Newbie...Can this be possible?

[Bwalton]

I was at a state park this past weekend.
The trailer hook up at the post only had one outlet with a 30amp breaker and a 20amp breaker.
It also had one household 110 hookup as well.
There were no labels indicating that this was a 30 amp or a 50 amp hookup.
The breaker kept tripping when I tried to get power.
Was this a 50 amp hookup? and would this cause the breaker tripping issues if I was trying to hook up my 30 amp hookup to it?
Most campgrounds I have been to have either or. This is the first time I have seen this.
I was told that I should get a 50 amp to 30 amp small extension so I won't be caught in this situation again.
When I hooked everything to the house this evening, everything worked fine.
Any suggestions?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BrotherBill]

Sounds like you had a 30 amp circuit supplying the primary hook-up and a 20 amp circuit supplying the outlet. Without actually seeing the primary outlet, it's hard to say what type of outlet it was. What kind of plug is installed on your unit. A 30 amp plug will not go into a 50 amp outlet and vice versa.

 

[SargeW]

The plug type will tell you what kind power it should have, three prong for 30 amp, and 4 prong for 50 amp.  And the plugs look entirely different. You probably had a 30 amp circuit that was miswired or had a bad neutral or ground.  Either that or the campground tried to take the cheap way out and just jumped off of the 20 amp circuit and wired it to the 30 amp plug.  The breaker would pop if the demand got too high for the circuit.  Like Bill said, it's hard to say without seeing the box.

Your best bet would be to buy an inexpensive volt meter and if you had any doubts you could check the voltage on the box before you plugged in.  BTW there are adapters that allow a 30 amp plug to be plugged into a 50 amp socket.  The adapter will only pull electricity from one of the hot legs in the 50 amp plug. It will only supply 30 amps to your rig. 

Also sometimes when a breaker keeps tripping, it may just be a worn out breaker.  They do wear out with use and a new one is pretty cheap for the campground to install. 

 

[Bwalton]

I had a 30 amp plug and it went into the outlet okay.
But when I tried to cut something on in the trailer, it kicked the breaker at the post.
No breakers were tripped inside the trailer....
I had an extension cord and tried another post close by... and the same thing happen.
But when I tried to check things out tonight, I hooked it up to the house and everything worked fine.
It was hooked up to a 20 amp service with an adapter....
It has me stumped....
Debating on the idea to spend the money to take it to the dealer...

 

[BrotherBill]

If you can plug into a 20 amp service without issue, chances are that your outfit is fine. Like Sarge said, it may be an issue with the campground. I would also agree with the suggestion to pick up a multi-meter and learn all you can about it's features. It's a minor expense, but a priceless asset.

 

[Bwalton]

Yes... all of you are correct....
The electrician that I had at the house this evening said the samething
The voltage meter is your best friend in a time like this....
Thanks for all the replys.
Have a good evening....

 

[BrotherBill]

If you need to purchase one, don't settle for your basic volt meter. For about $20, you can find an inexpensive multi-meter, or multi-tester as called by some, that will perform a variety of tests. You can measure voltage in DC and AC, measure current draw in amps, as well as continuity, handy for tracking broken wires or shorts. These little gems are almost a must for the tool box and are really worth their weight in gold.

 

[PancakeBill]

Ypu can also get a plug in tester that shows if the outlet is wired correctly. 

 

[gwcowgill]

Bill, The plug in tester is for those who don't know how to use the VOM.  Great tool when in doubt though.

 

[BrotherBill]

Handy, quick, and only takes one hand to operate. I've got about three or four of them in various boxes, sorry I didn't think to suggest it as well.

 

[John From Detroit]

That was a 30 amp hook up.. How to tell the difference

The "Standard house type outlet" with the "T" shaped slot on one side (neutral normally) is a 20 amp outlet and is protected by the 20 amp breaker, The matching 20 amp plug has the two flat blades arrainged like a "T"  a 15 amp plug also fits it' has parallel blades

In this discussion I will ignore the round or U-shaped safety ground

A 30 amp outlet has two flat slots, at an angle, it's "round" in shape over all, ti's protected by a 30 amp breaker

Both of these are 120 volt service.

A 50 amp socket has 3 flat slots, all parallel, one slightly "Above" the other (That is the neutral)

It is protected by a ganged 50 amp breaker since it's 120/240/120 volt service.

Now: 2 A/C's on a 30 amp (or one and the electric water heater) can be done using a product from a compnay http://www.psrv.net in many cases.

"Cheater boxes" (with two plugs and one 50 amp socket) do not work in most cases.

 

[PancakeBill]

gwcowgirl.  Yup.  that is why I mentioned it.  Also a nice easy quick check for those that don't use a VOM very often.  My Fluke is about 30 years old and bullet proof.  Well, maybe not bullets...

 

[gwcowgill]

OK Bill, I have a Fluke 97 I carry with me and a old Fluke 73 I use in my workshop when I work......