Hooking up to 30/50 amp box at RV park or National/State park

[TravelingDruid]

I am not sure what to search for, so I just did a search "30 AMP" and "connecting to 30 amp" in the forums and could not find anything that applies to my issue...

Starting out, I will not have enough funds for solar and I need to stay at an RV park for a month or two. This means I need a way to connect to their 30/50 amp receptacle. I am guessing I should plug into the lower amperage.

So what do I need? I am lost on this one. Some kind of extension cord, (fused somehow and what gauge and max feet length?) or a heavy duty fused power strip? how do I step it down from 30 amp to the regular 110v (?amp? power strip so I can plug in a laptop or blender or hotplate)? What if I have a window unit air conditioner (5,000 or 8,000 BTU?) Do I have one dedicated line for the air conditioner and one for the power strip?

I have only camped in tents with no electric, so I am new to this. I do appreciate any kind of feedback.

 

[travlinman and wife]

Travelinddrud      I think you are confused on the diference between amps and volts. The way it was explaned to me was if you have a 1in pipe and 3in pipe and both have in this case 110psi pushing water which pipe will you get the most water out of .  It would be the 3inch pipe. Now think of the 110 volts as the psi and 30 amps as the size of pipe. NO need for fuse on supply line as all power boxes in parks will have circuit breakers and your rv should have breakers also. you can get a 30amp ext cord at a rv parts store .

 

[akrvbob]

You are in an RV right? Or are you in a van?
Bob

 

[LoupGarou]

Others may have, but I've never seen an RV power pedestal with a 30amp and/or a 50amp outlet that didn't have two 15amp outlets as well. Just plug an extension cord into those and your good to go.

 

[Stargazer]

I have seen power poles in RV parks with only 30 and 50 amp outlets. For less than a few dollars, you can get a little plug converter (?) that plugs into a 30 amp outlet for a 15 amp cord to plug into. I have done this more than a few times.

If you plan on running anything that heats (hot plate, heater, coffee maker), I suggest you get an extension cord with as high a rating as you can get, since most of those type of appliances that I have seen draw about 11-12 amps. I think mine is 12 gauge/15 amp. And 15 feet should be long enough. I have a power strip with a surge protector (get a good one) mounted by the rear window, plug it into the extension cord and run off that. You will need to watch what you run at the same time and stay below 15 amps -- don't run a hot plate and a heater simultaneously.

I don't know about a window AC but my guess is you may need a separate cord for it. How much power does one draw? And once I was in an RV park that forbade window AC's.

It's very doable. The extension cord and power strip combination has worked well for me many times.

 

[Stargazer]

Add:

In my van, not an RV.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-55233-E...e=UTF8&qid=1459947680&sr=8-18&keywords=30+amp

add a good 12 gauge extension cord and you should be good to go.  Depending on draw, you might not be able to run the air conditioner with the other stuff.

-- Spiff

 

[TravelingDruid]

Thanks for the replies thus far! This is the van thread so I wrote the question under the assumption we were talking about some type of van (commercial) or even a conversion van not outfitted for electrical hookup. My bad. I would be in a van not outfitted for electric. (not a class B RV). Go ahead and edit my original post if you can. Thanks!

You are in an RV right? Or are you in a van?
Bob

 

[blars]

30 amp plugs, adapters, extensions, etc are available at any RV parts store or most walmarts. 30a should use 10 awg or larger (smaller number) wire. The puck style adapters have a bad reputation, the cord style are better.

 

[TravelingDruid]

So the 30 to 15 amp adapter steps down the amperage for you? If this is the case, here is what I think will work for me. Let me know what you think. Of course, I may be able to find these exact items cheaper elsewhere:

30 amp to 15 amp "Y" RV adapter so I can run A/C on one and another appliance on the other at a given time (or two if it is a laptop and small light - up to 12 amps).
http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-3-Feet-Adapter-Connector-Indicator/dp/B007ZTAE5A/

12/3 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp SJTW Contractor Extension Cord, 25 feet (I would get two if I was to run one to the air conditioner and one for the appliances)
http://www.amazon.com/2883-Heavy-Duty-Contractor-Extension-Lighted/dp/B000KKLMO8/

or even better, a 10/3 15 amp extension cord, 25 feet for the air conditioner (plug the other two outlets with child safety plugs)
http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Lighted-Contractor-Extension-25-Feet/dp/B01BL2X2SM/

Even though there may be a fuse in the 30 amp box, I feel better getting a heavy duty surge protector with a fuse inside as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Jacket-5139N-6-Foot-6-Outlet/dp/B000KKNFMU/

Rubber gloves to connect/disconnect the cord from the 30 amp box/working with electricity outdoors in general.
http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Insulated-Electrical-Gloves-1000/dp/B007TUWMP0/

I think I got it?

