If you like to plug in your RV at home before a trip, you have plenty of company. It makes it easy to get some of the appliances, like the refrigerator, going in advance. And if you need the lights or want to power up some devices or the batteries, you can do that too. So this article will help explain how to use an RV electrical adapter at home safely.
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 RV Electrical Adapter Needed At Home?
Most RVs come with either a 30 amp or 50 amp electrical system. And when you go to a campground, they are all set for either one.
But sometimes you have to use an electrical adapter to plug in your RV at the campground . This is because you may have a 50 amp RV but the campground only has a 30 amp service available.
Or you may have a 30 amp RV and only 50 amp campsites are available. Either way, an electrical adapter is needed in these cases. You can learn more about these kind of RV electrical adapters and check out the user reviews at the links below:
Click here for a 50 amp to 30 amp RV plug adapter
Click here for a 30 amp to 50 amp RV plug adapter
(These are affiliate links for the products on Amazon. It does not cost you any extra to buy the product using my affiliate link if you choose to do so)
So what happens when you plug in your RV to your electrical service at home? Well, most residential houses do not have a 30 amp or 50 amp service.
In fact, most of them will only have either a 15 amp or 20 amp electrical line that you can plug into. So clearly, another adapter is needed to be able to plug the RV in to your electrical service at home safely.
How To Make The Connection
The electrical service at your home is different from that found at a campground. And the electrical plug is not the same either. So clearly, you will need another RV electrical adapter to make the connection at home.
Fortunately, adapters for 50 amp to 15 amp services are available. The same is also true for 30 amp to 15 amp electrical adapters. So if you choose to power your RV at home, be sure to have the correct adapter on hand to do so.
Of course, if you have a 30 amp or 50 amp RV electrical service installed at home, these will not be needed. You can learn more about the 15 amp electrical adapters that I recommend at these links:
Click here for 15 amp to 50 amp RV plug adapters
Click here for 15 amp to 30 amp RV plug adapters
(These are affiliate links for the products on Amazon. It does not cost you any extra to buy the product using my affiliate link if you choose to do so)
Don’t Forget To Use RV Extension Cords
One other point to remember. Don’t forget to use the proper extension cord for your electrical connection if one is needed.
The wiring in your extension cord needs to be up to the task of delivering the full amperage to your RV if needed. So don’t just grab a cheap extension cord for this task.
It’s best to use an RV extension cord that matches the power draw of your electrical line. This will just make sure to keep things safe while your RV is plugged in.
If you are on a 15 amp line, use a 15 amp RV extension cord. If it’s a 30 amp or 50 amp line, use the matching extension cord there as well. You can learn more about the RV extension cords for each amperage at the links below:
You can click here for a 15 amp RV extension cord
Or you can click here for a 30 amp RV extension cord
Click here for a 50 amp RV extension cord
(These are affiliate links for the products on Amazon. It does not cost you any extra to buy the product using my affiliate link if you choose to do so)
Your RV’s Power Usage At Home
One final note needs to be made about plugging your RV in to your home electrical system. And that is that you can make the connection safely, but you must monitor and adjust your power usage in the RV.
For instance, 50 amp RVs are designed to be able to use 12,000 watts of power simultaneously. That’s why they have 2 air conditioners and all those appliances in them. 30 amp RVs are designed to use only 3600 watts of power at the same time. Usually there is only one air conditioner and fewer appliances in those RVs.
Now when you plug in to a 15 amp service at home, you can only use 1800 watts of power simultaneously. This is a big step-down for a 30 amp RV and a huge step-down for a 50 amp RV.
So you have to make sure that you are only using enough appliances or devices in your RV that will not overload the 15 amp line. This means that air conditioners are out.
And many large wattage appliances are out. So it may be possible to power your refrigerator on electric along with a few lights. You may also be able to charge up some of your devices and use small appliances too.
But if you go beyond this, you will probably be tripping electrical breakers regularly. So make sure you conserve power as much as possible when plugged in to a 15 amp line.
I hope this helps you learn more about how to properly plug your RV in to your home electrical system.
Have safe and happy travels my friends!