30 amp question

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2PawsRiver

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2014
Posts
73
Location
Michigan
We were work camping at a Methodist Camp and hooked up to a 30 am connection.  I had our Refrigerator on electric, water heater on electric and running two 15 amp electric heaters when it got cold without any issues.  Also used the Microwave from time to time and the Keurig Coffee maker without any issues.  We had to relocate because their water lines are not buried deep enough and will freeze.

Moved to our new place where we plan to winter and when asked if we wanted 30 or 50 amp, I went with 30, thinking I only had to worry about 50 amp if I wanted to run 2 AC units.

Doing nothing different, but I have now tripped the breaker twice...........now my questions.........I had no problems at the other 30 amp hook up, but am having problems here, any idea why?  I am using two 1500 watt standing oil heaters, running the fridge and water heater on electric, but kicking the breaker if I used the coffee maker or microwave............is that normal.

 







 
You cannot hook up that much power to a 30 amp, you should have taken a 50 amp. The refer and the water heater and the space heaters all are cyclic. In other words they only draw their maximum current part of the time. When they all draw at once it won't work.
 
30 amps at 120V is 3,600 watts, you are overloading the 30 amp breaker, the other question you should ask is what was wrong with the other one that kept the protective breaker from tripping when you were drawing too much power.
 
Believe Seilerbird nailed it. Sounds like you were just lucky all of the items you had on electric didn't need max power at the exact same times prior. I'm guessing it may be colder now than before and the heaters are working a little harder??? I generally don't run more than one 1500 watt electric heater at a time and turn it off briefly if I need the microwave or something else with a heating element in it (Toaster, Hairdryer, etc.). That keeps me from popping the circuit breaker. 
 
I upgraded my 30 amp to 50 amp service.  50 amp service actually provides two 50 amp lines to the RV for a total of 100 amps!  I wish they would quit calling it 50 amps when you actually have 100 amps to play with, which comes out to 12,000 watts!

Hardest part of the job was running romex under my trailer to my new outlet locations.  I installed a total of 6 new outlets for electric heaters.  I have 4 1500 watt heaters in 5th wheel that are thermostatically controlled via wireless thermostat that links to an outlet plug in control box.  I also have two 250 watt heaters in my storage compartment that are connected to thermocube plugs in my new outlets.  I also ran 3 outlets under my RV for my three 75 watt (120 volt AC), tank heaters.


Last night, it was 11 deg F for an overnight low.  My storage compartment temperature was 47 deg F which mean my water filter, lines, and water pump didn't freeze!  My tanks didn't freeze either.  I keep my bedroom at a comfortable 70 deg F and my doored off main living area t 75 deg F.  Temps were perfect and I'm so excited that I will be able to use for little propane this winter and rely solely on electricity that is provided in my monthly rental fee. The real test will be when temps go down to -20 deg F.  When that happens, I willl install at 1500 watt heater in storage compartment to a thermostatically controlled outlet and another one in my RV. 

Installing a 50 amp (100 amp total) service panel is time consuming but EASY.  Running romex under a camper is easy but removing the coroplast and selecting areas for new outlets to wire was a pain because my water tanks obstructed all of the good outlet spots ;-)

Wiring for the 120 volt tank heater pads was time consuming.  I found a great 3 switch wall switch from Home Despot, fed it with a 20 amp Romex line and then routed 3 lines to each individual tank heater from the wall switches.

It is 22 deg F outside and despite my walls being cold, my windows being drafty, I am sitting in shorts and no shirt writing this post.

 
If all you have is a 30-amp at the pole, you may be able to use a split 30-amp cord to allow you to get two 30-amp legs, or 60 amps total.  If the camp site next to you is vacant, it may work.

Not quite as much as a 50-amp, which is actually 100-amps, but it may help.
 
Thank you for the input.  I was running two heaters for the same reason, save on propane.  The site is either 30 or 50, plug ins are beside each other.  I will just pay a little extra for the 50 amp and call it good...?.thanks again.
 
On the first sight you were about a hair's width from tripping the breakers. and the braker it seems was generous. ON the new site the breaker is not as generous
(30 amp breakers can trip at anything from about 27 up to about 35 amps).

Voltage makes a differece as well.  Since most of your loads are RESISTIVE (Heaters) voltage an current track so if the first park was a touch low on voltage (say 110) you will draw less than at a 120 or 125 volt park.

Water heater and spacer heaters are all 12 amp at 120 volt.. that's 36 amps and we have not even added the fridge.
 
You didn't state what power your RV is designed for.  If the RV has a 30A power cord (3-prog plug on the end) and a 30A main breaker, connecting to a 50A outlet won't change anything.
 
SeilerBird said:
Running romex under your RV is not legal unless you enclose the romex in a conduit. Romex is not designed to be exposed anywhere.

