Quote:
|
Originally Posted by rohrmann
This can be half right, that there is 240 volts in the RV that isn't used, but there can also be 208 volts, depending on the transformer serving the RV park. So, it really doesn't matter what the hot to hot leg voltage is, so long as the hot legs to ground or neutral is 120 volts.
|
Full disclosure... I am NOT an electrician by trade but I do have a good working knowledge of the subject.
Interesting sticker... Never seen one on a RV (I'm sure there are many) but when I think about it, it makes perfect sense! The 208Y refers to a 3Ph (Y-tapped) transformer where voltage between any 2 hot legs is 208 volts (vs 240 for normal single phase or a delta tapped transformer).
If I built a new RV park, I would have to consider a 3 phase distribution system as I would have one more hot leg to utilize. This takes into consideration that 99% of RV's do not have a 240V load. Even if someone had a 240V clothes dryer, to would run on 208V just fine, but the amperage would be up a little. In any case all 3 legs to ground would be 120V.
I do have a 50A service in my older Montana, but I did not want to lug the 30' 50A cord around where almost none of the parks we regularly stay at have 50A connections. I did have an extra 30A cord laying around, so what I did was make that up with a 50A female end (camper end) and installed a jumper to feed both hot legs inside of that cord end. Essentially, it's a 30A RV male end and a 50A RV female. Has worked just fine for 2 years now. Of course I realize I cannot run both of my A/C units (opposite legs in the panel when hooked up to 50A) at the same time when I am hooked with my 30A cord.
If you put something like that together, you are getting the same result as the adapter, but the park management would not be aware of what is going on.
If I were the park owner and had some concern with the amount of power being used taxing my system, I would simply replace the 30A breakers with 25's, or even 20's so that people could utilize the 30A configuration, but not tax my system. I would make the customers aware of this, and not charge for 30A if I were not providing it.
Very good discussion here!