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!

Disclosure: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means – at no additional cost to you – I earn a commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. I only link to products and companies I use and feel comfortable recommending. The income goes toward supporting the free content on this website.

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!

There is often confusion about what happens when you try to use a 30 amp to 50 amp adapter (sometimes called a “dogbone”) at a campground pedestal. Actually, there is confusion when any adapter is used to adjust the electricity provided to an RV.

But in this article we will discuss whether or not you should use a 30 amp to 50 amp adapter. And we will explain what happens when you do.

Disclosure: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means – at no additional cost to you – I earn a commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. I only link to products and companies I use and feel comfortable recommending. The income goes toward supporting the free content on this website.

A 50 Amp RV Electrical Service – What Does It Mean?

If you have an RV with a 50 amp electrical service it means that you have a thick and heavy electrical cord. And at the end of that cord you have a 4 prong 50 amp plug. So what does all those prongs do? And why is the cord so heavy?

A 50 amp RV electrical service comes with 2 wires that are rated to supply 50 amps of power to the RV. Then there is also a neutral wire and a ground wire.

That makes up all four prongs on the plug. And because wires that are rated to carry 50 amps are large, the cord becomes very heavy.

Essentially, you have 2 legs of 50 amp electrical service going into the RV. That is a lot of power. And if you multiply the amps by the total volts, you get the total power available to you in watts.

In other words, the wattage figure that you get tells you how much power can be consumed at one time safely. So two legs of 120 volts equals 240 volts.

If we multiply that by 50 amps that each leg can carry, that leaves us with 12,000 watts. This means that a 50 amp RV electrical service can run devices that total up to 12,000 watts of power simultaneously.

And in the real world that means that you can run a lot of devices and appliances without overloading the service.

30 Amps To 50 Amps – What Happens?

So when you plug your 4 prong 50 amp power cord into a 3 prong 30 amp service, what happens? Well obviously, one leg of power has been taken away.

This is because all electrical services need a neutral and a ground wire. And the positive wire has been stepped down to using only 30 amps at the pedestal.

So does this create any problems for your 50 amp RV electrical service? Not at all. This is because the adapter adjusts the power going into your RV to use only 30 amps.

And since 30 amps is lower than 50 amps, nothing will be overloaded. This is because the wiring used for 50 amps is much larger than what is used for 30 amps.

If someone tried to run 50 amps through 30 amp wires, that could be a problem! But not the other way around.

30 Amps To 50 Amps – What’s The Difference?

So it is safe to use 30 amps of power going into an RV that has a 50 amp electrical service. But what does that mean in power usage?

Well, now you only have one leg of 30 amp power times 120 volts. And that means that your total usable power at one time is only 3600 watts. What a drop in simultaneous usable power.

So for an RV that has a 50 amp service, you probably have a lot of power hungry appliances. You may have 2 or more air conditioners, a microwave, a washer/dryer setup, and more.

If you now only have less than a third of the usable power going into the RV, adjustments must be made. This means that you probably can only safely run one air conditioner at a time.

And you may have to limit how many other power hungry devices you use simultaneously. In many cases you can still use them, just not all at once.

It may take a little fiddling around with to determine what can be used and when, but you will eventually get it. Every RV is a little different, so you will learn where the limits are for your particular rig.

Obviously if the main power fuse is tripped, you have gone too far. So it’s best to try to stay on the conservative side to prevent that from happening in the first place.

Click here for a 30 amp to 50 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)

I hope this has cleared up some of the confusion about RV amp ratings in the RV and at the pedestal.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!

One of the most important skills a new RVer learns is how to get city water into your RV. Then you can use it for washing, drinking, cleaning, etc. So you have to be able to use the RV water hookup in the campground where you are staying.

In most cases, the campground RV water hookup will be a faucet in your campsite. When you connect an RV water hose to the faucet and then to your rig, you are all set.

But I am going to show you 3 things that will improve your campground water connection. They will enhance your safety and the safety of your RV. And they can also help make your RV life more convenient.

Disclosure: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means – at no additional cost to you – I earn a commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. I only link to products and companies I use and feel comfortable recommending. The income goes toward supporting the free content on this website.

Table of Contents

• RV Water Hookup Must-Have #1 -RV Water Pressure Regulator
• RV Water Hookup Must-Have #2 – A Water Filter
• RV Water Hookup Must-Have #3 – A Dual Water Hose Connection
• RV Water Connection Tips
• More Water Connection Tips
• Cold Weather Water Hookups
• Conclusion

RV Water Hookup Must-Have #1 -RV Water Pressure Regulator

The first must-have for your RV water connection is an RV water pressure regulator. Why are these devices needed?

Simply because many campgrounds will have a water connection that has too much pressure in the line.

And the danger is that if you hook up to this high RV water pressure, you may damage your rig’s plumbing. If that happens, it is usually not an inexpensive repair.

So an RV water pressure regulator makes sure that the water pressure going into your RV is safe.

It attaches easily to any RV water hose. And then it regulates the pressure so that your RV’s plumbing will not be damaged when you hookup.

These little devices are very cheap insurance against very costly repair bills. So there is no reason why you would not want to use them every time you hookup to campground water.

