does it depend on how the pedestal is wired?

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Skip426 · 06-29-2014, 01:00 PM

The effectiveness of the adaptor will depend on the wiring in the post.
Most posts would be wired for 30 amp OR 15 amp seldom for both.
Comes down to the size of the supply wire that was run in the park, to know if the post will tolerate the load.

The adaptor supplies 30 amp to one leg of your 50 amp plug and 15 to the other, instead of 50 amp to both, so your still only getting a total of 45 amps instead of 100.

Old Scout · 06-29-2014, 01:05 PM

Heard these "adapters" use to be pretty popular but it depends on whether the cg pedestal is properly wired. If the 30 and 20 amp plugs are separate circuits you get the effect of increasing yr 30 amp plug to 50 amps [note your 50 amp plug normally has two 50 amp legs, in effect giving you 100 amps of useable power]. By using the 20 amp plug on the pedestal as one of your legs, you are limited to 20 amps on that leg--enough for one A/C but not much else. Finally, if you are using a power management or surge protector of some kind, the device may not like the separate 30 and 20 amps grounds being combine via the adaptor?????

wa8yxm · 06-29-2014, 01:27 PM

I have one, Well, mine is the cheater box style (A box with two 30 amp cords and a 50 amp outlet) it works and works well WHERE IT CAN BE USED which is almost no place (I have two parks where it will work).

MOST parks are wired per the current code, which requires a GFCI on the 20 amp outlet.. If you plug one of these in to both the 30 and 20 amp outlet it will trip the GFCI.. I have had people tell me "No it won't" or "Mine Does not" but unless the GFCI is defective it WILL trip it.

Thus in most parks they are useless

The two plaes it does work,, One is an older park wired under an older code without GFCI outlets and grandfathered.

The other is a Moose Lodge with all 30's at each power spot there are TWO 30s' and I simply take two sites worth of power.

Most of the newer parks I stay at, Will not work

ONE park, actually allows the use of these devices, and rents them out at this time of year.. NOTE ONE PARK.. Good luck finding it.

I would recommend against it.

What works everywhere?

I put in what I call a "Break out" on the rear A/C.. This is basically a plug and socket... I can unplug the REAR AC, all 3 wires, from the rest of the RV, there is thus NO GROUND FAULT, when I feed it with a 12ga extension cord off the 20 amp GFCI in the pedestal.

Same break out feeds a 20 amp outlet INSIDE (Special outlet so as to not confuse) for a heater. OR.. A volt meter. (Voltmeter in summer)

charliej · 06-29-2014, 06:17 PM

Thanks for all the responses.

bailiff · 06-30-2014, 11:33 AM

Charlie,
We use one just like the one in the picture. We camp in many Georgia State Parks and we have found that most of their 30 amp pedestals actually have 2, 30 amp plugs. We have been able to use our cheater to run both a/c's. I can tell you, if HW and fridge are on ac along with both airs, it will blow one of the 30 amp pedestal breakers if you add any thing else like the microwave. It will not work with a 15 or 20 amp GFCI plug.

Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum

charliej · 06-30-2014, 10:04 PM

Thanks bailiff

Ed S · 07-08-2014, 05:31 PM

Here is a thought for you.
I have three ac units so what I had done was to wire one ac unit to be able to be supplied by its own 20 amp shore power, the gen set, or the house 50 amp service. Works great for me and I do not have to worry about running three ac units plus microwave and the rest of life pleasures.

LDMcK · 07-13-2014, 01:30 PM

We are using one right now. The coach electrical panel says it is hooked to a 50 amp service but I know we are on a 30 amp outlet. We have run two ACs on it until the park got full. Things started shutting off and the electrical panel had the words "brown out" on the display panel. Now that the park has emptied out a bit everything is back to normal.

I'm happy with the plug.

wa8yxm · 07-13-2014, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed S

Here is a thought for you.
I have three ac units so what I had done was to wire one ac unit to be able to be supplied by its own 20 amp shore power, the gen set, or the house 50 amp service. Works great for me and I do not have to worry about running three ac units plus microwave and the rest of life pleasures.

That is how I did it with one of my two as well Ed.

In some parks, older parks which are grandfathered and do NOT have GFCI outlets both methods work.. In new GFCI protected parks,,,,, it simply will not work, unless the GFCI is defective.. I have one park that is mixed, all 30 amp outlets (no 20's) some GFCI some not, it works if I pick a pair that is NOT.