Buy a 5th wheel w/ 30 amp or 50 amp service?

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tgianco

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Joined
Jun 7, 2018
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11
I am torn. The 5th wheels we like seem to be between 27-36 feet (mostly), which, mostly, seem to have 30 amp. It's hot where I live but not humid.

The sales people keep saying 30 amp is more than enough, but I am not so sure. 15,000 BTU ducted A/C is important, and I "like" the idea of, possibly, a 2nd A/C. Will I ever really need that? The place we camp most has about 12 50amp sites while the rest (about 100) are 30 amp. The dealer sales people also say that only 12% of sites are 50 amp anyway.

Thoughts? Advice? Total newbie here. My truck is plenty big (F350 dually diesel), but still would rather keep it on the lighter end.
 
If the 30 amp trailer is set up for a second A/C installation, usually in place of a bedroom vent, you could install one later on if needed, and power it with a separate 20 amp cord that plugs into the utility outlet included on most park power stanchions.
 
One 15K AC can keep a 38? motorhome at about 83 with temps at 105. If I want it cooler (which I often do) I use the second. Get the 50, you?ll never be sorry you did, including when you sell. At some point you?ll be sorry if you get the 30
 
I am permanently parked in central Florida in a 33 foot 20 year old fifth wheel that I have been living in for a year and a half. It has a 50 amp service with one 13k A/C ducted in the ceiling. It keeps this place ice cold all day long if I turn the A/C on and leave it on all day. I usually turn it off for most of the day since once it cools down it stays cool. I absolutely do not need a second A/C.
 
I would get the 50 amp and second AC, just in case you do happen to need it.  You can always use it when hooked to 50 amp shore power and use a 30 to 50 adapter and one air conditioner when on 30 amp shore power.  Overkill is always nice in my opinion.
 
Some campgrounds won't allow an RV that's wired for 50 Amps to stay in a 30 Amp site, even if you promise pretty please with sprinkles on it not to use the second A/C and to run your fridge off of gas. (I'm in one of those cgs right now.) So that limits where you can stay.
NY Dutch provides an interesting option.
That's quite a size range you're looking at there, with the high end 1.33 times the length (and therefore, approximately, 1.33 times the volume to cool.) At the high end of your spectrum, a single A/C may not be enough on a really hot day with no shade.
Another variable is just how "cool" is cool enough for you? I'm cozy at 78 or so, but you may need a much lower temp.
I can imagine that a second A/C for the master bedroom could be really nice at night, and may be unnecessary during the day. So if you only run one of them at a time, maybe you could have a 30 Amp entrance and a second A/C.
 
PopPop51 said:
Some campgrounds won't allow an RV that's wired for 50 Amps to stay in a 30 Amp site, even if you promise pretty please with sprinkles on it not to use the second A/C and to run your fridge off of gas. (I'm in one of those cgs right now.) So that limits where you can stay.

:eek: ??? ???

That's one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard. Sounds like a campground owner that doesn't have a clue how electricity works and that someone with a 50 amp coach is somehow 'stealing' extra electricity if they're on a 30 amp site. If you could run two ACs on 30 amps you wouldn't need a 50 amp coach. When you plug in to 30 amps, that's what you get, 30. Try to get 30.1 and you pop the breaker. (In reality, try to continuously get more than about 28 and you'll probably pop the breaker). I'd like to see the wording in the campground rule that doesn't allow it
 
I have a Keystone Fuzion Impact 303 Toy Hauler (about 35') in length and it has a 50A service.  In the hotter weather my 15K ducted A/C system will not keep it cool enough.....it gets up to 80 to 82 degrees.  I just bought a 13.5K second unit that I'm going to install in the pre-wired area of the trailer (the garage) and with the trailer having a 50A service, there will be absolutely ZERO issues with having enough power when I'm at a 50A site.  You may or may not be aware of the power difference between a 30A and a 50A service, so here is the difference....

30A = 3600 Watts of power
50A = 12,000 Watts of power
That's over three times as much power available on a 50A site/plugin.  Personally, I would never choose a 30 if I could get a trailer that I liked with a 50A.
 