The links below explain more about them.

Click here for RV water regulator #1

Click here for RV water regulator #2

(These are affiliate links 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)

RV Water Hookup Must-Have #2 – A Water Filter

As we travel around in our RV, we use several campground water hookups. And in most cases, we don’t really know where the water is coming from for that connection.

We also don’t know what condition that water is in either. And that is why it makes sense to use a water filter whenever you connect to a water supply.

There are several kinds of water filters available. Some are very expensive and some are not.

Generally speaking, the more expensive the RV water filter, the more filtration takes place.

Also some require a permanent mount in your RV while other can simply be hooked up to your RV water hose.

I have used a very inexpensive canister RV water filter for a while now. You often see these kind of filters being used by RVers in campgrounds.

They easily fit any water hose, and they can be set up in just minutes. It is true that there are better RV water filters available.

But these RV canister filters do an amazingly good job, especially for the price. They help remove bad taste, while also filtering out odors, chlorine and sediment.

You can always use these inexpensive RV water filters along with other filters as well. So here is the RV canister water filter that I recommend for consideration (just click on the link below to learn more about it):

Click here for the RV water filter canister that I use

(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)

RV Water Hookup Must-Have #3 – A Dual Water Hose Connection

This next item may not be as essential as the other two for the safety of both you and your rig. But it is a great time and energy saver that every RVer should know about.

I don’t know how many times I have needed to use a water hose to wash something at my campsite. But if I only have a single RV water hookup, it presents a problem.

That is because I will have to use the hose that feeds my fresh water system. That in turn means that I have to take apart the existing water connection.

But if I use a dual hose water connection at the campground faucet, everything is much easier.

All I have to do is just add another hose to the second connection at the faucet. Then I turn the water on to the second hose and I’m all set to go.

I have gotten such good use out of this arrangement and I’m sure that you will too.

Here is a dual water hose connection that you may want to consider (just click on the link below to learn more about it):

Click here for a high quality dual hose water connector

(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)

RV Water Connection Tips

Having the RV water hookup gear that I mentioned above will help make your campground experience a good one.

But understanding them is even more important. So here is a little more information about the items mentioned above.

There are several kinds of water regulators that can be used for RV camping. And I included links to two of them.

Either one will work for you, but I personally like to use the RV water regulator that has a pressure gauge.

Why? Simply because it gives me more information about the water pressure that is coming from my campground connection. And more control of the water pressure too.

The regulator that has a “Low/Good/High” readout will do the job. But it doesn’t allow you to adjust the pressure going into your rig at the connection.

But the regulator that has the actual water pressure readout will also allow you to adjust the water pressure to fit your situation.

So if your RV is a newer one, you may be able to use a higher water pressure like 60 psi. But if it is older, it may be safer to adjust the pressure to 45 – 50 psi instead to protect your older plumbing.

But at least you know exactly what you are dealing with if you know the correct water pressure at the water connection.

Of course, the water regulator with the actual PSI gauge costs more. But for me, I think it is worth it if you can afford the extra cost.

More Water Connection Tips

Another good tip is to use a 5/8 inch food grade water hose for your RV water hookup.

You will find a lot of water hoses that you could choose from for your RV water connection.

But if it does not specifically state that it is approved for use in food preparation, don’t use it!

This is because some of the materials used for garden and outdoor hoses can be detrimental to your health.

But a food grade hose has to be made with materials that will safely transport the water into your rig without adversely affecting the water quality.

So does the size of the hose make a difference? Yes, it can. If you want the best water pressure possible from your water connection, you should use a 5/8 inch hose.

It’s a little larger than a 1/2 inch hose, but it can make a lot of difference in your faucet and shower water pressure.

The extra diameter allows for more water flow. And since most campgrounds don’t provide the kind of water flow that you experience at home, this is a good thing!

Click here for a drinking water safe 5/8 inch hose designed for RV use

(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)

Cold Weather Water Hookups

Cold weather can be a challenge to water connections in RV campgrounds. In fact, when the temperature drops to freezing or below, you need to exercise caution.

This is because the last thing you want is to have your RV water pipes freeze and burst. That kind of problem can be crazy expensive to repair.

So how do you protect your water system in very cold weather? An easy way to do that is to only hook up to the RV water connection long enough to fill up your RVs fresh water tank.

Then remove your hose and keep it in a place where it won’t freeze. When your fresh water tank gets low, hook up again only long enough to fill the tank again.

It can be a little inconvenient to implement this strategy, but it can also prevent a lot of repair headaches.

Some RVers tempt the elements by keeping their water hose connected below freezing. And some get away with it.

But I have had a water filter connected at the faucet burst from water freezing inside it at only 30 degrees.

So I don’t play around with my water connection in very cold weather. And I think you shouldn’t either!

Conclusion

Your campground RV water hookup is very important since you will be using water for so many purposes in your RV. Like bathing, cleaning, washing, and drinking.

So why not make sure that the water coming into your rig is safe for both you and your rig?

A residential water connection requires little to no thought on our part in most cases. But the quality and safety of the water connection for our RV is entirely up to us.

And using these 3 must-have items and my tips for your campground water hookup will make your RV life easier and safer.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!