| Author | Message | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 399 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213  Rating: N/A |
I have my bus wired for 50 amp 220 volt power but still need to plug in to a lower amp 110 volt shore power supply. I have been to a few RV parts stores to see what is available and the cord exists but WOW $$$125.00 for it. Anyone have a used one they want to sell? Or have any suggestions on how to plug in as needed.... SAFELY!!! Thanks Les | ||
| Mike Everard (Meverard)
Registered Member Username: Meverard Post Number: 39 Registered: 1-2011 Posted From: 98.210.8.135  Rating: N/A |
You can buy a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter, and then a 30 amp to 20 amp (110) adapter. They even sell them at Walmart. Good Luck, Mike | ||
| Gary Seay (Gdude)
Registered Member Username: Gdude Post Number: 85 Registered: 6-2010 Posted From: 209.112.222.154  Rating: N/A |
Les, I bought one from Walmart that goes from 50a 220 to 20a 110 for around 17.00 The problem with that adapter in my bus is... Every time I plug it into 110, I trip the breaker. I can have everything in my bus turned off and it still trips. I think it is because I have two large inverter/chargers. I also have a new class A motorhome that is 50a and no inverters, no problems going from 50a to 20a with it. Gary | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1280 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.148  Rating: N/A |
The last 50-to-30 adapter I bought, just a few months ago, was less than $25 at Camping World, so I'm not sure who's quoting you $120 for the same thing. If you need to go to a NEMA 5-15 (standard household outlet) rather than a TT-30 (30-amp travel trailer outlet), you can, as suggested above, also get an adapter for that -- about $10 at Wal-Mart. So that's $35 to get the most flexibility. That said, if you want a one-piece adapter and you don't mind doing the work, a surface-mount 14-50R (AKA a "range" receptacle -- what your 50-amp shore cord is made for) is about $15 at Home Depot or Lowe's. That and a few feet from the plug end of a standard 12-gauge extension cord is all you need to make your own adapter -- I find usable plug ends in the trash all the time, so total cost, $15. FWIW. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1281 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.148 Rating: N/A |
I happen to have a photo of the surface-mount device I mentioned in the last post. In this case it is being used with 10-gauge SO to connect to a 3-phase, 208-volt twist-to-lock plug, but you get the idea:  -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 400 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
The 50 to 30 adapter that you got from Wal-mart? Is that 50 amps 220 to 30 amps 110? The one that I have found have the 50 amp female plug, to attach to the coach, Short length of cable then a 30 amp 110 male plug. It also energizes both bus bars in the panel. If it goes to 30 amp 110 volt then the adapter to get to a standard extension cord (15 amp) is easy. Sean. If I buy the ends to make my own cord adapter, does one just combine both hots on the load side of the 30 amp plug to power both sides of the panel? Thanks Les | ||
| Gary Seay (Gdude)
Registered Member Username: Gdude Post Number: 86 Registered: 6-2010 Posted From: 209.112.222.154 Rating: N/A |
Les, The adapter I have is a Midwest and it goes from 50A 240 to 15A 120. It is just one adapter, so no 30A can be used. But this adapter does heat up both legs. | ||
| Gary Seay (Gdude)
Registered Member Username: Gdude Post Number: 87 Registered: 6-2010 Posted From: 209.112.222.154 Rating: N/A |
Here is a pic of the adapter I have [IMG]http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa439/seayfam/myphone338.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa439/seayfam/myphone337.jpg[/IMG] | ||
| Bill 340 (Bill_340)
Registered Member Username: Bill_340 Post Number: 155 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.225.228.88  Rating: N/A |
Les are you wired for 50 amp 220 or 50 amp 110, | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 401 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
Bill I only get wired on rare occasions but the coach is wired 50 amp 220 volt | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1575 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.123.74  Rating: N/A |
Les is not wired for 2-20's LOL couldn;t help it Les LOL Gomer | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 402 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