As I remember the NEC ....It's not legal to run Romex in conduit
 
sightseers said:
As I remember the NEC ....It's not legal to run Romex in conduit

It's legal, just foolish to do so unless it is exposed to weather as in under a trailer. And that's not really legal as that is considered a wet location in which romex is not allowed. Dammed if you do and damned if you don't.
 
wmtired said:
I upgraded my 30 amp to 50 amp service.  50 amp service actually provides two 50 amp lines to the RV for a total of 100 amps!  I wish they would quit calling it 50 amps when you actually have 100 amps to play with, which comes out to 12,000 watts!

Hardest part of the job was running romex under my trailer to my new outlet locations.  I installed a total of 6 new outlets for electric heaters.  I have 4 1500 watt heaters in 5th wheel that are thermostatically controlled via wireless thermostat that links to an outlet plug in control box.  I also have two 250 watt heaters in my storage compartment that are connected to thermocube plugs in my new outlets.  I also ran 3 outlets under my RV for my three 75 watt (120 volt AC), tank heaters.


Last night, it was 11 deg F for an overnight low.  My storage compartment temperature was 47 deg F which mean my water filter, lines, and water pump didn't freeze!  My tanks didn't freeze either.  I keep my bedroom at a comfortable 70 deg F and my doored off main living area t 75 deg F.  Temps were perfect and I'm so excited that I will be able to use for little propane this winter and rely solely on electricity that is provided in my monthly rental fee. The real test will be when temps go down to -20 deg F.  When that happens, I willl install at 1500 watt heater in storage compartment to a thermostatically controlled outlet and another one in my RV. 

Installing a 50 amp (100 amp total) service panel is time consuming but EASY.  Running romex under a camper is easy but removing the coroplast and selecting areas for new outlets to wire was a pain because my water tanks obstructed all of the good outlet spots ;-)

Wiring for the 120 volt tank heater pads was time consuming.  I found a great 3 switch wall switch from Home Despot, fed it with a 20 amp Romex line and then routed 3 lines to each individual tank heater from the wall switches.

It is 22 deg F outside and despite my walls being cold, my windows being drafty, I am sitting in shorts and no shirt writing this post.

I, on the other hand, wish people would stop calling it 100 amps. No way in hell you're ever gonna use 100 amps in an RV. Just not gonna happen. Not enough equipment in there. Once you get over 50 amps on any one leg the breaker is gonna trip. If you have a 200 amp service in your house do you call it a 400 amp service??? NOT.  Same thing as the 50. 200 amps per leg on different phases. I wish the RV world would stop trying to reinvent the Electric language. Or general language for that matter. Go to HD or Lowes and ask for a Salsman Switch and see where it gets you. Go to an electric supply house and try it and you'll get laughed out the door.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
You didn't state what power your RV is designed for.  If the RV has a 30A power cord (3-prog plug on the end) and a 30A main breaker, connecting to a 50A outlet won't change anything.

....except you might get a better connection made at the outlet.
I've taken to almost always plug in my 30A rig through by 50A dogbone adapter at camp grounds.  I usually find the 30A outlet to be loose and worn out from heavy use or corroded, while the 50A outlet doesn't get much use so it's usually in better shape.  Also the breaker at the post gets more of a workout on the 30A side so the breakers can be happier too.
Could be a factor here... the old site might have had a new outlet making good connection, and the new site is old and loose.
 
wmtired said:
I upgraded my 30 amp to 50 amp service.  50 amp service actually provides two 50 amp lines to the RV for a total of 100 amps!  I wish they would quit calling it 50 amps when you actually have 100 amps to play with, which comes out to 12,000 watts!

The standard nomenclature refers to the service capacity by the highest voltage rating. In this case, it's 120/240-50 amp service. And you do not have "100 amps to play with", just 50 amps per 120 volt leg to neutral. If it was really 100 amps at 120 volts, you'd be able to connect a single near 12,000 watt 120 volt load without popping the main breaker.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
You didn't state what power your RV is designed for.  If the RV has a 30A power cord (3-prog plug on the end) and a 30A main breaker, connecting to a 50A outlet won't change anything.

50 amp, was running a 30 amp dog leg.
 
wmtired said:
I upgraded my 30 amp to 50 amp service.  50 amp service actually provides two 50 amp lines to the RV for a total of 100 amps!  I wish they would quit calling it 50 amps when you actually have 100 amps to play with, which comes out to 12,000 watts!

It ois called 50 amps because the breakers are 50 amps.  The most current that can flow in the wires is 50 amps. I know you think it id 100 amps but it is not. The most current that can flow in any wire, L-1, L-2 or NEUTRAL is 50 amps.. Can't go over 50 amps. 100 amps is a mathmatical trick and not the amount of current flowing.

NOW if you would like to know why two legs at 50 amps instead of a single 100 amp line. I can eplain that too.. But warning. I actually went to college to study this stuff. (electronics).
 
How about this, from now on we all refer to 30 amp RV hookups as 1x30 amp hookups, and 50 amp RV hookups as 2x50 amp hookups.

Alternatively how about 30 amp hookups become 3600 watt hookups, and 50 amp become 12,000 watt hookups
 
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