We live in the Pacific Northwest, and often travel to the southwest. Our fiver was 30A, and the single AC unit was woefully inadequate to keep the rig cool enough to be inside without sweating. My wife had enough after a few trips and told me to fix the problem or she would not travel in it any longer.


Get the 50A - the second AC is so worth the peace you will have with your fellow traveler(s), and will save you $ in the long run.
 
As Xrated said, 30 Amp service provides 120V and 30 Amps.  50 Amp service is actually 240 V at 50 Amps.  As soon as it arrives in the camper, it is split into two separate 120 V lines at 50 Amp each, or 100 Amps at 120V.  3 times the available power.  A simple adapter allows you to connect to a 30 Amp site.

Go for 50 Amp service in the camper.

My camper is in the back yard.  It is a 50 A setup running on 30 A service.  One A/C stays on all the time.  During the day, the bedroom does get a bit warm.  By evening, the bedroom is comfortable and only one A/C is needed overnight - intermittently.  Due to a major remodel, we have been sleeping out there for the last 2 months.

Salesmen are paid to sell campers.  They will tell you ANYTHING to get you to buy the camper on their lot.  Today!  The way to tell when a salesman is telling a lie?  His lips move.
 
Ok, here's an update (I think). Pulling the trigger on this one. 2 A/C units, one for the bedroom, 50 amp, outdoor kitchen, 1 1/2 bath... most everything we wanted. https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/new-fifth-wheel-rvs/2018-keystone-sprinter-campfire-32fwbh-bunkhouse-30k-RED1502899
 
tgianco said:
I am torn. The 5th wheels we like seem to be between 27-36 feet (mostly), which, mostly, seem to have 30 amp. It's hot where I live but not humid.

The sales people keep saying 30 amp is more than enough, but I am not so sure. 15,000 BTU ducted A/C is important, and I "like" the idea of, possibly, a 2nd A/C. Will I ever really need that? The place we camp most has about 12 50amp sites while the rest (about 100) are 30 amp. The dealer sales people also say that only 12% of sites are 50 amp anyway.

Thoughts? Advice? Total newbie here. My truck is plenty big (F350 dually diesel), but still would rather keep it on the lighter end.

    My opinion.......50 amp!
 
Some campgrounds won't allow an RV that's wired for 50 Amps to stay in a 30 Amp site, even if you promise pretty please with sprinkles on it not to use the second A/C and to run your fridge off of gas. (I'm in one of those cgs right now.) So that limits where you can stay.
Never heard of that, and have stayed in plenty of 30A sites with a 50A rig.  There is no way a 50A rig can get more than 30A from that outlet, unless perhaps the outlet has no 30A circuit breaker on it. But that's unsafe to begin with...
 
I went up to the office and double-checked the sign behind the counter. It reads:

"If the manufacturer put a 50 Amp plug on your RV, you must use 50 Amp site here.
Saves our wiring from overload."

It's Rapid City RV Park in Rapid City, SD. The campground has some sites with 30 amp sockets and some with 30 and 50 amp sockets in the service box.
 
PopPop51 said:
"If the manufacturer put a 50 Amp plug on your RV, you must use 50 Amp site here. Saves our wiring from overload."

Boy do they know nothing about RV and campground wiring.  :eek:
 
PopPop51 said:
I went up to the office and double-checked the sign behind the counter. It reads:

"If the manufacturer put a 50 Amp plug on your RV, you must use 50 Amp site here.
Saves our wiring from overload."

It's Rapid City RV Park in Rapid City, SD. The campground has some sites with 30 amp sockets and some with 30 and 50 amp sockets in the service box.

Their "Electrician"/Advisor is probably the same guy that uses an old dryer receptacle for an RV service.....P O O O F!  There goes the trailer!  Seriously, they had NO CLUE about Electricity and they even have it in writing!  Ya' just can't fix stupid!
 
tgianco said:
Ok, here's an update (I think). Pulling the trigger on this one. 2 A/C units, one for the bedroom, 50 amp, outdoor kitchen, 1 1/2 bath... most everything we wanted. https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/new-fifth-wheel-rvs/2018-keystone-sprinter-campfire-32fwbh-bunkhouse-30k-RED1502899
NICE CAMPER!!  I think you will be happy.  Now, we want pictures!!
 
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