saw it coming Gomer. I was going to work it in myself but good judgement got the better of me. The girls wouldn't like me saying things like that! | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1576 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.123.74 Rating: N/A |
LOL I just couldn't help myself The door was wide open!! OH Go to wally world and just look around, They have several items that would be interesting and also Lowes Gomer | ||
| Bill Gerrie (Bill_gerrie)
Registered Member Username: Bill_gerrie Post Number: 570 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 216.198.139.38  Rating: N/A |
Les You have 50 amps 220 volts so it means you have two separate circuts. To go to 110 volts all you do is join both circuts together and run a single line. You will be very restricted on what you can run but can do it with strict management of your electrical needs. Bill | ||
| Larry & Lynne Dixon (Larry_d)
Registered Member Username: Larry_d Post Number: 356 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 50.39.223.78  Rating: N/A |
Sean show him how you had me wire two fifteen's to the female fifty. Worked very good for me when I broke down in Tulsa Larry | ||
| Jim Sanders (Sandy)
Registered Member Username: Sandy Post Number: 119 Registered: 1-2011 Posted From: 69.199.96.250  Rating: N/A |
Hey guys You have me VERY VERY Confused!!!!!! When you make the statement of a 50 amp circut or plug it is 240 v. 50 amp each leg or split them you have 50 amp 120v Which all of us do. So then you are able to pull 50 amps off each leg or a total of 100 amps ?????? But if you run a reduser 50 to 30 amp you are only useing one leg of the 50 amp plug. If for some reason the 30 amp plug lights up both circut in your bus you have BIG BIG problems a very warm bus lots of water to cool it down!!!!!! Now i under stand the elect that wired the elect box you are fixing to plug into and ran 2 120 volts circut 50 amp then you have no problems unless something in your bus is 240 v. again warm bus so the wiring from a 50 amp plug has 2 hot wires going to your bus and NEVER NEVER Shall the 2 Meet Now i understand that a 30 amp plug can be jump wired to light off both circuts in your bus. You are asking for a warm bus.... If i am in error some one please HELP HELP sandy | ||
| Jim Sanders (Sandy)
Registered Member Username: Sandy Post Number: 120 Registered: 1-2011 Posted From: 69.199.96.250 Rating: N/A |
Gomer i have said befor one more time IF you had a brain you would take it out to play with !!!!!!! LOL JIM | ||
| Mike Everard (Meverard)
Registered Member Username: Meverard Post Number: 40 Registered: 1-2011 Posted From: 98.210.8.135 Rating: N/A |
When you use the adapters that you buy at the store, you can either feed your 50 amp service with 30 amps or 20 amps. The only thing that will happen is you will trip the breaker if you try to use more than is being fed to the panel. The whole panel will be fed since the adapters are wired that way. Good Luck, Mike | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1282 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.146 Rating: |
Yes. Specifically, you connect the single hot (black) wire from the cord to one of the two hot tangs on the receptacle, usually labeled "X" and "Y". Then you use a short jumper of the same gauge to connect that terminal to the other hot terminal. Note that this means you will have two wires connected to a single terminal, which requires great care as the terminals were not really designed for it. It works out only because the terminals are designed for 6 gauge, and the actual wires you will be using will be 12 or maybe 10 gauge.
Yes, in a way. There is never 100 amps of current running anyplace, but on a true 50-amp service, you will have two separate legs, each capable of 50 amps at 120 volts. That's a total of 12,000 watts. By contrast, a 30-amp service is a single leg, or just 3,600 watts, or just 30% of the power available on a 50-amp service.
No. The way the adapters are wired, the single 30-amp leg is wired to both sides of the 50-amp receptacle. So you get 120-volt power on both sides of your panel. However, any 240-volt items will simply not work, and you are still limited to a total power draw of just 3,600 watts on a 30-amp circuit, or 2,400 on a 20-amp, and just 1,800 watts if you are plugged in to a 15-amp outlet.
Again, no. Wiring the same hot leg to both sides of the receptacle is perfectly safe, so long as it comes from a single circuit breaker.
