Thor Forums

[TurnerFam]

I think I see your point, and you are correct, though the statement can be a little misleading or confusing to those new to rving, or those with 30amp Rvs...

most RVs with a single air conditioner are the more 'normal' 30amp variety, meaning that their Main electric panel and Shore power Cord are for a 'single' hot wire of 120v service, usually plugged into a '30amp' RV outlet - which is simply an outlet specially designed for only this 30amp plug, and the outlet has it's own 30amp BREAKER. The maximum 'amps' the RV can then make use of is 30amps. Enough to do most anything and everything in the RV, at the same time even.

but, some of the larger coaches, and/or those RVs with two roof air conditioners, and other additional electrical needs, will have a 50amp RV service - a larger Main electrical panel, a 50amp Shore power Cord(4 prongs instead of three), and will normally plug into a 50amp '4 prong' RV Outlet, which has a 50amp 'double pole' BREAKER set. The breaker is different because it is TWO breaker, with a common trip handle attached to both. This is actually two lines of 120v power, with each line having a limit of 50amps, or 100amps between both. This is MUCH greater than the 30amp service - more than 3 times as much.
This type of service is actually much closer to what you have in your home's Main electrical panel - TWO main hot wires coming in, splitting to two 'sides' of the breaker panel, with different sized breakers along each side for each circuit of outlets, or to a roof air conditioner, water heater, microwave, etc.
The electrical panel is designed differently in a 50amp coach versus a 30amp one.

Can a 50amp coach use a 30amp Shore Power outlet? YES, they do it all the time, as many campgrounds only have a 30amp outlet - but they use an ADAPTER to make this happen. The adapter simply uses the power from the outlet and 'shares' it to either side of the 50amp Shore Power cord's two HOT lines, so the coach can use any of the items in the coach, no matter which 'side' they are on, as long, of course, as no more than 30amps is used - otherwise the Shore Power breaker will trip, just as it would for any RV.

Can a 30amp RV use a 50amp Outlet? YES, with the correct adapter.
The adapter simply makes use of only one 'side' of the 50amp service, giving the RV the normal 120v power it would see at any 30amp outlet. The RV's own Electrical panel's Main 30amp Breaker would then be the safety mechanism, tripping if the RV tries to use more than 30amps. Simple.

Can any RV use a regular household outlet, or the ones you might even see at a campground or rv park? YES, with an adapter. It's done all the time.

My 50amp coach has made use of almost any conceivable power OUTLET you can think of. If you have the right adapter, 120v power to your RV is possible in so many situations where you might otherwise not consider. We've plugged into a regular household outlet many, many times when that was the only available shore power option. It's still 120v power, so everything works just as it would otherwise, but you have to monitor your AMPS - which is the combination of things you want to do, all at the same time.
You may can power all your device chargers, computers, water heater, and TVs while only on a household outlet. You might have a problem when you want to then add a large item like the roof air conditioner - more than likely your Shore Power outlet would trip. Does that mean you CAN'T run your roof air conditioner on a regular household outlet? NO - it simply means that you might have to turn off the water heater, and maybe unplug some devices that are being power, WHILE you run the air conditioner.

RVs are an education in Electrical knowledge, engineering, and management.

Once you can envision how 'amps' are important within your RV, you'll start to easily understand how to manage your electrical usage for your enjoyment. : )


travel, plug in, have fun ! : )