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Crack Down on 50 Amp Rigs Using 30 Amp Sites

RobWNY
Explorer
Explorer
I don't know how long this has been going on but I learned today that some RV parks including the Washington/Pittsbugh KOA I had booked has a policy that if your rig has 50 amp service, you can't use a 30 amp site. I wanted a 2 night stay later this month and all they had left was 30 amp sites. I booked one thinking no big deal. I'll just use my 50a to 30a reducing dogbone. I really don't have a need for 50 amps anyway in my rig. Turns out it's not allowed. In fairness, I didn't read the policy which is clearly stated on their website and they did offer to make an exception for us but with the caveat that if they felt we were using too much power, they would kick us out. Because we wouldn't have any idea what their idea of "Too much power" is, we cancelled. Is this becoming a thing now? Did I buy a 50a to 30a reducing dogbone for no reason?
2020 Silverado 2500HD LT, CC, 4X4 6.6 Duramax
2021 Grand Design Reflection 311BHS

I asked him to do one thing and he didn't do any of them.
213 REPLIES 213

Eric_Lisa
Explorer II
Explorer II
myredracer wrote:
We pulled into a CG in Leavenworth WA a couple of years ago and they had a sign at the front gate stating no AC units were to be used due to the main breaker tripping. It was hotter than @#$% out too! There was a forest fire burning not too far away and plus it being so hot out, the CG wasn't very full. We ran our AC without voltage issues and didn't trip their main breaker. They told us afterwards that was okay tho. due to the low occupancy. Tripping a main breaker takes a LOT of AC units running and a pretty out-dated electrical system to trip a main breaker.


Was at a park in Tower, MN a few weeks ago. Transformer blew. Power company truck showed up and stuck a new one on the pole. It isn't always the main breaker that goes tango-uniform.

In retrospect thinking about the park... I wouldn't be surprised if there was some creative wiring which may have bypassed the protection the main breaker would have brought, and that overloaded the transformer.

-Eric
Eric & Lisa - Oregon
'97 Silverado K2500, New HT383 motor!, Airbags, anti-sway bar
'03 Lance model 1030, generator, solar,

Ralph_Cramden
Explorer II
Explorer II
Rice wrote:


A similar thing happens with size. I'm not advocating requiring all RVs to be in the smallest site they will fit in, but it's irksome to need a space 35 feet long and not have any available because much smaller RVs are using them, while smaller sites are open.

Basically, there's no good answer.


Not long ago I sat and watched a woman with a 40' class A read the riot act to a host at a PA State Park. It seems she was upset she could not get one of the dozen or so FHU sites they have in the 260 site campground as they were all occupied, and one was occupied by people in a tent. How dare they. She really had a problem with it, to the point of being red in the face with her panties tied in knots, and demanded that the host move the people to another site. When that went nowhere off she went to the main office 5 miles away to read the park superintendent the riot act, which also went nowhere. The tent campers were paying the same $46 or so per night as she would of been paying. Oh the humanity!
Too many geezers, self appointed moderators, experts, and disappearing posts for me. Enjoy. How many times can the same thing be rehashed over and over?

Rice
Explorer
Explorer
JaxDad wrote:
TXiceman wrote:
Back on the original topic, if they will not allow a 50 amp rig into a 30 amp site, they should not allow 30 amp rigs in 50 amp sites.


In case they underload the electrical system?

Maybe because they inadvertently drive up profits?

That's one side to it. But the other side is that if 50-amp RVs are restricted to 50-amp sites, there's no availability if the 50-amp sites are full. If there are any 30-amp RVs in the 50-amp sites, those are spaces that could have been available, and the RV park would have made more money by having two RVs paying for sites instead of just one.

A similar thing happens with size. I'm not advocating requiring all RVs to be in the smallest site they will fit in, but it's irksome to need a space 35 feet long and not have any available because much smaller RVs are using them, while smaller sites are open.

Basically, there's no good answer.

dodge_guy
Explorer
Explorer
I`ll always take a 50A site if its available. I do it all the time!