Correct -- when you have a 50-amp PLUG, the two hot wires are on separate legs and there is 240 volts between them. If those wires touch, the shore-side breaker will trip. But that's not what we are discussing -- we are talking about a 50-amp RECEPTACLE, connected to a 30-amp plug. Different issue altogether. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| joe padberg (Joemc7ab)
Registered Member Username: Joemc7ab Post Number: 576 Registered: 6-2004 Posted From: 66.38.159.33 Rating: N/A |
Les I have ben told that I usually explain things well with a pen and a napkin over a cup of coffee. Looking forward to doing that some time this week. | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 403 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Sean! that is what I thought but feel much better hearing you confirm it. When it comes to power you are the "goto" guy PLEASE DON'T GET TIRED OF ADDRESSING THESE QUESTIONS! have a great day Les. P.S. Joe: give me a call for coffee. I am in town today but gone tomorrow and thursday L | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 1397 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 173.202.27.82  Rating: N/A |
What makes the one you refer to so expensive is the cord part. You don't need the cord, just the one or two adapter socket/plug thingies! | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 404 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
THINGIES???? Gus! I love it when you get technical | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1577 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.123.74 Rating: N/A |
Hey JIM I WUVE OU TOO LOL I have found many interesting thing in my brain when I take it out and play with it. It is a mess!! LOL GOMER | ||
| Jim Sanders (Sandy)
Registered Member Username: Sandy Post Number: 121 Registered: 1-2011 Posted From: 69.199.96.250 Rating: N/A |
Sean Thanks Bunches Now i understand LOL JIM | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 373 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.23.155.114  Rating: N/A |
Nobody mentioned this. I know that anytime I try to reduce down to a 20 or 15 amp outlet from 50 It WILL NOT work if you are plugging into a GFI outlet. Anyone want to shed a bit of light on why this is? Thanks in advance | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1283 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.139 Rating: N/A |
Joe, If your bus trips a GFCI when you plug in, you either have a ground-to-neutral fault in the coach, a common problem, or you have a model of inverter/charger that has compatibility issues with GFCI circuits, such as the older Xantrex/Trace SW series. If you have a ground-neutral fault, it is potentially dangerous and should be corrected. If the problem is with your inverter, there are some work-arounds we can try. Having a GFCI shore circuit handy so you can do a number of tests is the best way to track this down. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| George M. Todd (George_todd)
Registered Member Username: George_todd Post Number: 1298 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 99.48.215.44 Rating: N/A |
Its a problem in your bus. GFIs work by measuring the amount of current going out on the hot wire, and comparing it to the amount returning on the neutral wire. When the difference exceeds 3 milliamps (.003 of an Amp,) the GFI trips. This amount of leakage current is very small, so GFIs will trip on a fault that is otherwise un-noticed. Using a 20-50 Amp adapter will not cause a GFI receptacle to trip, in a properly wired bus, but a GFI breaker may trip because of overcurrent. See Gary's post above. You may very well have a ground to neutral connection in your bus, which is dangerous, as the bus frame can become energized if a campground's pedestal isn't properly wired. This causes a trip because some of the current going out on the hot comes back on the ground instead of the neutral. Check your wiring at the shore plug with the gen and inverter OFF. Between the ground and the neutral pins should read infinite or open with a meter. If you have a reading of a few Ohms, the ground and neutral are connected somewhere, and must be seperated. G | ||
| Dan Clishe (Cody)
Registered Member Username: Cody Post Number: 315 Registered: 1-2008 Posted From: 206.51.117.126 Rating: N/A |
Sean can you explain a little more fully about the Xantrex inverter issues that are not compatable with GFCI's for those that insist it's the bus and not a quirk in certain inverters, many still have those older inverters and are running into more campgrounds with GFCI outlets in the power boxes. | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 374 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.23.155.114 Rating: N/A |
O/K very good thank you. I can easily remove the inverter from the loop. By-pass it. Weather or not Im stll triping a GFI will give me the coorect direction to procede. I was under the impression this was common I am not alone. | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1284 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.139 Rating: N/A |
