roadking Report post Posted June 6, 2016 Sitting on a 30 amp site having to turn on and off the AC to use other high draw items. The guy next door showed me a pig tail he brought that plugs into the 30 amp and the 15 amp sockets that shows 45 amps on his surge protector. First time I had seen one like it, does anyone have any experience with one of these? Good / bad? He claimed he doesn't have to do the power shuffle to keep from tripping the 30 amp breaker. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted June 6, 2016 If your coach is a 50 amp coach, it will work pretty well. One side of the adapter directs 30 amps to one side of your 50 amp, the other side will direct 15 amps to the other side. It is not the same as plugging to a 50 amp supply because the 50 amp supply is 50 amps to both sides of a 240 volt circuit for 100 amps total. Your AC units should be wired so that one is on one leg "L1", and the other is on the other leg "L2". While using this setup you will still need to limit high current appliances, but you will be able to use more of them at the same time. Remember that the max current is still the number on the campground breakers, so if one trips, then you are trying to use too much on that leg, so you must lower the usage on that side. Please do not try to manufacture one of these devices yourself without a complete understanding of how it works. Good luck and hope this is helpful. One thing that I forgot to mention is that you can use a heavy duty extension cord from the 15 amp plug in and use higher amp devices, such as hair dryers, microwaves, or other devices that just plug into the wall. Maybe a little unsightly but none the less useful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted June 7, 2016 I have been using that kind of set up for 40 years. It will not work if the 15/20 amp circuit has gfi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted June 7, 2016 DD690 is correct about the device because of the unbalanced load on the neutral will cause the gfci to trip. The extension cord should be fine though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted June 7, 2016 Huh? Never heard of such a thing. Interesting though. Any down side damage it could cause etc? Where do you get one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingfr Report post Posted June 7, 2016 The only downside that I know of is if the campground's wiring to the 30 amp pedestal will not support 40 - 50 amps consistently and overheats. This can burn the inside of the pedestal, as well as cause issues for other campers who are on the same circuit from the CG's main distribution system. I used one for years on my previous coach. (2008 DP). My current coach has a smart load sharing EMS which won't allow the use of more than 30 amps if it cannot sense a real 50 amp connection. You can get one of the adapters at Camping World. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted June 7, 2016 Some CGs frown on campers paying for 30 amps and using more than that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted June 7, 2016 If the CG pedestal has a 15 or 20 amp gfci device, the one with the reset button on the recepicle, the fact that the neutral is shared after the gfi device, will cause erratic behavior of that device. If not gfi, go for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
