This article is about using a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter when you have a 30 amp RV.

In a previous blog post I discussed the possibility of needing to adapt a 30 amp campground service to a 50 amp RV. This is a very common scenario in many campgrounds.

But a less common scenario is just the opposite. And that’s when you need to run a 30 amp RV from a 50 amp campground pedestal.

So can you use a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter safely in this case? Let’s see!

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Why Is An Adapter Needed?

There are a lot of RVs on the road that are wired for a 30 amp electrical service. To understand what this means, it’s good to have a mental picture of what an amp is. And while we are at it let’s also do the same for volts too.

The best analogy I have heard to describe the relationship between amps and volts is to picture a water hose. There are different sizes of water hoses, some big, some small.

For instance, a garden hose will put out a steady stream of water. But a fire hose is much larger and therefore will put out a lot more water at the end.

Volts are like the water pressure that goes into the hose. There has to be some water pressure to move the water along.

But if you have a consistent water pressure, the fire hose will move more water than a garden hose. So in RVs, a 30 amp service is like the garden hose. It moves electricity along to the appliances in the RV.

But a 50 amp RV service can move a lot more electricity at the same time because the wiring is much larger and more capable.

The difference between a 30 amp and a 50 amp RV service becomes especially apparent when using air conditioners. A 30 amp service will usually only allow the operation of one AC unit in the RV.

But a 50 amp service can run more than one AC unit and even provide plenty of extra power at the same time. Why? Let’s take a look at a very useful electrical formula to understand why 50 amp RVs can do that.

A Useful Electrical Formula

The volts at the campground pedestal should remain at 120 volts no matter what RV is plugged into it. So we can determine how much difference there is in consumable power between 30 amps and 50 amps by using a common electrical formula.

It says that you multiply the amps times the total volts. Then you will know the maximum simultaneous power capability of any electrical system (the watts).

So if we multiply 30 amps times 120 volts, a 30 amp RV can consume 3600 watts of power at one time. But a 50 amp RV has two legs of service going into the rig instead of just one.

So if you add the two lines of 120 volts, that is a total of 240 volts. Then multiply that by 50 amps for each line and you have 12,000 watts of consumable power at one time.

Clearly then, a 50 amp RV uses a lot more power than a 30 amp RV. So what happens if you use a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter for your 30 amp RV?

How Does A 50 Amp To 30 Amp Adapter Work?

Since a 30 amp RV has wiring that can only safely handle 30 amps of power, you don’t want to overload it.

If you were to somehow plug the 30 amp RV service into the 50 amp campground pedestal without an adapter, it could easily overload.

So there is a need to step down the power of the 50 amp campground pedestal to the 30 amp RV service.

That is where the adapter comes in. It does that work for you. Even though there is a lot more electrical power available at the pedestal, it restricts the total output.

That means that it steps it down to the power that will not harm your RV or your devices. Think of it as an adapter at the end of the fire hose that steps down the water stream to the size of a garden hose.

Click on the link below to find out more about 50 to 30 amp adapters like this one.

Click here for a 50 amp to 30 amp RV plug adapter

(This is an affiliate link for the product on Amazon. It does not cost you any extra to buy the product using my affiliate link if you choose to do so)

A 30 Amp Plug In A 50 Amp Adapter

As mentioned above, a 50 amp RV outlet has two lines of power instead of just one. And the 30 amp RV plug only uses one line of 120 volt power.

So the 50 amp to 30 amp adapter renders the second line useless. That way only one line of power is coming into the 30 amp RV at that point.

Of course, the remaining 120 volt line of power still has a maximum amperage of 50 amps.

But the 30 amp RV is not capable of using more than 30 amps of power without tripping a panel breaker in the RV.

It’s a safety provision to make sure that you don’t overload the 30 amp wiring in the RV.

So a 50 amp to 30 amp RV adapter should work just fine on its own.

A Failsafe Electrical Protection System

However, there are some who feel that more is needed to make sure that an electrical overload does not happen.

They recommend the use of a 30 amp RV surge protector that is an EMS (electrical management system).

An EMS monitors your electrical line and shuts off power to the RV if it exceeds 30 amps.

So they feel that using the 30 amp surge protector EMS along with the 50 amp to 30 amp adaptor provides the maximum electrical safety possible.

Click here to view a 30 amp surge protector EMS

The choice is yours, but many RVers have used the adaptor alone with very good results.

What does All Of This Mean For Your 30 Amp RV?

So what does this mean in terms of what you usually do with your RV? Does this adapter change the way you use your appliances or devices? Not really.

Since you still have the full 30 amps of power that you always use, nothing will change when you plug into a 50 amp service with an adapter.

On the other hand, RVs with a 50 amp service that plug into a 30 amp receptacle will have to make changes in their power usage. Otherwise, they would easily overload the electrical service and could blow some of the RV panel breakers.

But not those who have a 30 amp RV who plug into a 50 amp pedestal. You don’t get any additional power , but you don’t lose any power either.

I hope this helps you understand how RV electrical services work and how adapters help in special situations. Let us know if you have had any interesting experiences with 50 amp to 30 amp adapters in the comments below.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!