Splitting electricity

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M

mascangel

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Sep 13, 2017
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Hi All,

I am both new to RV'ing and message boarding, so please forgive my green-ness.  :D

I purchased a new to me 94 Coleman Destiny Pop Up Tent Trailer last summer and have been working hard to get it just right.  This summer I took it for several short trips.  I found the perfect spot and have now put a down payment on a seasonal site for next summer.

Upon considering living full-time in my trailer, I have come to realize I am going to have one main difficulty - it has no fridge or means of refrigeration!  This is a must as we will be over an hour from home, so buying groceries daily and/or using a cooler simply will not work.

So, I was thinking I would pick up a shed and a used fridge and keep the fridge locked up in the shed for the whole season.  My concern is thus: 

How do I both plug in my trailer to the 30 amp service, and plug in my fridge to keep it running all the time?

When I checked the site there appeared to only be 1 30amp plug, no additional or alternative plugs. 

As I need to plug my trailer in to run it's interior lights, and do things like plug in cell phones to charge, I am not sure where I will plug in the fridge.  Is there a safe and effective way to split the service? 

I do have an adapter to convert my trailer plug from 30 amp to 20amp, but again am not sure how this will help me to plug in the fridge.  Any advice or suggestions would be extremely appreciated!

Thanks :D
 
Plug your trailer into the 30 amp plug.

Plug an extension cord into an outlet in or outside your trailer to run the refer.

Make sure that the extension cord is heavy enough for the length of the run.

Welcome to the Forum.
 
Our pop-up didn't have a refrigerator either, so we carried a dorm fridge and kept it under one of the wings. There was an exterior outlet within reach to plug into.

A dorm fridge is probably too small for seasonal use, but it served us well for several years.
 
True story: First know that a fridge, tied shut, will keep food cold for several hours.

When I had my PUP the campground I stayed at most changed the rules. Suddenly it cost an additional $4.00/night for electricity.. SO I "scrapped" (Set aside) ye old Coleman Coolers (Ice Chests) and got a small "office/Dorm" size fridge at sears.. Cost me $100 back then as I recall.

So instead of BUYING bags of ice every day to keep those coolers cold in August..(At 3.00/bag so I'm spending like 9 bucks a day) I paid 4.00 for power and the food was nicer .. I made my own ice with the ice cube trays.

The fridge was small enough to fit in the PUP when closed, or if you have a pick up in the bed  Just tie the door closed with a packing strap.

When I got the class A I sold the fridge for 25 bucks to another couple who uses it in their truck/camper, They love it as much as I did.
 
Thank you everyone for the great replies, I guess I have a bunch of options which is great to learn!!!  :)   

I don't think I have an exterior plug on the trailer, but I will definitely check that! 

And I do not want to plug the fridge into the only outlet I have on the interior (and then have to run the cord outside through the canvas) so I know that is not an option.

I definitely don't want to buy ice everyday, but a small fridge or freezer to make ice and store under the bed that converts to a table may be a good option - will have to explore this.

I like the idea of the Y adapter. I will then need to buy another adapter to step the one side down to 20 amp in order to be able to plug in the fridge, correct?

Thanks all for your help, I am looking forward to a great summer outdoors with my son!  :)
 
Sorry everyone.... 1 more question??!!

If I use the Y adapter - could I do a 30amp splitting to 2 20amp or even 2 15amp plugs?

The only things that run on power in my pup are my charge cord for my phone, my charge cord for a portable dvd player and the interior lights built into the pup, that is such a small amount of power being drawn that the 15/20 amp plugs should work right?  And the fridge should run okay on a 15amp circuit as well, just as it does in our home right?

Thanks again!  :)
 
If you have a outlet inside the RV, just get one of these and plug your fridge into it along with your chargers.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Source-15-Amp-3-Wire-Grounding-Duplex-to-Six-White-Basic-Adapter/3772897
 
I like the idea of the Y adapter. I will then need to buy another adapter to step the one side down to 20 amp in order to be able to plug in the fridge, correct?
Click to expand...
Right. The 30/15 adapter is inexpensive and can even be found at Walmarts.

If I use the Y adapter - could I do a 30amp splitting to 2 20amp or even 2 15amp plugs
Click to expand...
Yes, any combination you like. The actual total power draw of all usages combined still cannot exceed 30A, but you can have outlets in any size combination you like.

Does your pop-up have a 30A shore power cord? Some of them are only 15A, intended to plug to the common household size outlet.

Re the twist-lock plug that John mentioned: Some RVs have detachable external power cords, but many (perhaps even most) do not.
 
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