Boy do I need help


itsallmine

New Member
OK here's my question. I have a brand-new jayco 20BH and have no idea what special adapters I need for my electrical system. I'll probably be staying in parks that have 30 amp service, and I do know that my air-conditioner requires 30 amps to run. My question is, what if I am in the park that has only 50 amp service or 30 amp service, how do I run my appliances? Is there some sort of plug I need to put on the core that comes out of my trailer? I'm confused as to what I need to do if anything, and would appreciate your help. Perhaps there is an adapter kit I could purchase that would contain all the necessary or possible plugs and adapters that I might need for the different voltages or amperage I might run into. Thank you in advance for your help, and perhaps someone could give me a link I could go to that sells the necessary and adapters. This stuff is fun, but sometimes a little competition for new people like me to figure out. Regards
 

Grandview Trailer Sa

Senior Member
Boy do I need help

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your AC needs about 15 amps to run. You have some room for your other appliances, but you have to keep track of it in the back of your mind. If your AC is running and you have your water heater on elec, you can't run a coffee pot or hair dryer. Something will have to be turned off. After a while, you will figure out what you can get away with.

If you go to a campground that only has 50 amp service, I would be surprised. All I have been to, in their 50 amp sites, they also offer a 30 amp plug. There is an adapter for 50 to 30 and it might be a good idea to get one. A lot of KOA campgrounds have you share a pole with your neighbor and if they take the 30amp you will need an adapter. They are available in most dealerships, I think we sell them for around $25.00.
 

hertig

Senior Member
Boy do I need help

Ah, the joys of setting up to hook up no matter what...

First, look at the 1 and only electrical cord coming out of your RV. It will probably have 3 pins (if not, let me know and I will modify my suggestions). 2 of them are power blades, at 90 degree to each other, and the third a round ground pin spaced equadistantly around the circumferance. This is a 30 amp plug. It is unlikely that you need all 30 amps to run your AC, you can probably start it running with 15 to 20 amps and keep it running with 10 or fewer, which is good, because this same plug and cord powers everything in your RV.

This will plug directly into a 30amp socket at many campgrounds. So you could possibly get away with nothing further. But to handle those few exceptions where more is needed, you might consider the following accessories:

1) a power line meter. This allows you to make sure the power is 'good' before you plug into it. There have been cases where people plugged their unit in and suffered damage because the socket was miswired or under powered. If you get one of these guages, you also need something which plugs into the 30 amp socket and allows this standard 115 volt gadget to plug into it.

2) A surge surpressor. 'Surge Guard' is one of the best, providing not only surge and over voltage protection, but protection from mis wired sources. It may also protect from under voltage by disconnecting you when that occurs.

3) An 'autoformer'. This gadget can compensate for undervoltage. A voltage lower than normal can damage your AC, and is somewhat common, particularly in older parks or those which are full on a hot day. These are expensive and bulky though, so you may be able to get by without one. Watch your voltage (option 1) though and don't run the AC when the voltage is under 112 volts or so.

4) 'Dogbone' adapters. I haven't run into a case where they had 50 amps but not 30 amps, but it certainly could happen. And they have an adapter for it, which plugs into a 50 amp socket, and allows you to plug your 30 amp cord into it. Conversely, there are certainly times when all you have available is a standard 15 amp (house) socket, and there is an adapter for that too. Being obsessive for things like this, I made up my own adapter in case I ever ran into a 20 amp only socket. I don't expect to need it though, as most 20 amp sockets will accept a 15 amp plug.

5) Extension Cords. The cord in your trailer will probably be about 30 feet long. This is fine for 95% or more of RV parks, which are designed to accomodate RVs. However, if you are not staying in a space specifically designed for RVs, it may not be enough. A 25' or 30' 30 amp
extension cord may come in handy (Check out WalMart). Definitely 50' or even 100' of 15 amp extension cord comes in very handy when visiting friends or other places where RVs were not expected.

Camping World has a good selection of most if not all of these things.

Now all you have to worry about is hooking up water. And sewer. And cable and possibly even phone :)
 
Top