|
07-07-2020, 10:22 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Hemlock
Posts: 816
|
Electrical Adapter question
We are heading to a park that doesn’t have a lot of 50 amp sites. I purchased an adapter that the 50 amp camper plugs into and uses a 30 and 15 amp for additional power. I know these don’t work well if GFI 15 amp outlets. My question is if I remove the ground lug from the 15 amp pigtail end will that remedy the double ground issue that trips the GFI? I used a ohm meter and checked the adapter both commons and both grounds ar tied together and the hot from each pigtail feeds one leg of the 50 amp. It seems to me that removing the ground lug in the 15 amp should remedy the issue if I have one. Thoughts??
__________________
R.J. and Ginger
2019 Ram 3500 6.7 HO, Aisin Trans 3:73
Reese Goosebox
2019 Sandpiper 379FLOK
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 03:35 AM
|
#2
|
Site Team
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,357
|
I wouldn’t remove a ground, buts that just my thoughts. I would probably opt for a 50 to 30 amp and just watch my power usage. Are you trying to get enough for a second AC?
__________________
2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.
Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 04:53 AM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Trinidad,TX
Posts: 975
|
First determine which leg (L1 or L2) is fed by the 15 amp plug. Your GFCI might not even be on that leg. Next determine if the pedestal even trips your GFCI if they are on the same power leg. Sometimes the two GFCIs get along fine. I plug mine into a GFCI outlet here at home with no problem. If you are still having conflicts then consider turning off the breaker for the GFCI circuit in your camper. Finally I would not cut off the grounding lug from your plug. It is there for every ones protection and I doubt it would fix your problem.
__________________
Woody
Cedar Creek Lake, Texas
2019 Laredo 290 SRL
2019 Ram 2500, 4x4, Cummins diesel
Andersen hitch
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 07:25 AM
|
#4
|
Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,760
|
The double ground is not an issue. As stated, sometimes a GFI plugged into a GFI can cause one to trip, if that happens then use a straight 30 amp to 50 amp adapter and live with it. A 15 amp circuit will; not run an air conditioner anyway if that's your objective,
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 10:44 AM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 352
|
And I'm sure you know NOT to try and turn your AC unit on while plugged into 15-20amp circuit [emoji15].....by accident. It's basically good for charging your coach battery & turn lights on. That is a real good way to ruin your converter & AC unit as well. I knew a guy that..... knew a guy that tried that out-lol
30amps will run 1 AC unit, that's it.
Camp on!
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 11:42 AM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Hemlock
Posts: 816
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57
I wouldn’t remove a ground, buts that just my thoughts. I would probably opt for a 50 to 30 amp and just watch my power usage. Are you trying to get enough for a second AC?
|
Yup it’s forecasted to be hotter than we like in Michigan next week. The park we have a membership for ensures a site is open when you make a reservation but you can’t reserve a specific site or type. You arrive find an open site you like and register. My thought is if needed I have ran a single A/c at home on a 20 amp in my garage. I thought if both grounds were tied together, the 30 amp ground would suffice.
__________________
R.J. and Ginger
2019 Ram 3500 6.7 HO, Aisin Trans 3:73
Reese Goosebox
2019 Sandpiper 379FLOK
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 12:08 PM
|
#7
|
Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,760
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by tech740
Yup it’s forecasted to be hotter than we like in Michigan next week. The park we have a membership for ensures a site is open when you make a reservation but you can’t reserve a specific site or type. You arrive find an open site you like and register. My thought is if needed I have ran a single A/c at home on a 20 amp in my garage. I thought if both grounds were tied together, the 30 amp ground would suffice.
|
You might do that on a 20 amp with no other load but do you know if the pedestal has a 20 amp or is it a 15 amp?
As for the ground, if you think about it every receptacle in the park's power distribution panel/subpanels should all be bonded to the same ground. The adapter you referenced should have both the 30 amp side and the 15 amp side bonded to the same ground. The trailer's distribution panel has one grounding buss with all grounds bonded to the incoming ground. SO bottom line, it's just one big happy earth ground and all the circuits are connected to the same ground. If you remove the ground pin from the 15 amp plug by default it will still be grounded to the same place via the 30 amp plug.
The GFI works by monitoring the current of the line and the neutral. If there is an imbalance between the 2 it interrupts the circuit. It takes very little imbalance to trip it (4 or 5 milliamps) and it acts quickly. The ampere imbalance or "loss of power" is interpreted as that power going somewhere other than from the line to the neutral like a human to ground (such as if you cut the power cord with a saw or overloading the outlet and creating heat in the outlet or cord).
Long explanation to get to this point but having the ground connected on both plugs should not pose a problem. Operating the circuit over loaded will cause a problem and the GFI will trip before the circuit breaker does.
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 01:29 PM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Hemlock
Posts: 816
|
That makes sense. I thought it sensed an additional ground not through the plug. I guess we will see how it works. I do know the pedestals are worked for 20 amp and the adapted is 10/3 wire so it’s heavy enough. It has the standard 15 amp orientation on the blades on that adapter end.
__________________
R.J. and Ginger
2019 Ram 3500 6.7 HO, Aisin Trans 3:73
Reese Goosebox
2019 Sandpiper 379FLOK
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 01:42 PM
|
#9
|
Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,760
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by tech740
That makes sense. I thought it sensed an additional ground not through the plug. I guess we will see how it works. I do know the pedestals are worked for 20 amp and the adapted is 10/3 wire so it’s heavy enough. It has the standard 15 amp orientation on the blades on that adapter end.
|
The 30 amp side of the adapter is 10/3 wire but I'll bet the other plug being 15 amp is only 14/3. If you try running 20 amps thru it you will overheat it and/or possibly melt it or set it on fire.
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
|
|
|
07-08-2020, 06:10 PM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2019
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 503
|
Removing the ground is a bad idea in general but a wasted effort for what you are doing, it won't matter.
A GFCI measures the balance between the hot and the neutral. Your 50a service has one neutral and two hots. The GFCI you plug into will sense the imbalance and trip.
__________________
2018 Cougar 26RBS
2016 Chevrolet 3500DRW D/A
|
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|