Electric outlets at campgrounds

I am looking for information on electrical outlets at campgrounds. I see
that sites may have 120V/15A receptacles, 120V/20A receptacles, or 120V/30A
receptacles available. What I am wondering about is 50A receptacles.
People I have spoken to have said that RVs are looking for 120V/50A, while
everything I have read indicates 240V/50A. I would appreciate some comments
to get some consensus on what type of 50A service an RV is designed for.

I am also interested in looking into the same information by contacting - or
checking websites of - RV manufacturers or large dealers. Could some people
list a few for me?

I live in Canada. I am hoping to find information applicable to Canada, and
am happy to hear from anyone in NA. Anyone responding, please consider
mentioning what country(ies) your response applies to.

Specifically, the reason that I am looking into this is to help determine an
appropriate electrical distribution for a campground area. The Code here
only mentions "250V" 50A receptacles (14-50R), but I am a little concerned
because I have heard a number of people say that RVs are wired for a
120V/50A connection. Obviously there will be a significant difference
between supplying 120V/50A receptacles and 240V/50A receptacles. Not only
do 120V/50A receptacles represent half the (potential) load, but they would
work fine on a three phase 120/208V distribution, whereas 240V/50A
receptacles may not if RVs have actual 240V equipment.

5-50R and 14-50R, p 8&9 of 26:
http://www.hblinfo.com/library/Section-W.pdf


Thanks for any comments on the above.

operator jay wrote:
I am looking for information on electrical outlets at campgrounds. I see
that sites may have 120V/15A receptacles, 120V/20A receptacles, or 120V/30A
receptacles available. What I am wondering about is 50A receptacles.
People I have spoken to have said that RVs are looking for 120V/50A, while
everything I have read indicates 240V/50A. I would appreciate some comments
to get some consensus on what type of 50A service an RV is designed for.

50A is 240v. There is no 120V/50A. Most large sized RV's are 240V/50A
mostly to handle the larger A/C unit.

"miles" wrote in message
news:n_AEf.24619$jR.295@fed1read01...
operator jay wrote:
I am looking for information on electrical outlets at campgrounds. I
see
that sites may have 120V/15A receptacles, 120V/20A receptacles, or
120V/30A
receptacles available. What I am wondering about is 50A receptacles.
People I have spoken to have said that RVs are looking for 120V/50A,
while
everything I have read indicates 240V/50A. I would appreciate some
comments
to get some consensus on what type of 50A service an RV is designed for.

50A is 240v. There is no 120V/50A. Most large sized RV's are 240V/50A
mostly to handle the larger A/C unit.

That was quick. Thanks for the info.

"operator jay" wrote
I am looking for information on electrical outlets at campgrounds.

http://rvtravel.com/publish/120-Volt_AC_Systems.shtml

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...09/ai_n9295286

http://users3.ev1.net/~crossstitch/RVWiring/wiring.html

El Alumbrado
"Civis Texanus Sum"

"operator jay" wrote in message
news
I am looking for information on electrical outlets at campgrounds. I
see that sites may have 120V/15A receptacles, 120V/20A receptacles,
or 120V/30A receptacles available. What I am wondering about is 50A
receptacles. People I have spoken to have said that RVs are looking
for 120V/50A, while everything I have read indicates 240V/50A. I
would appreciate some comments to get some consensus on what type of
50A service an RV is designed for.

I am also interested in looking into the same information by
contacting - or checking websites of - RV manufacturers or large
dealers. Could some people list a few for me?

I live in Canada. I am hoping to find information applicable to
Canada, and am happy to hear from anyone in NA. Anyone responding,
please consider mentioning what country(ies) your response applies to.

Specifically, the reason that I am looking into this is to help
determine an appropriate electrical distribution for a campground
area. The Code here only mentions "250V" 50A receptacles (14-50R),
but I am a little concerned because I have heard a number of people
say that RVs are wired for a 120V/50A connection. Obviously there
will be a significant difference between supplying 120V/50A
receptacles and 240V/50A receptacles. Not only do 120V/50A
receptacles represent half the (potential) load, but they would work
fine on a three phase 120/208V distribution, whereas 240V/50A
receptacles may not if RVs have actual 240V equipment.

5-50R and 14-50R, p 8&9 of 26:
http://www.hblinfo.com/library/Section-W.pdf


Thanks for any comments on the above.

Every answer you've gotten so far is correct. Here is an additional link:
http://users3.ev1.net/%7Ecrossstitch...ng/wiring.html

The 50 amp service is standard, single phase, 120/240 volt, 60 hertz. 240
volt is rarely used in RV's but is available, when plugged into a 50 amp
source.

