Getting more Volts for the A/C?

[buzzcop63]

Is their any advantage to using a Dogbone from 50 amps to 30 amps to gain voltage when there is a lot of demand on the 30amp plug in on the Pedestal? My plugged in voltmeter gets down almost to the red zone (red zone 113V and below to above 127V); I cut back my amps to only the converter and A/C. Plug in on Pedestal gets hot to the Tutch, connection is old and looks worn so I am sure their is arcing on the male and female plug on the Pedestal. This is in a state park and afflicts some of the sights and according to the State Ranger is a known problem.

[bobbecky]

Some dogbones are poorly made, you may have one of those. You gain nothing adding a dogbone, going from a 50 amp socket, stepping down to a 30 amp. When using a 50 amp to 30 amp dogbone, you are only using one of the 50 amp legs, and the #10 wiring in the dogbone will still only handle 30 amps. When we only have 30 amps, we turn the water heater, and fridge to gas only, and only use one A/C at a time. If we happen to need to use the microwave, we turn off the A/C until we are done. If any of your connectors appear to have gotten hot, or the plastic insulation has melted, cease using them and replace with new connectors or dogbones, as the connection inside is failing, and you will possibly cause problems inside your unit with voltage issues. Your voltages, 113 v to 127 v are all within safe limits, but at the lower voltage, your amps will be higher which will add stress to all your systems and connections. Just need to limit your electric load.

[Javi]

The only advantage would be if the 50 amp side is not getting as much use... but you still only get 30amps..

[buzzcop63]

I do understand that my 30 amp system is not going to gain any more amps by utilizing the 50 amp outlet, my question is will I get better voltage, less drop by utilizing the 50 amp outlet. My thinking is that their are less users on that 50 amp side and that the female plug in on the Pedestal is in better shape then the one for 30 amp. So what I am looking for is a way to increase voltage where when I am plugged into the 30 amp socket I am almost at the minimum voltage as shown on my meter, will I do better by using a Dogbone to attach to the 50 amp outlet? Also I do not run A/C and Microwave oven at the same time, I also switch the refrigerator over to gas when demand pulls down the available power.

[bobbecky]

Inside the pedestal, one of the 50 amp legs is the same leg that is serving the 30 amp outlet. If the park is wired properly, the 30 amp outlets should alternate between the two hot legs, pedestal to pedestal, so the legs stay balanced when loaded. You will not really gain anything connecting to the 50 amp outlet, because you can't control which 50 amp leg the dogbone is connected to. The more connections you place in the run of your cable to the coach, the more resistance there will be, so you may actually be causing more problems than what you are trying to avoid.

[GMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

If the park is wired properly,

Not disagreeing, but so many are not (hence the bouncy I assume), it may be a good idea to at least try the 50 with a dogbone and see what the voltage does.

[Bob Landry]

The advantage to getting your 30A from the 50A outlet is that they do not get as much use as the 30A outlets and may possibly be in better condition. If your power cord is showing signs of overheating, then there is no advantage as the cord will still generate a voltage drop.
One reason for the 50A outlets being better is that the more experienced RVers whose rigs run on 50A are better about not plugging in cords unless the breaker is off. Arcing contacts will kill a power cord.

[buzzcop63]

I find it amazing how many campers have electrical systems on in their RV and just plug in their power cord to the Pedestal with out checking to make sure the circuit breakers is in the off position. Many times I have had to set the Pedestal Breaker to off before plugging in as the last person who used the outlet left the power on and just pulled their plug. Recently while camping with friends I was asked to help in setting up their trailer by plugging in their power cord, I could see one leg of the male plug was burnt and showing signs of heavy arcing, it seems that many people do not read their manuals before camping and do so for years before they are made aware of the problems they are causing. Power cord heating in my case was due to worn female receptacle that caused arcing, just like in our homes, receptacles get worn over time and the male plug is not making a strong contact and thus you get heat, this means it is time to replace the receptacle.

Looks like my answer is to buy a 50 to 30-amp adapter and just give it a try, as we will be at the same site at the state park where this problem accrued. Hopefully the parks electrician has changed the receptacle by now to a new one but with the heat due in the northwest the voltage could just be low due to too many users!

[buzzcop63]

I asked a retired Electrition who RV,s:
The voltage is set at the transformer using taps that set the voltage......both the 50 and the 30 amp socket should have the same voltage assuming resistance of internal connections is the same, and not worn out, so use the breaker that supplies you with the most ideal voltage, i.e. closest to the 120volt setting. Appliances in your trailer will not suffer until the voltage is off by more than 10%, which means it is OK to use down to a voltage of 108, or up to 132 volts. Turning off the breaker before plugging in your trailer is a good idea, being super safe, but most of the time you plug in your trailer, there will not be big load waiting to hurt your plug, the real problem comes when you disconnect with a large load , which is unlikely as you are getting ready to leave, so really, most people aren't as electrically savvy as you, and plug and unplug without regard to whether or not the power is on.

[Larry1013]

The only advantage I found to using a 50a to 30a adapter plug is the 50a circuit breaker. If by chance in the middle of the night you overload the circuit, you will more than likely trip the circuit breaker in the trailer. On a cold night one doesn't need to get dressed to go out and reset the breaker or search for a flashlilght.