Thread: 50 amp outlet
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Old 08-25-2010, 07:24 PM   #5
GStream40
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Default Re: 50 amp outlet

Quote:
Originally Posted by Timothy
Quote:
Originally Posted by gkwinter
I have been told that it is OK for me to plug my 30amp power cord into a 50 amp service with an adapter. Is this true?

Thanks

Gary
Gary, make sure you use an approved 50 to 30 RV adapter or your 50 amp panel will not work correctly. 30 amp service only supplies one 120 volt line while 50 Amp supplies two 120 volt lines to the RV, just like a home panel your 50 amp panel will have 240 (or 20 volts at the main breaker. The adapter ties the two lines together to feed all the circuits in the panel.
Timothy,
First, Gary has a 30 amp cord/panel that he is asking if he can plug into a 50 amp outlet with a 50 to 30 amp adapter. The answer is "YES" since the adapter is wired to ONLY use one leg of the 50 amp plug and delivery 120 volts on that leg to the 30 amp side of the adapter.

Second, At no time is the two 120 volt circuits tied together in the RV application. What you have are two 120 circuits supplied by a 50 breaker on each line.

Third, If one checks the voltage at the main breaker it should always be two lines supplying 120 volts on each line NOT 240 volts. If you ever plug into a 240 volt circuit with your RV, then you better be prepared to replace a lot of things in your RV because it is not equipped to handle 240 volts.
The RV is wired so that 1/2 the load is handled by one 120 volt 50 amp line and the other 1/2 of the load is handled by the second 120 volt 50 amp line. Each of them have a 50 amp breaker. So you really have 100 amps total to use.

Ron
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