Running A 50 Amp Rv On 30 Amp Service

Before answering any electrical question it is important to understand a little about how electricity works and more importantly how a 30 amp and 50 amp rv plug works.

Running a 50 amp rv on 30 amp service.

When we run across this situation i am always curious how this adapter can supply power to both 120 volt sides of our 50 amp. However most people who run campgrounds will tell you otherwise. The answer is yes but it s complicated. A 50 amp service is not a 30 amp service and a 20 amp service joined together.

Look at a 30 amp plug you will see 3 connections. If you have a 50 amp trailer and 30 amp service is the only service available at the campground post can you show me a wiring schematic of the adapter pigtail i would use to adapt from 30 amp service to a 50 amp trailer. When you have a 50 amp connection you really have a total of 100 amps of electrical service. In a normal set up you have a 50 amp rig with a 50 amp breaker inside which leads to a power cable rated for 50 amps and ultimately to a 50 campground post.

A 50 amp rv puts you up to 12 000 watts so the increase in power is quite substantial. 70 amps more than a 30 amp plug. You ll just have to be more conservative when using your rv s appliances. Our 35 foot long isasca sunova motorhome made by winnebago has a triton v 10 gasoline engine and uses a 50 ampere 240 vac plug for its electrical connection which is what is required to run all of our coach s electrical systems.

To hook up you ll need a 50 amp female to a 30 amp male electrical adapter a. When a 50 ampere. When a 50 amp rig plugs into a 30 amp post with an adapter however the breaker in the rig is no longer sized appropriately meaning only one breaker the one on the post is. A 50 amp plug is really two 50 amp circuits.

Look at a 50 amp plug you will see 4 connections. A 30 amp rv can handle up to 3 600 watts. On the other hand large rvs usually have 50 amp service to power their more lavish setups think double ac units washer dryers etc. Considering 30 amp sockets are more common if you plug your rv rated for 50 amps into a 30 amp socket can you run it.

50 amp plugs have two 120 volt hot pins a flat neutral pin and a round ground. A 30 amp plug is just one circuit and that circuit is 30 amps. Plugging a 50 amp rv into a 30 amp pedestal. Truth be told you can plug a 50 amp rv into a 30 amp electrical service.

Even the largest rvs when plugged into 50 amp service still almost universally use this double hot pole or double bus installation to draw only 120 volts to two separate 120 volt circuits simultaneously thereby accessing a possible 12 000 watts of power.