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Old 07-19-2021, 07:38 AM   #21
mhs4771
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Very simple: You can run a LOT more appliances and ACs, (like probably everything in your unit) on a 50 amp hook-up than you can on a 30 amp hook-up
 
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Old 07-19-2021, 08:35 AM   #22
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Here is a very good article that pretty clearly explains in fairly low tech detail how 50 amp service does provide up to 12,000 watts and up to 100 amps @ 120 vac to your RV.

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electric...p-shore-power/

And this one.

https://www.myrv.us/electric/

If you can read these and still disagree, then there is no further need to debate the point.

And yes, I am a BSEE and licensed professional engineer-retired. As if that matters.
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Old 07-19-2021, 10:17 AM   #23
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[QUOTE=TAKPAK;1227405]
Quote:
Originally Posted by kowbra View Post
Basic (really basic) tutorial...
Volts x Amps (amperage) = Watts



50 amp RV circuits are actually 50 amps @ 240 volts, split into dual 50 amp x 120 volt legs. So, the total amps at 120 volts is 100 amps (not 50). That is why it is correct to say that a 50 amp circuit delivers a total of 12,000 watts (100a x 120v).


Ok, the above is a bit simplistic, but hopefully that is the level of information you were looking for.

Well, I will probably PO a few people, but you do NOT have a total of 100 amps, only 50 amps, available on each leg. Look at the breaker, it is not a 100 amp breaker, it's two 50's. Won't get into the aspects of alternating current at this point. The thing about RV's is they do NOT (as a rule, there are always exceptions) have anything in them that runs on 240 volts, unlike your stick house. The main panel is split into two segments of 120 volt feeds, of 50 amps for each feed. If you were to install something that required 240 volts, you would still only have 50 amps available for it. The manufacturers try to balance the panel out on loads. Don't want 40 amps on one lead and only 10 amps on the other! If you have two AC's they should each be on a separate leg. You would be surprised at how fast the loads add up today. Microwave, AC's, fireplace(s), and don't forget the wife's hair dryer (mine DW is 1800 watts) hot plates, toasters, coffee makers, the converter (which can pull up to 15 amps) and on and on. Regarding a generator, you would need a minimum of 6000 watts, and that is bare minimum. Especially for AC's, it's the "surge" (starting) watts that get a generator down. If you are careful, you CAN manipulate the loads so that you can get by with the smaller unit, but it will never be like your house, at least not while on a generator. And yes, I was a licensed electrician prior to retirement.




Glad someone cleared this misconception up. As a former master I thought about doing it but never did. But if the breaker says 15,20,30,40 or 50 that`s all your going to get in amps, period
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Old 07-19-2021, 11:06 AM   #24
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Twinkle twinkle little star, power equals I square R. Or power (watts) = I (current) times E (voltage). 50 amps times 120 volts = 6,000 watts.


Ohms law.
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Old 07-19-2021, 11:11 AM   #25
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[QUOTE=bshgto;1227490]
Quote:
Originally Posted by TAKPAK View Post

Glad someone cleared this misconception up. As a former master I thought about doing it but never did. But if the breaker says 15,20,30,40 or 50 that`s all your going to get in amps, period

Actually what you quoted did nothing to clear anything up, and what I wrote was no misconception, at all.

But don't believe me, have a look at post #10 and post #22 if you want to know what's actually relevant here.

From the link in post #22, from Mike Sokol, here's a couple of quotes:

-"it's a NEMA 14-50R receptacle, and it’s exactly the same 240-volt “outlet” often found in your kitchen to power an electric oven."

-"How much power can I get from a 50-amp outlet? That’s the most relevant question, and the answer is 12,000 watts. While it seems confusing to think about a 50-amp outlet as having 100 amperes of total current available at 120 volts, that’s actually correct. That’s because there’s a 2-pole circuit breaker in the pedestal (at least, there should be), and each pole is rated for a maximum current of 50 amperes before it trips. So you can pull up to 50 amps from one pole, and another 50 amps from the other pole. Now, neither pole can exceed 50 amperes by itself, but you can indeed get 50 amps from each pole (or leg) and that totals up to 100 amperes of current at 120 volts."


If you want to argue with Mike who has made a career in RV electricity and is a notable expert, go ahead and see how far it gets you.

In my post, I was intending on not overly complicating things for the OP. It seems arguments to what was said are focused on technicalities that are not only unhelpful, but frankly confusing to anyone not an expert.

YMMV, but I stand by what I wrote.

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Old 07-19-2021, 11:13 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StageCoachDriver View Post
Twinkle twinkle little star, power equals I square R. Or power (watts) = I (current) times E (voltage). 50 amps times 120 volts = 6,000 watts.


Ohms law.
Umm, your twinkle isn't so bright...

6000 x 2 = 12,000 watts.

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Old 07-19-2021, 11:48 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StageCoachDriver View Post
Twinkle twinkle little star, power equals I square R. Or power (watts) = I (current) times E (voltage). 50 amps times 120 volts = 6,000 watts.


Ohms law.

Your forgetting about the breaker feeding that 50 amps is a TWO pole breaker not a single pole.

Its a 2 pole 240 Volt 50 amp circuit. Absolutely, positively capable of producing 12,000 watts. It will measure 240 Volt across the poles or 120 Volt to ground from EACH pole.

Its equivalent to having two single pole 120V 50 amp breakers feeding your camper. 6000 watts from one breaker and an additional 6000 watts from the second breaker.

The 30 amp service is only a single pole 120 volt 30 amp circuit.
It is only capable of 3600 watts. Period.
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Old 07-19-2021, 01:05 PM   #28
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I'll throw in another point. It does not have to be 240 volts between the two hot legs. We have been in a number of RV parks, one just a couple days ago, that has 120 volts on each hot leg, but a meter across the two hot legs measures 208 volts. All this as a reminder to forget talking about 240 volts or 208 volts, as this does not matter with most RV's, only 120 volts. Also, residential watt hour meters do measure the watts on both legs. The coils on both legs inside the meter are wound around the same core in the meter and regardless of how much current there is on each leg, they are added to the watt hour reading on the meter, so, if, as was mentioned, there was 6,000 watts on each leg, the watt reading will be 12,000 watts, not 6,000 watts, but actually measured in watt hours.
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Old 07-19-2021, 07:05 PM   #29
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It just makes sense to some

And the beat goes on and on and on..........
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Old 07-19-2021, 07:21 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bshgto View Post
And the beat goes on and on and on..........
Would you care to explain further?

Otherwise, your superior attitude comes off as a "know it all" who cannot be bothered to stoop so low as to educate us poor folk... while you ignore the information that others are presenting.

Pee or get off the pot... ball is in your court...


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Old 07-19-2021, 07:51 PM   #31
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This thread has gone beyond the education value for the basic RVer. I am closing it to further comment. Lets stay nice and civil.
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