My trailer is 30A and my aux fridge, heater is 20A. that adds up to 50A.
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 17yrs
Daughter Marissa 16yrs
Dog Bailey

12 Forest River Georgetown 350TS Hellwig sway bars, BlueOx TrueCenter stabilizer

13 Ford Explorer Roadmaster Stowmaster 5000, VIP Tow>
A bad day camping is
better than a good day at work!

JaxDad
Explorer III
Explorer III
TXiceman wrote:
Back on the original topic, if they will not allow a 50 amp rig into a 30 amp site, they should not allow 30 amp rigs in 50 amp sites.

Ken


In case they underload the electrical system?

Maybe because they inadvertently drive up profits?

TXiceman
Explorer
Explorer
Back on the original topic, if they will not allow a 50 amp rig into a 30 amp site, they should not allow 30 amp rigs in 50 amp sites.

Ken
Amateur Radio Operator.
2023 Cougar 22MLS, toted with a 2022, F150, 3.5L EcoBoost, Crewcab, Max Tow, FORMER Full Time RVer. Travel with a standard schnauzer and a Timneh African Gray parrot

Rice
Explorer
Explorer
pianotuna wrote:
It has nothing to do with generosity.

I rent a 50 amp site.

Oh. The discussion was about 30-amp sites, and someone said you're using more electricity than a 30-amp site could even provide, and you explained:

pianotuna wrote:
Yes, 120 kwh per day is impossible in a 30 amp OEM (3600 x 24 = 86.4 kwh), but I have two additional auxiliary 20 amp shore power cords,

So I assumed you had a 30-amp site and were using extra cords, which I assume most campgrounds would frown on, which is why I said they were being generous to let you do it.

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
i wasn't trying to change topic, or extend this over worked thread

it was in response to the $5 charge picture

the turn off breakers to prevent arcing on the plug blades
has been brought numerous times, when talking about pitted plug blades
and things like the A/C being on, because the genny was turned off while the a/c was running etc..
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

time2roll
Explorer II
Explorer II
MrWizard wrote:
yeah.
turn off the main in the RV
test outlets
plug in
turn on RV main
Or just plug in and check the PI EMS for correct power.

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Hi MrWizrd,

Great strategy.

However the Magnum has a time delay built in, so it is only unplugging that I'd get an arc.

MrWizard wrote:
yeah.
turn off the main in the RV
test outlets
plug in
turn on RV main
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

full_mosey
Explorer
Explorer
RobWNY wrote:
Here's something to ponder. If you take your RV and book a site, any site with electricity. Aren't you paying to use the amount of electricity the pedestal provides? I'm reading in this thread that they expect you to use something less than the rated allowance so they can feed all of the sites within that loop or fed area. Seems to me that if I'm paying for 30A or 50A service, I should be allowed to use all of it for the length of my stay. Not 23A or 43A or whatever so everyone within the loop is happy. If this is the case, then they should market these sites as "this is a 30A site but you can only use 23A continuously and 30A momentarily". Campgrounds should have their sites wired so everyone can use all the power a site provides. My house has 150A service. If I turn on everything I have, I'm nowhere near popping my Main breaker. I'm popping individual breakers way before the Main would ever come into play. Shouldn't there be more than enough power to handle 30A of power use on a 30A site or 50A of power use on a 50A site? It seems that these campgrounds can't handle it so they add restrictions instead of upgrading things. That's a whole other topic but they aren't going broke. Especially these days where camping is so popular that these campground owners are making money like they're printing it themselves. Yes they have a lot of overhead but I've never seen a poor campground owner. Most of these campground owners can afford to upgrade things some to accommodate today's camping crowd.


You will also not understand why lawn watering is sometimes limited to an even/odd street address system. IOW, EVERYONE cannot water at the same time.

HTH;
John

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
yeah.
turn off the main in the RV
test outlets
plug in
turn on RV main
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Hi MrWizard,

I try to do that too--but one camp ground I visit twice a year has pedestals with breakers that are not hooked up. I always treat the outlets as "live".
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
We pulled into a CG in Leavenworth WA a couple of years ago and they had a sign at the front gate stating no AC units were to be used due to the main breaker tripping. It was hotter than @#$% out too! There was a forest fire burning not too far away and plus it being so hot out, the CG wasn't very full. We ran our AC without voltage issues and didn't trip their main breaker. They told us afterwards that was okay tho. due to the low occupancy. Tripping a main breaker takes a LOT of AC units running and a pretty out-dated electrical system to trip a main breaker.