adapting a 30 amp to a 50 amp plug

[gsport]

my shop has a 50 amp plug that the guy before me used for his motorhome... my question is, i have a 5th wheel trailer that only repuires a 30 amp plug. can i just get a plug-in adapter to plug in the 30 amp cord to the 50 amp recepticle??

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Replace the breaker and the receptacle.

 

[nate379]

Yup, unless you have a welder, etc to plug in to that 50 amp as well, then I'd make an adapter cord. I made a 30 amp to 50 amp one a while back to run my welder off a dryer in the house, cost me maybe $40 for the plug, outlet and some 8/3 wire.

 

[gsport]

thanks guys... i knew i could count on someone coming through

 

[XterraJohn]

I am not an electrician, but, if it were me in that situation, I think that I would change the plug on the RV to match the receptacle.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Yup, unless you have a welder, etc to plug in to that 50 amp as well, then I'd make an adapter cord. I made a 30 amp to 50 amp one a while back to run my welder off a dryer in the house, cost me maybe $40 for the plug, outlet and some 8/3 wire.

Nate, did you put any breakers in line? (with some equipment, I think that would be preferred)

 

[nate379]

The dryer was on a breaker, 30 amp. My welder only pulls 27 amps at full power, which I never need, so I was ok do to it.
Was at a rental and the shed I worked out of had 30 amp power so running the welder and lights would have been iffy.
I have 2 50 amp outlets in my garage now, one for the welder and one for a future plasma cutter.

Changing the RV plug is an option but if campgrounds use the 30amp plug you'd need to change it back out again.

 

[35mastr]

I am not an electrician, but, if it were me in that situation, I think that I would change the plug on the RV to match the receptacle.

You dont want to do that. As in many RV parks dont all have the 50 amp plugs. Most are just the 30.

Some of the parks here charge an extra 20 for a 50 amp hook up.

 

[dipper]

You do not want to change the RV plug. As stated before, you do not want to make an adapter either.

You need to change the receptacle in your garage to match the plug on the RV, and you also need to change the breaker feeding the new receptacle from 50A to 30A. Since you are going down in current rating at the breaker and receptacle, you do not need to change the wire. This way you could always change back to the 50A if you had to.

 

[Chris Adams]

WAIT on doing that.

My RV has 30 and 50 amp, but they are 110 volt 30 and 50 amp, NOT 220.
Welders, dryers, compressors, etc. used in garages are almost always 220 volt.

30 amp RV plugs are always 110 volt.

The 50 amps I have used in RV parts are 50 amps at 110. Now your setup may be different but be SURE before you plug that RV into the wrong voltage.

If your RV is 220, then you can just get a new socket at HD/Lowes for 4.99 to 10 bucks depending on your configuration.
If your RV is 110 and the plug is 220 you could still make an adaptor for it, but you better be sure.

 

[gsport]

WAIT on doing that.

My RV has 30 and 50 amp, but they are 110 volt 30 and 50 amp, NOT 220.
Welders, dryers, compressors, etc. used in garages are almost always 220 volt.

30 amp RV plugs are always 110 volt.

The 50 amps I have used in RV parts are 50 amps at 110. Now your setup may be different but be SURE before you plug that RV into the wrong voltage.

If your RV is 220, then you can just get a new socket at HD/Lowes for 4.99 to 10 bucks depending on your configuration.
If your RV is 110 and the plug is 220 you could still make an adaptor for it, but you better be sure.

hmmmmm... i didn't think of that. i didn't know RV's come in 220 volt configuration

 

[Chris Adams]

hmmmmm... i didn't think of that. i didn't know RV's come in 220 volt configuration

That is my point, they usually don't.
However, a 50 amp socket in a garage is almost always 220.

My neighbor a few years ago plugged his 50 amp pusher into an adaptor he made himself and plugged it into the '50 amp' socket in his garage, that the previous owner had put in for his welder.
Fireworks happened.

Guys who don’t have RV’s will often tell you that ’50 amp is 50 amp’ forgetting or not understanding that the 50 amp in a house or garage is 220, not 110.

On my Class A I never use the roof a/c in my yard so I just use a 30 amp to 20 amp adaptor and run it on a regular outdoor wall plug.
If I wanted to use the roof a/c while it is docked at home I would have to put in a 30 amp. The rest of the rig uses less than ten amps at full usage, the A/C draws about 15 amps, so as long as I don't turn on the A/C I don't need the 30.
If you have two roof A/C then you usually have a 50 amp 110 plug.

 

[White 99]

I bought a pig tail adapter from an RV place. It goes from 50 to 30 amp styles. From there I went from 30 to 20 so I could plug in a battery charger there. No sparks, seems to work. I think it may only use one side of the 220 50amp reciptical.

I figure I can also plug in a RV with a 30 amp plug if I want to.

 

[79firebird]

Just get a 50 to 30 adapter most rv places carry them. and there cheap like under $40 i had one lent it out and never got it back. they are good to have as i have gone to cg's where the 30 amp socket is all busted but the 50 is fine used the adapter and no probs. or you could make one with a box a socket and a old dryer or stove wire.

 

[gsport]

it was mentioned about it possibly being 220.. i know before i moved here he had a diesel pusher parked there (rv side of the shop) and had it plugged in there.. so i'm thinking it's just a 50 amp 110 volt recepticle

 

[35mastr]

it was mentioned about it possibly being 220.. i know before i moved here he had a diesel pusher parked there (rv side of the shop) and had it plugged in there.. so i'm thinking it's just a 50 amp 110 volt recepticle

Put a volt meter into the plug and just make sure it is 110. Takes just a minute.

Does the plug reside in a temporary construction box with a 20 volt plug also?

If so most are set up to only be 110.

Thats the way mine is it is. It has 2 single pole breakers.

 

[79firebird]

99% of diesel pusher are 220 as they have 4 wires 2 hot 1 nutrul and 1 ground. the 50 to 30 converter will use only 1 of the hot legs.

 

[VHF]

There are only two standards in the US for RV shore power:
(1) 30A @ 120VAC using a 3-prong type TT "travel trailer" plug and socket
(2) 50A @ 240VAC using a 4-prong receptical identical to that used for kitchen stoves since 1996.

However, even when fitted for a 50A shore power connection the RV doesn't necessarly have any 240VAC loads and will probably not present a balanced load (so never undersize the neutral for a 50A RV receptical!) A common wiring configuration for RVs with dual roof air conditioning units (each one runs on 120VAC) is to wire one roof air and all other 120VAC loads to one hot leg and the second roof air by itself to the other hot leg.

As a previous poster mentioned, 50A to 30A adaptors are readily available and can be obtained at most any RV store, some home centers, or maybe even Wal-Mart. Just make sure it goes from a 50A wall receptical to a 30A socket for your trailer (30A to 50A adapters in the other direction are quite common also.)

 

[gsport]

thanks for everyones input... i did check out the RV store and they did have an adapter to plug into a 50 amp box to convert to my 30 amp plug