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Old 06-13-2020, 06:54 PM   #1
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30 to 50-amp?

Would this actually work?Click image for larger version

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Old 06-13-2020, 07:31 PM   #2
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it works, yes, but only IF the smaller 15/20amp outlet is NOT a GFCI protected outlet...

I've done this many times, but generally the 15/20amp outlet is from another source, such as a nearby building, using an extension cord to reach it.

For some reason, the GFCI protected outlets, which are now common and normal in almost every campground and rv park, do not play well with these adapters, and they will not pass thru the power to the RV.
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Old 06-13-2020, 07:33 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Fish and Dear View Post
Would this actually work?Attachment 24233

Yeap! If my RV wasn't in the shop, I would run outside and hook it up to show you!
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Old 06-13-2020, 07:35 PM   #4
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and, by the way, that's NOT a '30 to 50amp' adapter, it is simply an adapter that provides the ability to harness 15 to 20amps more of 120v power into the '50amp' RV... it does NOT provide full '50amp 240v' power to the RV, like a true 50amp RV outlet does.

This adapter allows up to 50 amps of power at 120 VOLTS, not at 240volts like a true 50amp rV outlet, which equates to up to 100 amps of power at 120volts.
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Old 06-13-2020, 07:38 PM   #5
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it also states '45amps', which is tell-tell to the fact that the secondary part of the adapter is traditionally known as a '15amp adapter', even though most any Campground or RV Park secondary outlet is actually on a 20 amp breaker - so it's really more like 50 amps... oh well. You get the idea, though. If you hooked it up to your 30amp RV outlet at home, and also hooked the other side to your garage 15amp outlet, you'd have the 45 amps they advertise, yes.
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Old 06-13-2020, 07:45 PM   #6
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It MAY work if the post is wired correctly and the 15/20 amp circuit is not just wired to the 30 amp circuit.

As Turner said, it will provide half or less of the power than a true RV 50 amp plug.

If your RV does use the 240 VAC power (like a dryer) that will not work as both of the plugs are from the same 120 VAC phase.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:01 PM   #7
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I'll admit, as a side note, that I've heard the discussion of whether outlets can be 'wired to the 30amp circuit', but I'm not sure in any electrical scenario how that happens, or whether it has any impact on the fact that BOTH of these circuits have their OWN breakers, meaning that each has full 120v power, and only the breaker itself controls the amperage(usage).
That's 30amps for the RV outlet, and up to 20amp for the 'household' outlet... I don't see how any wiring scheme can change that - each of these breakers are sitting on a POWER BUS that is fed from the utility, each with it's own 120v power.

In a scenario where someone might 'rig' another circuit from the 'output' side of the 30amp breaker, I can see where the two 'circuits' would then be pulling thru the 'same' breaker, but these RV boxes are not, and cannot be, wired that way. Each breaker has it's own power supply.
If you are saying that the upstream 'MAIN' breaker, somewhere in another utility box only accessible by the campground maintenance dpt, has a 30amp 'Main' Breaker supplying this RV Post, then yes, you might be right, but Electrical rules don't allow that, and these boxes are not 'built' or 'designed' for that - each Breaker has it's own full 120v supply.

Do RV pedestals 'share' the 120v power? Sure, that common, but that does NOT mean that they are sharing 'AMPERAGE' limits, as their own breakers determine that. If you think about it, many homes 'share' the same power supply, but EACH has it's own breaker panel and it's own 120v/240v supply, with NOTHING to do with the neighbor. RV parks are the same way.

So, in assumption, each Circuit, with a Breaker, has it's own FULL usage of amperage for that circuit - whether the 15/20amp outlet is being used at the SAME TIME as the 30amp RV outlet makes NO difference. I will bet, in any circumstance, that the utility MAIN breaker for this RV Pedestal is at least a 100amp double-pole 240v power supply, powering several other RV Pedestals at the same time. And, using that power supply, it could provide FULL 120v Power to at least FOUR different RV sites. If it is a 200amp 240v Main breaker, it could supply 8 or more. And, if a 400amp Main breaker, which is more normal now, up to 16 or more rv sites, with this same 30, 15/20 box configuration.
Now, if the park also has some box with the 50, 30, 15/20 outlet configurations, even MORE normal now, then there will be a lesser number of the RV Pedestals on each 'run' of the Main Breaker, but there will also just be more 'MAIN' breakers, and/or panels, from the utility.

Yes, they are 'sharing' electricity, but that does not in any way impact each site's own usage of their OWN circuits - if the box has both a 30amp RV outlet with it's own 30amp breaker, and a 15/20 outlet with it's own 20amp breaker, then you have a combination of usage of up to 50amps at 120volts, just like the adapter first mentioned is designed for.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:30 PM   #8
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The simple answer is "Yes it will/does work!".
Is it the same as a true 50 amp RV pedestal? NOPE!
Can you run both ACs & whatever else using this setup? Maybe, but probably not! Should you? NOPE!
Personally would just spend a 1/3 of that & just get the 30 to 50 dogbone adapter.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:32 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TurnerFam View Post
it works, yes, but only IF the smaller 15/20amp outlet is NOT a GFCI protected outlet...

