Learned something new this weekend

[Roger66]

I learned something new or should I say I knew it but just never got around to purchasing one. A 50 to 30 amp adapter. We went camping this weekend and when we got to our site the 30 amp breaker was bad. So thankfully the camp ground host and the park ranger were able to install a new one. Needless to say when we went to the local Walmart I picked up an adapter because next time we might not be as fortunate. Also found out my gray water tank is leaking from the top so will have to investigate to see what the cause is.

 

[mainah-SUN]

Be careful of a 50 amp, some camp grounds have two 30 amp 120 volt outputs (big MH's and big campers. Generally they are 4 pin not 3.

 

[Roger66]

Hi Mainah and thanks. The adapter I bought is a transparent 4 pin to 3 pin and I can see that one of the 4 pins in the connector does not have a wire connected to it. Do you think that would be a pretty good safety against damaging my tt?

 

[johnnybgood-SUN]

I had purchased a 50 to 30 amp adapter several years ago, just in case. Never needed it until last year while camping in Florida. They had 50 amp only, which I had never seen.

 

[Roger66]

Hi John. That's odd. But I'm sure they had their reasons. Maybe because of all the current draw of the AC units they just went with the heavier wire or of simplicity of maintenance they would only have to carry 50 amp breakers and outlets.

 

[mainah-SUN]

Hi Mainah and thanks. The adapter I bought is a transparent 4 pin to 3 pin and I can see that one of the 4 pins in the connector does not have a wire connected to it. Do you think that would be a pretty good safety against damaging my tt?

Yeah that should be OK. Both of the flat pins in a 50 amp are 120 volt so your adaptor with one not connected takes care of that.

 

[mainah-SUN]

What the 50 amp is all about is load share. The big stuff has two separate circuits just for things like that so every thing is not on one circuit the power post is not 240 volts it's two separate 120 volt circuits when there is a 50 amp plug. They tried to make RV stuff fool proof that's why all the RV plugs are completely different than house hold plugs. The NEMA number on the sockets/plugs are always followed with an "R" at the end (RV) They look like they might fit a welder socket but they won't

 

[Roger66]

Thanks for the great explanation. I know the camp ground host every Friday when it's hot out has to go around and reset the main breakers for the 30 amp systems because everyone turns on their ac at the same time.

 

[mainah-SUN]

Yes and what happens and as it does the voltage drops so the current draw increases viscous cycle. We have a huge country fair here in Maine just a few miles from me, all though the powers that be will not say how many camping sites they have the general consensus is 5,000+ what we do know it is second only to Disneyland! Needless to say there is small fleet of golf cart circuit breaker resetters!

 

[JohnGB]

Hi Roger,

Yes, every now and then, you need that 50 to 30 amp adapter. The 30 amp being more popular in smaller campgrounds get worn more and sometimes the ground pin unhooks or the other 2 blades get loose. I have a monitor in the camper which sounds an alarm when open ground happens. So far, every time this happens is due to worm 30 amp outlets.

Using the 50 to 30, creates a tight fit at the power post in many cases as it is used less, again in smaller camps. This solves the issue until the park can replace the outlet.