30 amp electric? Can we boost ?

[SueTac]

Will do. Thanks

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by SueTac

One time the gfci plug in bathroom, all other times campground breaker, always had our surge protector on.

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

The campground breaker is bad then.

You said the campground breaker keeps tripping with your low electrical use. I said that it is probably a bad breaker as someone else pointing out happens very often in campgrounds; especially on the 30 amp breakers.

Use your 50 amp to 30 amp dogbone to get off the 30 amp breaker, If you pull too much power the main breaker in your RV will trip.

[fhenn]

My last unit was thirty amp. If it was available I used a dog bone and ran it off of the fifty amp. Found that a lot of the trouble came from worn out breakers on the camp grounds post.

[Trkyte@msn.com]

I installed this on my coach so I could monitor the campground power. You would be surprised the voltage drop at some sites. It’s been as low as 109 volts. That low, the amp pull increases dramatically and trips breakers.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by SueTac

So I will do what I’m doing. Just try to conserve?

Suetac, please use the quote button to reply so we know to whom and what you are referring to. You may be replying to a poster 3 spots up on the list.

Have no Idea what this pertains to or who it was directed at. Same for your post #21.

None of your posts have reference to what you are saying and is very hard to follow this thread. Others in this thread are doing the same thing as you.

Go to the first post and read down. I think you will see what I'm talking about.

[Bob Denman]

It does sound like a bad breaker at the pedestal.
But just for fun: what sort of surge protector are you using?
I'm not an electrician, and I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
But it seems to me that there might be a big difference between an $80 protector; and one that costs $300.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by SueTac

With our surge protector on, we have experienced numerous electrical outages. We usually run one tv at a time, may have water heater on, and throw a light on now and then. Seems like it blows too often. Any suggestions on how to get more juice ?? We are a Thor Vegas 24.1 , 30 amp.

What is blowing? Your surge protector is not a circuit breaker and does not BLOW, what ever that is. Are you tripping the ped main? the RV main? We can't help if we don't know what you are talking about. As for your GFI. That is an entirely different problem.

If your protector is going off, and it is a for real EMS system and not just a surge protector, then you have a LOW VOLTAGE problem. It is designed to go off. It comes back on by it'self when the voltage is correct.

Lights have nothing to do with your problem. They are 12 volts.

[TurnerFam]

it's easy to get aggravated about 'electrical' when new to your RV, or new to RVing in general, since RVs have many onboard 'electrical' systems - and things just don't seem to 'work' the same as at home, although that's exactly what we expect it to...

120v power, which is your 30amp Campground connection, is simply the same as what you find at home. Everything in your RV should work just fine, and most everything should also work 'at the same time', since your RV is designed for 30amps of power.
But, realize also that 120v power is 120v power, regardless of whether you plug into a 30amp outlet, a 50amp outlet(with an adapter), a 15amp household outlet(with an adapter), or even a Generator. The ONLY difference is the size of the breaker that allows how 'MUCH' power you can use, all at the same time.
The BREAKER is really the key, not what 'size' outlet you are plugged into.

So, yes, 'minimizing' your expectations can be helpful, as many of us 50amp coaches plug into a regular 15amp household outlet, and can still run almost everything within our coach just as any other time, BUT we can't run too many things AT THE SAME TIME - which is the only difference.

Does that mean that your coach being a 30amp variety is somehow 'less than' others? No, actually the VAST MAJORITY of RVs are 30amp electrical, and they work just fine, since their needs are less than what the larger coaches have. One air conditioner versus two, or even more. Propane only water heating, versus Electrical water heating, etc.

Now, you also have a 12volt system, which powers your LIGHTS, FANS, Water Pump, Thermostat, Propane ignitions for your furnace and stove/oven, etc., and sometimes even a 12v Television. These run from the batteries, but can also be powered when you are 'plugged in' because you also have a CONVERTER, which takes 120v down to 12v, and also charges your batteries.


When you are plugged into Shore Power, whether 30amp, 15amp, or anything in between, you have to be cognizant of 'what' you are asking it to power.
Remember, too, that your CONVERTER, or for some folks your INVERTER, will also be using power to CHARGE THE BATTERIES. This is one of those 'silent' power uses that can sometimes add to tripping breakers since it's not something we readily think about.


I will admit, though, that it easily sounds as if the campground breaker/outlet is weak, and you are experiencing 'nuisance tripping' because of that. Your RV is not the problem, and neither is your Surge Protector, I would assume.

And, to answer your concern about others who question whether you 'need' a surge protector: No, you don't 'need' one, it is simply a secondary 'protection' that some RVrs feel as though they should have, but the vast majority of RVrs don't have one, and have never experienced any issues whatsoever with 'power' problems. It's very, very doubtful that any plug-in at any campground or rv park will give you problems, but yes, there are those that will worry anyway and will spend money to think that they are protecting themselves, when in reality, they may also be just adding more 'issues' to their own camping time. Surge Protectors, or similar types of devices, can sometimes create outages since they are designed to monitor voltages - but even then they can also sometimes cause 'nuisance outages' for the camper. Surge Protectors can also have issues themselves.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by cavie

What is blowing?

See post #7.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

See post #7.

Yes I did figure that out. I have been trying to follow.

As I stated, this thread is hard to follow as the op's post #1 states that the surge protector was blowing.

