50amp to 30amp dog bone

[racer]

using a 50amp to 30amp cord does it help any to plug into 50amp outlet than use a 30amp cord to camper do you get more power this way vers a 30AMP TO 50AMP? THANKS FOR HELP

[Bill-N-Donna]

My thinking is that when using a 50 to a 30 amp cord it is simply converting the wiring to a 30 amp supply. I really don’t know but this is always what I thought. If that were true then wouldn’t it be a little risky using it if it took 50 amps to trip the breaker? Hopefully some of the SME’s (system Matter Experts) will jump in here and explain how this works. I would like to know myself!

[Art-n-Marge]

If your RV has a 50 amp connector for its shore power connection, then the RV can draw up to 50 amps, but it is not using that amount all the time. For example, running two Air conditioners you will need 50 amps, because they use lots of power and you'll probably also want to run the microwave, the LCD televisions, the refrigerator and all these running at the same time will draw a lot of amps. Any 12V devices also draw lots of amps when they run - Furnace, fridge when running on propane, water heater (12v or 110 or both). If you are connected to a 30 amp connector and try to run everything you WILL have problems.

If you don't have two air conditioners, but have everything else, chances are good you can run off a 30 amp campground connector using a 50amp-30amp "adapter" and chances are good everything still works. I will do this because I don't need 50 amps (I have only one A/C) and some places I go charge extra for 50 amp. Since I don't need 50 amp, why connect to it and pay for what I don't need? However, just like at your stickhouse if you load up one outlet with all your electronics you might trigger a circuit breaker, but spread too much load to too many circuits, then your 30 amp might stuggle and set off a main circuit breaker on the rig or at the CG connection.

If your RV only has a 30 amp connector then you do not need 50 amp. Your trailer doesn't need it but you still need to worry about plugging in too many electronic devices and causing the main to "break".

Hopefully others will be along to contribute more explanation.

To summarize, a 30 amp or 50 amp (or 20 amp or 15 amp) will allow an amperage draw UP TO that amount prior to setting off the breaker. The UP TO depends on how many electronic devices you "turn on" and how much amperage they need.

[racer]

I HAVE A 50AMP SHORE LINE BUT IT'T HARD FOR ME TO USE OFTON AM GOING SOUTH THIS YEAR FOR FIRTH TIME AN ONLY HAVE 1 AIR NO WASTER DRYER BUT WANT TO GET AS MUCH POWER FOR EVERY THING TO RUN HAVE 04 FL CAMPER DO HAVE BOTH CORDS THANKS FOR HELP GOING TO MISSON TX FOR JAN TO APRIL FOR FRIST TIME!

[mcgiver2]

Racer i understand what your talking about, and i think theres a few out here that does the same as your wanting to do,[keep from draging the big cord out]just go ahead and connect to the 30 amp service at the campground post,and you will have enough power for your camper,.........

[Countryfolks]

quote:Originally posted by racer

using a 50amp to 30amp cord does it help any to plug into 50amp outlet than use a 30amp cord to camper do you get more power this way vers a 30AMP TO 50AMP? THANKS FOR HELP

Short answer, no. A bit longer, power is defined as watts which is current [amps] times volts. The power post usually supplies 3 levels of current and 2 levels of voltage; 240v @ 50a, 120v @ 30a and 120v @ 20a. The 240v consists of 2 'legs' of 120v with a 50a circuit breaker to limit the current, the 2 120v circuits consist of one of these legs, each with an appropriate circuit breaker. The dogbone adapters do nothing more than eliminate from use [disconnect/open] one leg of the 240v [in one case] and provide the appropriate connector hardware. Since, theoretically, only 30a @ 120v is available at the RV end of the cable, you won't get more power by using the 50a power cable.

[mtheo]

I use a 50 to 30 amp dog bone on my 30 amp core even though my trailer is wired for 50amps. I hate to haulout the big core when I only need a little extra power. When using extra heaters in the winter I often throw the 30 AMP breaker at the park. using the 50 to 30 dog bone get one leg of the 50 amp circuit to my trailer. Only weak spot could be the cord, which is unlikely to over heat being it is outdoors and in the open air.

[Trailer Trash 2]

I have used the pig tail and at times I have exceeded the allowable Amp draw on my service and poped the main braker insted of the service pole outside, it was easy to reset but now I watch what I plug into the plugs and estamate there amp draw now, It was a worning that I exceeded my 30 amp service.

[ols1932]

I don't quite understand why people who RV with a coach that will take 50 amps, don't use the 50-amp campground plug. To say you don't want to use the big 50-amp cord because it's "big and heavy" is just one way of saying I would have been happy with a 30-amp coach. If we men can't handle the 50-amp cord so as to provide every bit of current available to us, then we should permanently park the rig and let the kids use it!

Where am I missing it? Is it age? What is the age?

Orv

[HamRad]

Orv,
You'll have to ask my wife! She's the one that has had to 'horse' the thing around.

We no longer even carry the 50 amp cord. Just take the dog bone thing with us. There have been a couple of places that had only 50 amp outlets.

Dennis

[Clyde n Deb]

It's convenience. That 50 amp cord is bulky and heavy, especially if you're not getting the full potential out of it. Also gets real stiff if it's cold out.

[Les and Julie]

Here are my thoughts on this one.

Right now we are in a park that has a lot of sites with only 30 Amp outlets available and so many folks here are on 30 amps and use the 50-30 amp adapters, including us.

Please keep in mind that a breaker is an emergency switch that is there to protect a circuit from over amperage which is often accompanied by an (unsafe) drop in voltage. We have a ganged 50 amp main breaker like everyone else in our rig. Because the Monty breakers trip at 50 Amps, when you are on 30 amps, you will probably never trip the main breaker in your monty unless there is a direct short. You are depending on someone elses breaker at the far end of your landline to cut off your power. With the money we spend on these beasts and all the sensitive electronic equipment we have in these rigs, do we really want to depend on the unknown for protection unless we have to like in our case here?

Don't get me wrong, we are fine on 30 amps right now and have even operated safely on a 15 amp breaker and 150 feet of extension cord a few times but we are careful about what we turn on.

Les.

[Countryfolks]

It's no different than a stick house with it's 200a main depending on the power company's fuse on a powerline transformer. All of the equipment inside the house/rig is protected by a sub set of breakers in the 15-50a range and internal fuses [in many cases]. I think most electrical/electronic damage is caused by a voltage spikes speed and intensity, the fuses/breakers don't react fast enough. The problem with using a 15a-20a circuit and the associated damage is blowing the source breaker and under voltage to using equipment. This is a rather simplified version due to the huge number of variables involved.

[exav8tr]

Your type of camping should dictate what you take with you. As a fulltimer, we have both cords and enough dog bones to feed a whole litter of pups. There is not an electrical condition that we are not prepared for. During the winter months we can use either 30 or 50 amp power (we prefer 50 amp all the time, however, sometimes a specific site outweighs the power available, for example: a site may be more advantageous for receiving sat tv but only have a 30 amp service, in this case we will use it). During the summer with the heat or humidity we prefer the 50 amp sites. Most 1000 Trails Preserves have both so we choose accordingly. The key, as mentioned earlier, is watching what you turn on. I have tripped the park breaker many times, although, we are getting better at power management.