Where Would I Find Shore Power Requirements

[daveward]

I would like to be prepared for different campsites, so I was wondering where I could find information about which electrical adapters are best to have...15 amp, 30 amp and 50 amp.  If possible I 'd appreciate the information to include prong or receptacle shapes/placement...as I have found that one man's 30 amp setup can be different that another.  Thanks!!

[Chad Heiser]

All RV 50 amp, 30 amp and 15/20 amp receptacles and plugs are the same.  There are other non RV 50 amp and 30 amp receptacles out in the world, but you will not find them at RV park power pedestals.  Where you have to be careful is when you plug in somewhere other than an RV park.  Some home grown installations have been known to use the wrong components and fry RV systems.

Here is what a 50 amp RV receptacle looks like:   and what the voltage measurements should be.

Here is what a 50 amp RV plug looks like:  

Here is what a 30 amp RV receptacle looks like:  

Here is what a 30 amp RV plug looks like:  

Here is a 50 amp to 30 amp dog bone adapter: 

Here is a 30 amp to 15 amp dog bone adapter:  

[daveward]

Can I put you down for best and quickest reply!  Exactly what I was looking for.  THANKS>

[Chad Heiser]

5 minutes ago, daveward said:

Can I put you down for best and quickest reply!  Exactly what I was looking for.  THANKS>

Glad I could help.  The dog bone adapters I posted can also go the other direction, with opposite male and female adapters (if that makes sense).  

Like this:  

And this:  

With these two adapters, you could step down from a 50 amp RV cord all the way down to a 15 amp plug and plug into a standard household receptacle to provide "some" power to your RV if needed.

[Kirk W]

57 minutes ago, Chad Heiser said:

All RV 50 amp, 30 amp and 15/20 amp receptacles and plugs are the same. 

Let me qualify that just a little bit, as you may or may not know. RV's today all come with either a 30a power cord or a 50a power cord.The two plugs do not look the same. Your RV will have either the 50a that Chad posted a picture of or it will have one like the 30a. In other words, all 30a receptacles will look the same and all 50a receptacles will look the same. The proper adapters for you to carry will depend on which power cord your RV has. 

1 hour ago, daveward said:

..as I have found that one man's 30 amp setup can be different that another.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this? Do you know which power cord you have in your RV? If the power cord is a 30a one then you need to carry an adapter for 30a to 50a so that you can connect your 30a RV to a 50a power pedestal. 

                        

Note that the male plug will connect to a 50a outlet and the female accepts a 30a power plug from an RV.

On the other hand, if your RV has a 50a power cord then you will need an adapter that allows you to connect your 50a cord to a 30a outlet, meaning that the male is now a 30a plug and the female is a 50a receptacle to connect to your RV.

                                                    

From time to time, you will also want to get some power very limited use when the only thing available is a standard house outlet which is typically 15a. In this case, you will want to have an adapter for that purpose and you want to choose based on what power cord your RV has.  The first picture is an adapter that allows an RV with a 50a cord to connect to the household 15a. The second adapter is the exact same thing except that it is to connect a 30a RV cord to a household 15a outlet. 

                                  

[kb0zke]

Dave, if you are still confused, you could post a picture of what plug your rig has and we'll tell you what sort of adapters you would need for various situations.