 

[rvpopeye]

The adapters with a 30 amp plug and a 15 amp socket only make it so you can plug in a different plug into the 30 amp /120volt outlet . The 30 amp outlet is still capable of delivering 30 amps without tripping the box breaker.
It's up to you to not use more than 15 amps.
( A power strip with it's own breaker will protect anything plugged into it including the extension cord between the adapter and power strip by default because you can't draw more than the strip breaker will trip on).

The adapter will heat up and probably melt if you try taking more than 15 amps !

A 12 guage extension cord will be plenty good for that ! Any length even 50-100'
If the CG power pole has a 120 volt outlet (probably GFCI) it might have a 20 amp breaker too.
AND it might or might not be using the same supply as the 30 amp outlet so if you use that as well as the 30 amp outlet try to keep your total for both to less than 30 amps.........(a 12 guage cord will be good for that too)

To keep track of how much amps you use at 1 time ,,, look for how many watts something uses and divide by 120 to get amps if it isn't already labeled with an amp amount....

Take this info in baby steps and it will be easier to understand.

A 50 amp outlet is a different beast, it has 2 -120 volt circuits each capable of 50 amps and also capable of delivering 100 amps of 220 volts !!!
(Way more than you will probably have use for so just don't worry about or use those for now)

 

[coolmom42]

You can plug into any amp outlet you can find if you have the right adapter. Your equipment will only use the amount of current (amps) it needs. All the outlets are 110 Volts and will be fine for any US made equipment. (European stuff uses 220 V).

Amps are a quantity of electrical current and current works as a "pull" not a push. A 50 amp outlet will not "push" 50 amps to your equipment. All it means is that there is 50 amps available if you need it. Generally the only people who need 50 amps are in big RVs with 2 AC units. Most other RVs need 30 amps or less. If you are not running AC, a RV is perfectly happy on the 15 amp outlet. (you might need more than 15 amps if running things like a heater, microwave, & hair dryer simultaneously.) You just need the right adapter so your plug fits the outlet.

Many times the 30 amp outlets are in bad shape from over use. You can just as easily use the 50 amp, which are usually in better shape, with the correct adapter.

UL listed electrical items are required to show the voltage and the maximum amps they will use. Add up all the amps on everything you might use at the same time and that's how many amps total you are likely to need.

I second the comment to get a really good heavy duty extension cord.

When plugging in at a RV park, you will find a breaker at the box, maybe more than one. Make sure they are all off, plug in, and then flip the breaker on. That prevents a spark jumping between your plug and the receptacle.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Never, Never, EVER plug in to an RV outlet without testing it first.

These things are often maintained by the park "handyman" instead of by licensed electricians and their are ample horror stories on the mainstream RV forums about outlets that are crosswired or have no safety ground. This later is VERY dangerous - it's possible to have a "hot skin" condition where you get a shock when you touch your vehicle.  It is even possible to miswire a 50 amp outlet so it's a 240 volt instead of a 120 volt output.  Plug in to THAT and you can kiss all your electrical equipment goodbye.

Do a Google search on "testing RV outlets" and you will find ample info on how to go about this, including Youtube videos showing how it's done.

Regards
John

 

[blars]

50 amp RV outlets are 120/240 volts. You can run two sets of 50A 120v things at the same time off one. They make adapters you can plug two 30A RV plugs into off of one.

 

[ccbreder]

A 50 amp outlet is meant for and delivers 220 volts at 50 amps. 220 volt does consist of two 110 legs so it is possible to only use 110 volts from the outlet. The two sides of a 50 amp 220 volt service are out of phase with each other. It is dangerous to run two separate 110 volt lines from one 50 amp 220 volt outlet. Your adapter for the 50 amp should only allow one 110 volt outlet.