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Coachmen Santara, '94. 50 amps or 30 amps ?

Don_Parrish
Explorer
Explorer
Older gentleman comes to our mobile home park with his Coachmen coach. Thinks it's 50 amps. My coach experience is only 50 amps and
I doubt his suggestion of 50 amps. Electric cord for hook-up had been cut and poorly reattached. Turns out cord is three wire. Black-hot,
White-common, and Green-I assume to be a ground for "bonding".
Looks like 30 amps to me. I don't mind a quick rewire of our post box or I could "rent" him my short 50 amp to 30 amp "reducing" cord.
Am I missing something here or does my plan sound electrically correct? This person has intentions of remaining in place for some time. Worth it to me if he stays. (We do have a couple of other RV units in our park and I did accommodate another 30 amp but we did not have a wiring issue.)
Thanks for any thoughts. Don Parrish
13 REPLIES 13

navegator
Explorer
Explorer
I will guess somewhere in

Arizona

navegator

Don_Parrish
Explorer
Explorer
enblethen:
Note taken. Don Parrish

Horsedoc
Explorer II
Explorer II
I forget the year, maybe 96 or 95 (no slides) but we had a diesel Santara that was 50 amp. bought it used from a dealer, John Bleakly in Douglasville, Ga. Biggest Wanderlodge dealer in the nation.
Had tons of fun in that old coach, but it wouldn't pull a greased string from a cat's backside but it was fun.
All that is gone now, John and Wanderlodge and youth

Sorry guys, just an old man reminiscing.
horsedoc
2008 Damon Essence
2013 Jeep Sahara Unlimited
Blue Ox tow

time2roll
Explorer II
Explorer II
Put the correct 30 amp connector on the cord and use the adapter.
No more worries.

enblethen
Nomad
Nomad
Don Parish:
I would be careful about any modifications of pedestal that does not follow NEC.
Shore power "modifications" on a rig could potentially damage your system.
I have seen coaches where a RV repair facility attached a 50 amp cord to a three conductor shore power cord.

Bud
USAF Retired
Pace Arrow


2003 Chev Ice Road Tracker

Don_Parrish
Explorer
Explorer
rlw999
Reading your response, I see the reasonable answer to my question/problem. You are most correct...I was making his problem, my problem. My problem solved. Thank you. Don Parrish

rlw999
Explorer
Explorer
I don't understand why you're asking - the end of his power cable should either have a 3 pin 30A plug (one round pin, two angled flat blades), or a 4 pin 50A plug (one round pin plus 3 parallel blades).

That alone should tell you what service he needs. If he has a 30A plug but tells you he needs the receptacle to have a 50A breaker, don't do it since you're on the hook for any damage it causes. Let him put a 50A plug on his own power cable if he's sure he needs 50A.

Nick-B
Explorer
Explorer
1994 Santara Class A is only 30 amp. Same as my '95.
Nick
1995 Coachmen Santara MB360 w/slide
F53/460 chassis w/tag

cavie
Explorer
Explorer
3 wires is 30 mamps. Do not let him hook to 50 amps. Sombody will get hurt!!!

4 wires is 50 amps.
2011 Keystone Sprinter 323BHS. Retired Master Electrician. Retired Building Inspector.

All Motor Homes are RV's. All RV's are not Motor Homes.

DrewE
Explorer
Explorer
Sanatara was not a single model of RV, but a somewhat diverse line that Coachmen produced. My '98 Coachman Santara 315QB (a class C model) has a 30A AC electric system.

I'd look at the electric panel in the RV. If the main breaker is a single pole 30A breaker, it's a 30A RV. If the main breaker is a 50A two pole breaker, it's a 50A RV. A 30A electric system would not be at all surprising.

Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
Exactly, enblethen., but RV park owner or manager didn’t know this.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

enblethen
Nomad
Nomad
Look at the cord male end coming from the rig.
If it has three pins, it is 30 amp. If it has four pins it is 50 amps.

Bud
USAF Retired
Pace Arrow


2003 Chev Ice Road Tracker

Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
Pictures of TT electrical connection please. 30 vs. 50 is obvious.

Concerned, however, that an RV park owner or manager needs to ask this basic, actually fundamental, question.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad