Details on what can run on 30 amp vs 50 amp plug

[t_o_m9]

Hello,
RV'ing up in MN and some of the sites only support 30 amp plugs, while we usually run 50 amps. I'm trying to determine what is safe to run on the 30 amp plugs. From https://keystone-rv-dealer-app.cdn.p...2+10-27-21.pdf on page 66 it has a chart of estimated amp draws, but doesn't list the furnace/heater, which we run on electric.
Does Keystone publish per Rv (295RL Montana High Country) what the amp draws are?

[dutchmensport]

No idea what the AMP draw is on your furnace, but don't get overly excited because of 30 amp power usage. If you use more than 30 amps from your camper and you are plugged into a 30 amp receptacle, the only that will will happen is the breaker at the shore power box will trip. If that happens, everything running on AC electricity in the camper will simply turn off (no power). Go around and turn stuff off. Then flip the breaker again at the pole and you have power back. Now, all you have to do is manage your 30 amps a little better.

In time, you will learn what combinations of "things" you can operate at the same time. Coming form 4 previous 30-amp RV's to a 50-amp RV, we have on a few occasions been on 30-amp only sites. When that happens, we revert back to our old 30-amp days and just practice "power management" again.

With "power management" it steps are pretty simple.

If you have a gas-electric water heater, turn it on gas, not electric.

If you have a gas-electric refrigerator, turn it on gas. If the refrigerator is all electric (residential), there nothing you can do.

If you have 2 air conditioners, you will be able to run only 1 of them at a time. Switching them back and forth ever hour or so will help keep the entire trailer cooled. When you go to bed, turn the one on in the bedroom...off in the living room.

Minimize cooking with electric appliances and using electric appliances. For example, if you run the microwave, turn the air conditioners off while running it. If you have an electric fire place.. well. you wont' be running the AC then, no problem.

Watch carefully if you run things like electric griddles, electric skillets, electric coffee pots, electric hair dryers and such. They often draw as much as 1500 watts, which is about the max for any single appliance. They draw a lot of power. Between an electric appliance and the air conditioner, you are near maxed out on the 30 amp.

But again, the absolute worst thing that will happen is the breaker at the shore power pole will trip. No biggie. That's what it's designed to do. Again, if that happens, simply turn something off until you are finished using the item that caused the trip.

[t_o_m9]

Thank you, helpful advice.

[xrated]

Originally Posted by t_o_m9

Hello,
RV'ing up in MN and some of the sites only support 30 amp plugs, while we usually run 50 amps. I'm trying to determine what is safe to run on the 30 amp plugs. From https://keystone-rv-dealer-app.cdn.p...2+10-27-21.pdf on page 66 it has a chart of estimated amp draws, but doesn't list the furnace/heater, which we run on electric.
Does Keystone publish per Rv (295RL Montana High Country) what the amp draws are?

Uhh, unless I am not up to date on something new, your furnace is run on propane gas, and the controls and blower fans are all 12VDC.....which has absolutely nothing to do with the 30A or 50A stuff that is all 120VAC.

And as far as what you run, a 30A hookup is 3600 Watts. So for an example, your A/C unit is running and pulling say 14 amps. 120V times 14 amps is roughly 1680 watts. Turn on the microwave and it's say...1200 watts...now you are using roughly 2880 watts with both things operating. Now your wife decides to use the electric hair dryer after the shower is done....1500 watts. You are already using 2880 and the hair dryer would add an additional 1500 watts....and the breaker on the shore power pedestal would trip.

It's all about adding up the wattage numbers from everything that is running at the same time. A quick/rough way to calculate wattage is to multiply voltage times amps.....120V times say 10 amps.....1200 watts.

[hankpage]

What they are trying to say is simply .... you can run anything you want, just not at the same time. Water heater and fridge on gas and your good for one A/C and one other high draw item, maybe.

[flybouy]

First and foremost buy an EMS and not just a surge protector. Older campgrounds with primarily 30 amp only sites = old wiring and a greater risk of running into low voltage issues.

[ChuckS]

Furnace will draw around 9 to 11 amps DC…. You need to consider that as well when on 30 amp RV outlet ..

Why? While the furnace blower motor is 12 volts DC the CONVERTER runs off 12” volts AC and will draw additional amperage form your total. 30 amp RV serf8ce outlet while the blow motor runs.

Personally for me if the place don’t have 50 amp RV outlet I find another location..

I want that 100 Amps total amperage capacity and don’t want to have to fret over what I can and can’t run ..

With a 30 amp RV outlet that’s all you got total.. 30 amps

With a 50 amp RV OUTLET you have 50 amps on each leg for a total of 100 amps service

[xrated]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Furnace will draw around 9 to 11 amps DC…. You need to consider that as well when on 30 amp RV outlet ..

Why? While the furnace blower motor is 12 volts DC the CONVERTER runs off 12” volts AC and will draw additional amperage form your total. 30 amp RV serf8ce outlet while the blow motor runs.

Personally for me if the place don’t have 50 amp RV outlet I find another location..

I want that 100 Amps total amperage capacity and don’t want to have to fret over what I can and can’t run ..

With a 30 amp RV outlet that’s all you got total.. 30 amps

With a 50 amp RV OUTLET you have 50 amps on each leg for a total of 100 amps service

I think you meant to type that the converter runs off of 120VAC.....not 12"

[t_o_m9]

Thanks for all the responses. They reason I ask about heater amp draw is because on our first RV trip we went to northern MN in May. It was supposed to be in the 50s but was below 30 with snow still. We turned our thermostat to heat gas and blew through both of our propane tanks in 2 days (running out at 2 am). We changed the thermostat to "heat elec" and heated the RV for 2 more days. So its either not using the furnace and some other electric heater, but blows from the same vents. From the Keystone manuals, I can't find anything about an electric heater though.

We also always try to stay with 50 amp plugs, but some of the sites along the north shore have limited 50 amp plugs and far more 30 amp plugs. We wouldn't want to drive 4 hours north in Oct and plug in and find out the heater didn't work

Just ordered a blue tooth EMS surge that also reports on amp draw.

What is needed to be able to camp without electricity? Is it an extra generator or something else?

[flybouy]

I'd guess the heat electric would be the airconditioner if it is a heat pump.

[sourdough]

If it's a 295RL you probably have a heat pump like mine. It uses the A/C compressor as a heat pump to heat the unit. If you were below freezing (30 degrees) I don't know how the "electric" heat (heat pump) kept you warm because they stop heating at about 40 degrees or so due to the design of a heat pump.

[larryflew]

Originally Posted by sourdough

If it's a 295RL you probably have a heat pump like mine. It uses the A/C compressor as a heat pump to heat the unit. If you were below freezing (30 degrees) I don't know how the "electric" heat (heat pump) kept you warm because they stop heating at about 40 degrees or so due to the design of a heat pump.

The HP on our Alpine would work lower than that but the constant thaw cycle would drive you crazy. Not very efficient at those temps.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by larryflew

The HP on our Alpine would work lower than that but the constant thaw cycle would drive you crazy. Not very efficient at those temps.

Ours, on rare occasions, has worked down into the mid 30s. What conditions need to be present for it to do that I don't know but it definitely wasn't reliable and as you mentioned, not very efficient - more insufficient in DWs opinion when "cool" air is coming out vs warm.

[cenders]

I have a Fuzion 310 36' fiver and I can run two airconditioner units and my fridge on 30 amps, but that's in a newer campground. There is an older one I visit and I'll blow their 30 amp breaker if I tried that.

[rlh1957]

Don’t worry about safe to run so much… when you’ve used up your amps the pole 30amp breaker trips.
Your inside breakers each trip if that circuit overloads that 15 amp breaker.
You learn what you can run on 30amp power pole.
Probably will only be able to run just one AC at a time.
We manage balancing our 50 amp 5th Wheel on 30 amp shore power or our 30 amp generator.
It’s no problem. Your learn to live with the power available.
Refrigerator