So we have seen a new trend in people using 50 Amp even when they have a 30 Amp camper.
So lets talk about this for a second.
Remember whatever your opinion is, or whatever the math looks like, what size main breaker do you have in your rig? That's all that matters.
At Triple R we charge for 50 Amp service to Transit campers.
At time of booking at most campgrounds, you will be asked if you need a 50 Amp service. You can rent a 50 Amp site without paying the extra fee at Triple R. If you do want the 50 Amp hookup, we do charge $10 a night for it. But we don't charge more for a 50 Amp site, just the service.
Lately we have seen lots of people that have a camper that has a 30 Amp cord, and a 30 Amp main breaker, using the 50 Amp service.
So most people would ask, WHY? Why would someone pay for 50 Amp when the main breaker in your camper is a 30 Amp breaker?
One customer said he likes to use it because the 30 Amp connections are typically worn out more than the 50 Amp connection. That is true. But rapidly changing. We have seen even 28 foot campers coming in lately that are 50 Amp.
At the end of the day, what matters the most is what your camper is designed for. If your camper has a 30 Amp cord, it will have a 30 Amp Main breaker. Even if you plugged your camper into a 100 Amp outlet, your main breaker will stop you from drawing more than 30 Amp's. No matter what you do.
There is another issue with doing this that is commonly undisclosed. The 50 Amp breaker is a double pole (two phase meant to be used with 240VAC, double throw breaker). Your 30 Amp single phase camper will ONLY pull from ONE of the two phases, so there is a potential the 50 Amp breaker may NOT trip when it needs to.
So if your new to camping, you quickly will learn that if you have a 30 Amp configuration, the hot water heater, air conditioner, and microwave, and refrigerator can not all run at the same time. This causes you to choose whats most important at any given time. Also remember, there is a converter running producing 12 VDC for other things in your camper, like thermostats, keeping the battery charged, lights, refrigerator control cards working, and more. So there are a couple things you can do to lessen the inconvenience. Switch your refrigerator and hot water heater to propane. That will help you a lot. Lets look at the typical power used for each one of these items.
Hot Water heater on electric = 4- 12.5 Amps (Depends if it is maintaining, or heating from cold).
Refrigerator on electric= 8 Amps (On propane is 1.5 Amps).
Air conditioner= 18 Amps
Microwave= 13 Amps
Converter= 2-12 Amps (Depends on battery charge).
Heater= 6 Amps
You can see right here that the 30 Amp supply to the camper is being asked to supply 50.5 Amps (excluding the heater). As you can see, it wont all happen at the same time. Also, some other large draw items are hot plates, electric griddles, coffee makers, lights, TV's.
You can also see how switching to propane makes a big difference. If your a seasonal running everything you can on propane the entire time your here, typically saves you about $45 a year in electric. Though I don't recommend leaving your fridge on propane when you leave. We recommend leaving your fridge on electric set to auto, and leave your propane on in case of a power outage.
One other point to make. Last year we had 105 Degree heat index, for days on end. Some people that were not here had a fairly large electric bill, even though they were not here running their AC. You have to remember, it was over 130 degrees in the camper, and the refrigerator was trying to cool from 130 degrees, not the typical 75 to 80 degrees inside the camper. This is why we recommend have at least on MAXX Air vent. It allows you to let heat out through one of the roof vents, without the threat of rain getting in
This blog was a little misguided, but it gives a little insight into power, what uses it, how to save some money on it, and puts a myth to bed about using a 50 Amp outlet for a 30 Amp camper.