[Connieb]

We always use our Hugh's auto former, it works great, even when shore power is a little iffy. They are a great investment

[BASSMAN]

The GFI in my 25.4 is a residential type with a plastic spacer that goes between the wall and the GFI outlet, that spacer is about 5/8 inch thick, Home Depot sells shallow plastic outlet boxes that can be used to install residential type outlets, the hole has to be enlarged to do this but if you got the skills it can eliminate some of your problems, I have never agreed with using solid Romex wire and wire nuts in a motor home, just my personal opinion, My coach was less than a year old and one of my outlet was hit an miss, when I pulled it from the wall one of the wires had broke where it connects to the outlet.

[JoeDS]

Always troubleshoot by changing one thing at a time.



First remove the surge protector and see if the problem persists. If it goes away you can assume the surge protector is at fault. 99.9 % of RVers dont have one so its ok to eliminate it for trouble shooting.


If the problem does persist then use that dogbone 50-30 amp adapter and see if the 30Amp main breaker in the coach trips. If it does you indeed have a load problem in the coach or a wiring issue in the coach.


Now Remove the 50-30 dogbone adapter to continue . Its not wise to leave one on permanently because all wiring between the outside post and the 30amp inside breaker is largely unprotected.


To further troubleshoot then start turning off the sub-breakers one at a time to try and isolate the issue. There should only be 5 breakers left


20amps Air Conditioner(biggest single load in your RV)
15 amps Microwave (another big load)
15 amp general purpose receptacle circuits
15 amp CGFI receptacles (bathroom, kitchen, outside)
15 amp converter (all things 12 volts, electronics, slide-out, lights, holding tank heaters, generator logic, cameras, the list goes on, etc)


Good Luck!

[harleytoad]

NO! if your rig is designed for 30 AMP service, supplying 50 Amps will not solve the problem. This sounds like a defective TVSS ( surge supressor). Your on board circuit protection is designed for 30 AMP feed protection. Connecting to the 50 AMP service is not the solution as the power cord and rig wiring are not rated for that current allowance. Try without the surge device and report back. Licensed Electrician.

[Bob Denman]

Ummm...
You're not getting all 50 amps, or 220 volts at once. One of the hot leads from the 4-prong outlet is "Dead-Headed" in the dogbone; so you only get 120 volts.
(At least this is my VERY inexpert opinion about what happens when you plug a 30 amp setup: into a 50 amp source. If I'm wrong: PLEASE correct me.)

[JoeDS]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Ummm...
You're not getting all 50 amps, or 220 volts at once. One of the hot leads from the 4-prong outlet is "Dead-Headed" in the dogbone; so you only get 120 volts.
(At least this is my VERY inexpert opinion about what happens when you plug a 30 amp setup: into a 50 amp source. If I'm wrong: PLEASE correct me.)

You are getting one leg of the 240 volt service or 50 amps at 120 volts. The key factor here is you are "fused" at 50 Amps at the post but carrying the load on a 10 gauge wire that is only specified to handle 30 amps. Granted if there are no unusual circumstances the 30 Amp breaker in the RV will trip and protect the RV. BUT you are assuming that nothing unusual is going on in the feed line wiring between the two breakers. Bottom line you are taking a chance and it is never recommended if possible. Remember the National Electrical Code is a subset of the National FIRE code.



Its getting a little off topic but there is a safe way to do it. Have an electrician build you a small breaker box with a 30 amp breaker with properly sized configuration for the 30 and 50 amp wiring on each end. That is a lot of overkill unless you find yourself in that predicament routinely.


As a final note. Just run your Generator on your Vegas during high load periods then switch it off in the evening

[Bob Denman]

Thanks for an explanation that made a lot of sense!

[abjbrtd]

Originally Posted by JoeDS

Always troubleshoot by changing one thing at a time.



First remove the surge protector and see if the problem persists. If it goes away you can assume the surge protector is at fault. 99.9 % of RVers dont have one so its ok to eliminate it for trouble shooting.


If the problem does persist then use that dogbone 50-30 amp adapter and see if the 30Amp main breaker in the coach trips. If it does you indeed have a load problem in the coach or a wiring issue in the coach.


Now Remove the 50-30 dogbone adapter to continue . Its not wise to leave one on permanently because all wiring between the outside post and the 30amp inside breaker is largely unprotected.


To further troubleshoot then start turning off the sub-breakers one at a time to try and isolate the issue. There should only be 5 breakers left


20amps Air Conditioner(biggest single load in your RV)
15 amps Microwave (another big load)
15 amp general purpose receptacle circuits
15 amp CGFI receptacles (bathroom, kitchen, outside)
15 amp converter (all things 12 volts, electronics, slide-out, lights, holding tank heaters, generator logic, cameras, the list goes on, etc)


Good Luck!

Excellant trouble clearing procedure

This is so good I'm going to keep bumping it forward till Sue Tac replies with
"Thanks the problem has been found and repaired.
The camp ground has replaced the 30amp breaker, or something similar."

[cavie]

Originally Posted by harleytoad

NO! if your rig is designed for 30 AMP service, supplying 50 Amps will not solve the problem. This sounds like a defective TVSS ( surge supressor). Your on board circuit protection is designed for 30 AMP feed protection. Connecting to the 50 AMP service is not the solution as the power cord and rig wiring are not rated for that current allowance. Try without the surge device and report back. Licensed Electrician.

plugging into a 50 amp service solves the problem of a worn out 30 amp outlet. The Rv is protected by the 30 amp main. 50 amps is not and can not be delivered to the RV.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by cavie

plugging into a 50 amp service solves the problem of a worn out 30 amp outlet. The Rv is protected by the 30 amp main. 50 amps is not and can not be delivered to the RV.

Correct, and the only way the 30 Amp cord could be overloaded in this configuration is if there is a short in the cord or wiring which would instantly trip the 50 Amp breaker at the post.