Why two 30's don't make a 50!
Did you know that a 50-amp pedestals is actually 100 amps?
Everyone,
I found this post on the RV Hacking Camping group. And while it’s not dangerous (or shouldn’t be if wired correctly) it’s certainly not equal to a 50-amp outlet. And here’s why…
What is happening here?
You can buy a double TT-30 Male to RV-50 (NEMA 14-50) Y cable most anywhere. And if the pedestal is wired properly (without a reverse polarity on one of the outlets) it should be safe. But be aware that the campground didn’t plan for you to use it that way, and you’re using more electricity than was built into your campsite rate.
But is it 50-amps?
Not really, because a 50-amp pedestal outlet is actually 100 amps at 120 volts (50 amps for hot leg-1 plus 50 amps for hot leg 2 equals 100 amperes).
But the double 30 amp adapter is actually 60 amps at 120 volts (30 amps for hot leg-1 plus 30 amps for hot leg-2 equals 60 amperes). So it’s close, but not exactly the same thing. Still, it should work as long as the pedestal is wired properly and the campground allows it.
Here’s how a 50-amp outlet is actually wired
Much more on this later
Let’s Play safe out there… Mike
Interesting, thanks Mike! The pedestals I’ve seen either have a 20A, 30A, and 50A outlet (and a breaker for each) or they only have 20A and 30A outlets, but why does this one seem to have a 20A outlets and 2-30A outlets on either side of it? I may be missing something and, if so, why do they do this? Other questions come to mind as well but hopefully Mike will tell us more.
hello,
How do you feel about an RV that has a 50 amp receptacle on it, but it has 2 - 30 amp breakers in the box and the wire itself is smaller and stranded? Does the math work the same way in the rv's case?
Thanks