I've done this many times, but generally the 15/20amp outlet is from another source, such as a nearby building, using an extension cord to reach it.

For some reason, the GFCI protected outlets, which are now common and normal in almost every campground and rv park, do not play well with these adapters, and they will not pass thru the power to the RV.
Why would a GFCI not allow the power to go through? I would think in the splitter that the neutral and ground are combined with the 30 amps neutral and ground. Basically the 15 or 20 amp side only provides one of the hot legs.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:39 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Travelin' Texans View Post
The simple answer is "Yes it will/does work!".
Is it the same as a true 50 amp RV pedestal? NOPE!
Can you run both ACs & whatever else using this setup? Maybe, but probably not! Should you? NOPE!
Personally would just spend a 1/3 of that & just get the 30 to 50 dogbone adapter.
With 45 to 50 amps of power 'why' wouldn't someone be able to 'run two a/c units' at the same time?? That's PLENTY of power, even way MORE than is needed, which is really the REASON for this type of adapter.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:41 PM   #11
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Why would a GFCI not allow the power to go through?
unknown, but the adapter actually states that it cannot be used with a GFCI outlet... it may have something to do with the fact that the primary outlet, the 30amp RV outlet, is not protected or wired for GFCI protection, and therefore there's no way to 'integrate' the GFCI secondary outlet's scheme within the same adapter wiring.

It's always been this way with these adapters. I usually just try to find an outlet that is not a GFCI outlet and it usually will work.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:43 PM   #12
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the other option is to just use an extension cord from the outlet into your RV, plugging in things that can run off it versus the RV's main 30amp outlet. I've done this before too, when the GFCI outlet is the only other option close by - run an extension cord into the RV and plug in the griddle, heater, or basically anything that might draw a lot of power, to keep it from impacting the main RV electrical.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:47 PM   #13
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I wonder why they call it a 45 amp adapter? I would think that the smaller 110 male connecter would be a 20amp plug. Did the use a smaller gage wire just to only accommodate 15amps vs 20amp?
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:48 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by TurnerFam View Post
With 45 to 50 amps of power 'why' wouldn't someone be able to 'run two a/c units' at the same time?? That's PLENTY of power, even way MORE than is needed, which is really the REASON for this type of adapter.
That is the main reason that I can see why someone or me would even run this set up.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:51 PM   #15
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This has me confused enough to make me glad to be in the "3600 watt" Club.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:56 PM   #16
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I wonder why they call it a 45 amp adapter? I would think that the smaller connection would be a 20amp plug. Did the use a smaller gage wire just to only accommodate 15amps vs 20amp?

because the nomenclature for 'regular household outlets' is a 15amp circuit, and which uses the 3-prong male end that we are all accustomed to seeing.
Campgrounds, RV parks, and many 'outside' and garage outlets at homes are 20amp outlets, since they may power tools and such.
While 'technically' a dedicated 20amp outlet, with 12/2 wire cable, and a 20amp breaker, will have a 'special' 3-prong male outlet, with one of the slots turned horizontal, most who install 20amp breakers and 12/2 wiring aren't trying to limit the usage to only tools or appliances with this special plug, but to allow simply MORE amperage to be used.
The only real difference between a 'normal' 15amp outlet and a 20amp outlet is the wire size and the breaker size - the outlet is typically exactly the same.

When the factories design and build these adapters, they can't use the term '20amp', since that is 'technically' relegated to only 'special' outlets, so they default to 15amps, which we all know and love.

You'll find though, when you arrive at most any rv park or campground, that the outlet's breaker is shown as a 20amp size, which gives you the greater amperage usage, but with the same male prong plug end.

So, yes, 'technically' it's a 15amp adapter, but for practical purposes it's able to handle the 20amp outlet you will be plugging it into.
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Old 06-13-2020, 08:58 PM   #17
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This has me confused enough to make me glad to be in the "3600 watt" Club.
right, and if you use the term 3600watts, versus 30amp, you'll find that the comparison then with the larger '50amp RV outlet, which is 12,000watts(it's 240v power, twice that of 120v), is quite a bit different, certainly not only 20amps, or 2,400watts, .

but over 70amps, or 8,400watts
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Old 06-13-2020, 09:01 PM   #18
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That's why I said it that way...
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Old 06-13-2020, 09:01 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Travelin' Texans View Post
The simple answer is "Yes it will/does work!".
Is it the same as a true 50 amp RV pedestal? NOPE!
Can you run both ACs & whatever else using this setup? Maybe, but probably not! Should you? NOPE!
Personally would just spend a 1/3 of that & just get the 30 to 50 dogbone adapter.
Why would it not work? If it is providing you the addition leg over the 30 amps. I’m not an electrician but I understand basic fundamentals.
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Old 06-13-2020, 09:10 PM   #20
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That is the main reason that I can see why someone or me would even run this set up.
and, interestingly enough, if you have two 13.5kw roof top a/c units, you CAN run both from just good 'ol regular 30amp RV service, no problem.

(having said that, there are many discussion here and on other forums of this 'disagreement', but many of us have done this quite often, in the hottest of months, when required - sure, you can't 'also' do everything else, like have the battery charger and electric water heater and microwave on at the same time, but with due diligence, it can work...)
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