30 amp plug into 50 amp service?

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gator outback

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Is it ok to plug a 30 amp Travel Trailer plug into a 50 amp service at campsite? I will be using a conversion plug.
 
Not a good idea as you have a power cord between the Rig and the Park Power rated for 30 amps protected by a 50 amp Cirduit Breaker.  If you run to many devices in the Rig the Line Current could exceed easily the current capacity of the line cord causing it to overheat and possibly catch fire.

I would recommend not doing what you are comtemplating, the risk of fire is to great,
 
Do it all the time with a 30 to 50 dogbone adapter. The RV is protected by its circuit breaker system.
 
If you you have a main breaker that is feeding the other breakers then the maximum current capacity will be limited to the Amp Rating of the mainbreaker.  However any Rigs connect the AC input directly to the feeder rails and then connect the individual breakers to the those rails in which case the maximum current capacity will be the sum of the current capacity of the individual breakers.

If you and all people using the RV control the number of current drawing devices you will not have a problem.

 
weewun said:
Not a good idea as you have a power cord between the Rig and the Park Power rated for 30 amps protected by a 50 amp Cirduit Breaker.  If you run to many devices in the Rig the Line Current could exceed easily the current capacity of the line cord causing it to overheat and possibly catch fire.

I would recommend not doing what you are comtemplating, the risk of fire is to great,
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I am a retired electrician and this response is wrong. Your motorhome is protected by a 30 amp breaker in the breaker box, so 50 amps could never end up on the power cord. If it was dangerous they would not sell 30 to 50 amp converters. The box in the campground is rated for 50 amps and that is the most it can deliver, but it only delivers the amount of amperage your motorhome is drawing. Since the motorhome is limited to drawing 30 amps at the most then the cord will never see more than 30 amps.
 
As others have said, it's not a problem.  Your main breaker in the RV is a 30A breaker and that's all you will be able to draw from the pedestal.  Your internal breaker will trip if you exceed 30A, just as it would if you were connected to a 30A outlet.
 
Yep there is no problem.  Ned has explained it very as welll since you cannot draw more than what your circut breaker are.  30 amp rig 30 amp breaker limits the max draw to 30 amps.
 
However any Rigs connect the AC input directly to the feeder rails
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I have to take exception to this statement.  You will not find any a/c connected direct to the power line with no circuit breaker.  I suspect this refers to the possibility of having a rear a/c on a 30A rig that has a separate breaker not tied through the main breakers.  This would be tied into a generator as an independent circuit (protected by the generator main breaker) and not hooked to the shore power at all. If the rear a/c is switched to shore power, it then goes through the main 30A breaker in the load center.  To the best of my knowledge  it would be a violation of the electrical code to have a power feed that is not shut off by the main breaker from its power source.

I've seen owner modifications to these rear a/c circuits to optionally provide power direct from the power pole, though. It uses a separate 20A power cord.
 
Roamer I think you mis-understood him

He said AC and you replied A/C

Usually when I am typing (And you do this too)  I use AC to incicate Altenating Current and A/C to mean Air Conditioner

Though in my motor home, and in most (if not all) of the motor homes I've looked at Shore power (or generator power) enteres the distribution box via a main breaker, same as here in the house.... In the trailer I used to have the shore power (no generator) went directly to the rails that feed the breakers, there was no "Main"

Of course it was only a 20 amp feed

But I think that is what he is talking about  The Alternating Current, not the Air Conditioner.
 
John, I think you are correct in your interpretation of what was meant (said), but I doubt you will find any 30 or 50 amp rigs wired that way.  The small 20amp distribution box/converter in my old pop-up WAS wired like that.
 
Full agreement Lou as I said I can not recall ever seeing a motor home that did not have a main breaker.. Just my old 20 amp trailer

I won't say it is impossible

Only that I've never heard of such a thing.
 
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