Sure, Dan. The Xantrex SW series has a large filter capacitor connected between Ground and Neutral. While in many cases a capacitor like this will not cause a GFI to trip, if there is any potential difference (voltage) between ground and neutral at all, even a tiny amount, which is common at pedestals more than a few feet from the source bond, current will flow into the capacitor in a process called "charging." This tiny current is enough to trip the GFCI. Later models of the SW series have the filter capacitor ground wire attached just underneath the access cover with a spade terminal for exactly this reason. Simply disconnecting this wire will stop the nuisance tripping, at the possible expense of a minor additional amount of "noise" or EMI (electro-magnetic interference). Ours has been disconnected for four years will no discernible difference in electrical noise. Some inverter models with older, or external, ground-neutral bonding relays will also trip GFCIs. The reason is that ground and neutral are bonded when the inverter is running with no shore power present, as required by code and safe practice. Applying shore power opens a relay to "lift" the bond. However, at the instant the shore plug is connected, before the relay can open, the bond effected by the relay is enough to trip the GFCI. Later models generally do not have this problem. The proper solution to this latter issue is to implement a two-stage relay system to connect the shore input, or use a shore power contactor with break-before-make auxilliary contacts. The idea here is to lift the bond at the inverter before the shore neutral is connected through to it. Also a quick note on George's suggestion regarding checking for ground-to-neutral resistance at the shore plug. While this may well reveal that you have a ground-neutral fault, an open (infinite resistance) reading does not necessarily mean that you do not have such a fault. That's because a proper transfer switch, whether external or built in to the inverter, may well disconnect both the hot and neutral from the shore plug when no shore power is present. When you plug in to the GFI, the switch closes, thus passing any downstream fault to the GFI and causing it to trip. This is the reason I did not post specific troubleshooting steps, because it depends very heavily on your particular wiring layout. In the case where a normally-open transfer arrangement exists between the shore input and the coach wiring, you need to test for ground-neutral continuity downstream of the transfer device, not at the shore plug. Note that, here again, some inverter installations will give you a false positive here as well, because their ground-neutral bond relay will implement the bond when the inverter is powered down. For example, the aforementioned Trace SW series, when wired with an external relay as shown in the installation manual. Truly modern inverters made for RV and marine use do not generally have these problems. They have a separate power detection circuit at the input that lifts the internal bond before connecting the shore neutral through, and they only implement the bond when actually powered up and inverting. HTH, -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 375 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.23.155.114 Rating: N/A |
I think I need to identify my problem a bit closer. I really can not say for sure if when Im going from 50 to 30 to 20 it will trip a gfi the only time I can think of doing this is at home and the outlets are not gfi. I will verify to see. When I have this problem is when Im using my cheeter, where it goies in fifty and comes out 2 30s one of which can and usually is reduced to 20amp. Often at campgrounds with only 30 amp the 20 amp breaker on the pole feeds a duel plug recepticle next to the 30 that is a gfi. In these situations the 30 will be ok but the gfi powering the other leg will trip. Is this the same thing or not? Currently I carry a 30amp extension and if the site next to me is empty I plug 1 leg to my pole the other to the next site over. Takes the GFI out of the equasion gives me 60 amp and with a propane fridge the bus functions well. | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1285 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 72.171.0.139 Rating: N/A |
Joe, You can not use a two-plug "cheater" with a GFCI receptacle. It will trip 100% of the time. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Debbie and Joe Cannarozzi (Joe_camper)
Registered Member Username: Joe_camper Post Number: 376 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.23.155.114 Rating: N/A |
OK sorry for hijacking the thread. If nothing else the info was discussed again. | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1578 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.123.74 Rating: N/A |
Thanks guys I learned a whole bunch AGAIN Gomer | ||
| Dan Clishe (Cody)
Registered Member Username: Cody Post Number: 317 Registered: 1-2008 Posted From: 206.51.117.126 Rating: N/A |