--
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed
by the things you did not do, than the ones you did. So
throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor
and catch tradewinds in your sail."
Mark Twain
http://www.bobhatch.com
http://www.tdsrvresort.com

14-50R is the proper 50 amp receptacle for a campground and it, in fact, has
240 vac connected to it. The difference is that within most large coachs
they wire two separate 120 vac circuits, one to each side, off of it.
http://users3.ev1.net/~crossstitch/RVWiring/wiring.html
provides a complete explaination.

In article ,
says...

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...09/ai_n9295286


One of the guides says that:

There is also a 50-amp adapter that connects to a 30-amp outlet and
a 20-amp outlet to provide more amperage than would the comparable
50- to 30-amp plug adapter.
If you use an adapter with one 20-amp 120-volt leg and one 30-amp
120-volt leg, you have a total of 50 amps of power to use.
When using this style of adapter, you have 20 amps available
for one leg of your 50-amp panel and 30 amps available on the
other leg of your 50-amp panel.

This is assuming seperate circuits were run to the post. Some of the
older campgrounds may have only run one circuit and chained the 20-amp
outlet off the 30 assuming an RV would use one or the other but never
both. If the wire was sized for only 30 max loading both outlets would
either overload the wire or trip a remote 30-amp circuit breaker
assuming there was one. Has anyone ever encountered that? How would you
test for that other than waiting for the remote breaker to blow or
taking the post apart?
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

Jud Hardcastle wrote:



This is assuming seperate circuits were run to the post. Some of the
older campgrounds may have only run one circuit and chained the 20-amp
outlet off the 30 assuming an RV would use one or the other but never
both. If the wire was sized for only 30 max loading both outlets would
either overload the wire or trip a remote 30-amp circuit breaker
assuming there was one. Has anyone ever encountered that? How would you
test for that other than waiting for the remote breaker to blow or
taking the post apart?

Could you give an example where you have seen such a thing?

Lon

Jud Hardcastle wrote:

In article ,
says...

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...09/ai_n9295286



One of the guides says that:


There is also a 50-amp adapter that connects to a 30-amp outlet and
a 20-amp outlet to provide more amperage than would the comparable
50- to 30-amp plug adapter.
If you use an adapter with one 20-amp 120-volt leg and one 30-amp
120-volt leg, you have a total of 50 amps of power to use.
When using this style of adapter, you have 20 amps available
for one leg of your 50-amp panel and 30 amps available on the
other leg of your 50-amp panel.


This is assuming seperate circuits were run to the post. Some of the
older campgrounds may have only run one circuit and chained the 20-amp
outlet off the 30 assuming an RV would use one or the other but never
both. If the wire was sized for only 30 max loading both outlets would
either overload the wire or trip a remote 30-amp circuit breaker
assuming there was one. Has anyone ever encountered that? How would you
test for that other than waiting for the remote breaker to blow or
taking the post apart?

Check for 220 between the two hots.

--
Bill P.
just
Dog
&
ME

At this time in life all that
remains is left overs, some can
be cherished as good others bad,
but the only definite is that they
are all that remains, main course is
over.

In article ,
says...
Jud Hardcastle wrote:

In article ,
says...

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...09/ai_n9295286



One of the guides says that:


There is also a 50-amp adapter that connects to a 30-amp outlet and
a 20-amp outlet to provide more amperage than would the comparable
50- to 30-amp plug adapter.
If you use an adapter with one 20-amp 120-volt leg and one 30-amp
120-volt leg, you have a total of 50 amps of power to use.
When using this style of adapter, you have 20 amps available
for one leg of your 50-amp panel and 30 amps available on the
other leg of your 50-amp panel.


This is assuming seperate circuits were run to the post. Some of the
older campgrounds may have only run one circuit and chained the 20-amp
outlet off the 30 assuming an RV would use one or the other but never
both. If the wire was sized for only 30 max loading both outlets would
either overload the wire or trip a remote 30-amp circuit breaker
assuming there was one. Has anyone ever encountered that? How would you
test for that other than waiting for the remote breaker to blow or
taking the post apart?

Check for 220 between the two hots.


That wouldn't detect it. It wouldn't BE 220 if one 30-amp 110vt circuit
was run to the post and fed to BOTH the 30 and 15/20 amp outlets with
the assumption that a single camper would never use both. Most campers
needing 15/20 would not be expected to be carrying an adapter--many
were/are tent campers--and the dual outlets may have been for their
convenience. I'm not saying it was/is done--just that it's possible
there is only 30-amp capacity at such a post.

Code wise I found this paraphrase: "If not a dedicated circuit (two or
more outlets) then the receptacle rating must conform to the Table -
which says that the outlet must be the same as the branch circuit
rating, except 20 amp circuits may have receptacles rated 15 or 20 and
40 amp circuits may have receptacles rated 40 or 50." So I guess an
electrician wouldn't piggyback a 15/20 with a 30 on the same circuit but
it certainly is physically possible.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA