Need More Amperage

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Mike1964

Member
Joined
May 6, 2016
Posts
16
Greetings everyone!
I am new here with a specific problem i need some help with.
I live alone in a 32' fifth-wheel RV. It is 30 amp. I need more power Scotty!.
My question:

If I were to relocate to a 50 amp spot, is there some type of adapter/splitter that would enable me to run 30 amps to the RV and the other 15 or 20 amps to a separate, heave gauge power cord I can run inside and plug power strips into or even hard-wire some outlets?

Other options?
Thanx gang!

Mike
 
Since most campsites have a 20A outlet in addition to the 30 and or 50A outlets, you could just into that. I wouldn't connect an extension cord to one leg of the 50A service unless it was of big enough gauge to handle the possible loads.
 
Well, I am in an RV park rather than a campsite that does not have that. I have a single 30A receptacle on the pole. I understand to use a 12 gauge cord of minimum length. question is, do they make a Y-Splitter cable or something that will allow me to do that if i were to move to a 50A lot.
 
Mike1964 said:
is there some type of adapter/splitter that would enable me to run 30 amps to the RV and the other 15 or 20 amps to a separate, heave gauge power cord I can run inside and plug power strips into or even hard-wire some outlets?

Like this?

http://amazon.com/Conntek-Adatper-Female-Connector-3-Feet/dp/B002MGSNNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462572946&sr=8-1&keywords=50+amp+splitter+rv
 
YES!!! That amazon cord. Many thanks guy!
They are proud of it too @ $129.

Mr electrician, i don't know what 'back feeding' is. how about if I were to just attach a single power strip to the 15A end of this via a short run of 12 gauge extension cord? no hard-wiring outlets if that is back feeding. i won't do that if its dangerous.
 
Mike1964 said:
YES!!! That amazon cord. Many thanks guy!
They are proud of it too @ $129.

Mr electrician, i don't know what 'back feeding' is. how about if I were to just attach a single power strip to the 15A end of this via a short run of 12 gauge extension cord? no hard-wiring outlets if that is back feeding. i won't do that if its dangerous.
Back feeding is plugging a 110 volt line into existing outlets or hard wiring to existing outlets in an existing structure. In other words you have some outlets that are not being powered by the main power source so you plug directly into the outlet and bypass the breaker box. Then someone comes along to work on it, kills the power at the breaker box and kills himself when he grabs a hold of wires he did not know were hot.
 
still unsure i fully understand that. Just shut off the 50 amp breaker and kill all power. you mean if someone tried to turn off the individual breaker inside the rv and what he was working on was not on that breaker?  no matter, no danger of anyone working on it without my knowledge.

What about using that adapter (link above), run a 12 gauge cord off it and plug a single power strip into it.  I will not daisy chain 'em together... just one. would that work and be safe?

I appreciate your help. was hoping an electrician would chime in.  thank you.
 
Yes there is but you do not (normlly) need it

The 50 amp box will have 3 outlets, 50/30/20  So the adapter you most likely need IS the box you plug into.

In fact most 30 amp sites also have a 20 amp outlet.. IN SOME CASES THIS IS NOT TRUE, and in some cases there is an up-line 30 amp breaker so if you try you loose.. but more than a few folks run two cords and use both the 30 and 20 amp breakers.. I am set up to do this via two different power "inlets" on my 50 amp RV when on a 30 amp site.. in fact I have 3 ways to do it but the "Adapter" method... Does not often work.
 
Mike1964 said:
still unsure i fully understand that. Just shut off the 50 amp breaker and kill all power. you mean if someone tried to turn off the individual breaker inside the rv and what he was working on was not on that breaker?  no matter, no danger of anyone working on it without my knowledge.

What about using that adapter (link above), run a 12 gauge cord off it and plug a single power strip into it.  I will not daisy chain 'em together... just one. would that work and be safe?

I appreciate your help. was hoping an electrician would chime in.  thank you.
Basically the breakers in the breaker panel are not the breakers used to kill the electricity once it has been back fed. You can daisy chain the power strips, that would not be an issue. What you need to do is not plug too much stuff into the power strips. Tell me more about your problem specifically and I will give you my ideas on how to solve it.
 
I am plugged into a pole with a single 30A receptacle that the RV plugs into. 2 lots over is the pole with my 30A breaker on it which i am constantly tripping. Park owner replaced the breaker in case it was weak but still tripping it (upstream breaker?) and then there is the main box where 4, 30A trailers are connected to a 100A breaker. Guess they are counting on everyone not running everything at once.

I will have to find out which lots are 50A and go take a look at the pole for additional outlets. that would be great!

Would limiting it to 10A of stuff plugged in be ok? how much overhead is recommended?

 
computers, laser printers, office stuff, cooktop, coffee pot stays on all the time and is 900W alone! 900W / 120V = 7.5A !!! but thats just it. seems like everything i plug in, is on a single 15A "utility" breaker. there is one for the microwave, water heater... also, it was cold and space heaters are 1500W (12.5A ea.)

But I am tripping the pole (30A) also.
Oh, and i have a portable a/c unit also. unsure of power requirement.
 
would that not mean another distribution box? (not cheap am sure), i have no empty breakers or slots.

never mind, i understand. you mean off a pole with multiple outlets?
 
ok man, thanks again for your help. i will check out the 50A lots and see if they have multi-outlets.

 
Mike1964 said:
I am plugged into a pole with a single 30A receptacle that the RV plugs into. 2 lots over is the pole with my 30A breaker on it which i am constantly tripping.

This is saying you're limited to using 30 amps from your power pole, no matter what combination of outlets you plug into.

You'll have to change to another site with a 50 amp socket.  If there are also 30 and 20 amp outlets you can use both of those without tripping an upstream breaker.

computers, laser printers, office stuff, cooktop, coffee pot stays on all the time and is 900W alone! 900W / 120V = 7.5A !!! but thats just it. seems like everything i plug in, is on a single 15A "utility" breaker. there is one for the microwave, water heater... also, it was cold and space heaters are 1500W (12.5A ea.)

But I am tripping the pole (30A) also.
Oh, and i have a portable a/c unit also. unsure of power requirement.

It sounds like you are seriously overloading the electrical wiring inside your trailer.  If you really use all of that stuff you should upgrade your trailer's electrical system to 50 amps.  This means replacing your 30 amp shore power cord and 30 amp breaker panel with 50 amp units, then add more outlets and wiring going to additional 15 or 20 amp breakers.

A 50 amp conversion will give you a total of 100 amps of 120 volt power, since the 50 amp socket has two 50 amp circuits.

Trying to run all of that stuff from a 30 amp breaker panel and a single 15 amp outlet circuit is asking for trouble.  Even running an extra 20 amp extension cord to the power pole will only give you half as much available power as a full 50/50 amp conversion.
 

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