Thanks sean, the older Xantrex units have had this known problem for a long time, but I'm not a very good communicator and if I had tryed to detail it I would have, again, been confrontational, life is getting to short for that for me and I knew you had the situation well in hand, thank you again. This is all part of my new "kinder, gentler" program, just one step closer to sainthood, I'm sure my appication is coming up fast in the pile lol. (Message edited by cody on November 09, 2011) | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 1618 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 69.19.14.21  Rating: N/A |
New CW flyer in mail , $19.95 each 50-30 or 30-50. FF | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 408 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
Fred What is CW? Is it in the larger part of north America? Can it be ordered? Can you get me a manufacturer and part number? Midwest electric doesn't seem to exist here and the part numbers on the photo are not their numbers. Damn it Scotty, beam me up! Thanks Les | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 2200 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157  Rating: N/A |
camping world | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 2147 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 174.91.145.52  Rating: N/A |
Here's the internet specials, and the rest of Camping World. http://www.campingworld.com/search/index.cfm?Ntt=&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=p_keyword&N tpc=1&N=1000020&Ne=1000003&affiliateid=3960&CWID=1856486&rewrote And the electrical stuff pages: http://www.campingworld.com/category/rv-electrical-systems/55 happy coaching! buswarrior (Message edited by buswarrior on November 09, 2011) (Message edited by buswarrior on November 09, 2011) | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 2148 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 174.91.145.52 Rating: N/A |
phooey, try it this way for the link. http://www.campingworld.com/category/rv-electrical-systems/55 happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 1399 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 173.202.12.154 Rating: N/A |
Les, At my age I'm lucky to remember thingies! | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 410 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
I am looking at the adapters that are on the camping world and the Wal-mart pages and have realized something. They don't match the male plug on my coach. My Plug has 3 tines, something like a twist lock and then a ground on the outside edge The adapter female plugs have 4 tines, 3 straight and one somewhat rounded for the ground. I got the male plug from an R.V. dealer. It is marked on the inside as 50 amp 220 volt. Could I have the wrong male plug on my coach? Why would a RV dealer have the wrong inlet plug, let alone sell it to me? AAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!!! Thanks, I feel better now Les | ||
| H3-40 (Ace)
Registered Member Username: Ace Post Number: 1293 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 66.87.107.230  Rating: N/A |
It could be you have a marine plug! Post a picture! | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 784 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 67.141.67.144  Rating: N/A |
As Ace said, is it a Marinco or Hubbel plug? | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1290 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.26 Rating: N/A |
Les, that's a Marnico-style inlet and it is standard for 50-amp RV connections. Many shore cords are sold with the proper mating female connector already attached. This is the type of inlet I have on my coach. As you noted, it is a four-wire connector, with the two hots and neutral on blades, and the ground on a circumferential pressure tang. This connector was designed by Marinco for the marine industry and does not have a NEMA equivalent. However, it is UL and CSA listed for RV use. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 411 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Sean. I guess that means getting a pre maid 50 to 30 amp adapter is unlikely. I will make my own. After the guys suggested that it was a marine plug I realized that it is the same style of plug that our boat has and that they were right. I won't change the plug now as it is installed and looks very good where it is. Onwards and upwards! I hope things are going well with your power steering problem! Les | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1291 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.32 Rating: N/A |
Les, The pre-made 50-to-30 adapters are intended to go on the plug end of your shore cord, which should have the standard NEMA 14-50P "range"-style plug on it. If what you want is an adapter that instead goes on the shore inlet of the bus, Marinco does sell those, and you can find them at some RV stores and on line. However, they are pricey. For that matter, even the wire-it-yourself female cord end is pricey. I do have adapters that I made with these myself, such as this 20-amp one:  The adapters made for the cord end will be cheaper and easier to find. FWIW. Steering is fixed, thanks. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com (Message edited by Sean on November 11, 2011) | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 1621 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 66.82.9.61 Rating: N/A |
It is marked on the inside as 50 amp 220 volt. What is needed will be marked 120/240 50A, not just a single voltage. The location of the insertion guards is different. Having a marine setup is a bit more expensive , but its rain tight and the conductors are much higher quality than RV . Hubbel is highest quality in the marine field. FF | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 419 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
Thanks everyone. My power inlet is a marinco 50 amp 110/220 volt. I found the female plug and a male 30 amp plug to make my own adapter. It works Les | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Registered Member Username: Oonrahnjay Post Number: 689 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 76.4.16.189  Rating: N/A |
Hey, Les, I apologize for asking but can you post the type number for the plug and socket that you used? I think that they'll have numbers like "NEMA 6-30P" or "NEMA 6-30R". And a photo will be really nice, too. Many thanks, BH NC USA | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1293 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.44 Rating: N/A |
Bruce, The Marinco inlet connector (as pictured in my post above) is not a NEMA standard, so it will not have a NEMA type number on it. True for many of the marine-style plugs. The shore end of the cord will have a NEMA 14-50P plug for a 50-amp service, or a TT-30P plug for a 30-amp service. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Registered Member Username: Oonrahnjay Post Number: 690 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 76.4.16.189 Rating: N/A |
Thanks for that info. So, using this adapter, you'd just run an "ordinary" 12-ga three-prong extension cord from the pole or wall socket to the bus and use this adapter between that cord and the vehicle? Sorry, I'm not experienced with this. Thanks, BH | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1294 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.44 Rating: |
Bruce, The adapter in the photo is one I made myself. Hard to tell in the photo, but that's actually a 20-amp plug on it, not the standard 15-amp type, and it is a 10-gauge cord. I have a 50', 10-gauge, 20-amp extension cord that mates to it. I also have a 5' long, 15-amp to 20-amp adapter if I can only find a 15-amp receptacle, although in that case I typically use a completely different cordset that has the Marinco female end, 50' of 11-gauge wire, and a 15-amp (NEMA 5-15P) plug on it. Frankly, it is easier for most folks to just use the store-bought adapters to go from your 25' or 30', 6-gauge shore cord to either the TT-30 or 5-15P as needed. We tend to plug into some pretty weird power sources, which is why I have a box with no fewer than a dozen different adapters in it. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Registered Member Username: Oonrahnjay Post Number: 691 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 76.4.16.189 Rating: N/A |
A dozen? Those little electrictrons must run around like mices in a maze! (Yeah, a little hard to see the config of the prongs, but it makes perfect sense.) On a slightly different tack, I think that I have my gennie pretty well sound-deadened -- I'll be able to fire it up in a few weeks to see how quiet it is. But on adapters, do you have to do anything to keep the connection points (plugs into sockets) dry in use? (Again, apologies for my inexperience, I'm just getting started with all this.) | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1295 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.44 Rating: N/A |
Bruce, Technically, the plug/socket assembly is supposed to be kept out of direct exposure to weather. When talking about connections you make yourself, such as at the coach inlet, or between two cords connected together, that's pretty easy. In the case of the inlet, mount it inside a bay or under a cover. In the case of cord-to-cord connections, you can make a weather enclosure from one of those plastic kitchen storage containers, with notches cut in each end for the cords to enter. When it comes to the campground pedestal, it's a bit harder to control. I try to rig the box cover, if possible, to keep direct rainwater off the connection. In all cases, a bit of silicone dielectric grease will help keep moisture out of the connectors themselves and slow the corrosion of the contacts. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Registered Member Username: Oonrahnjay Post Number: 692 Registered: 8-2004 Posted From: 76.4.16.189 Rating: N/A |
Thanks, thanks, again. My inlet is inside a hatch that was built into my bus for a long-gone central lubing pump. It's a small cavity but it's sealed from rain and also "road water". I like the snap-top plastic box tip, too, and I'll remember to pick up some di-electric grease for the first time it's all put together. I was thinking about cutting the bottom out of a gallon water bottle so it will drop over an electrical post - will that work? | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1296 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.44 Rating: N/A |
Sure, if it fits. Many campground pedestals are larger than that, though, and you also want to make sure you are not trapping any heat in there. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com |
