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Can I Plug My 30 Amp RV Into A 50 Amp Plug Without Damage?

by John
(FT..Myers, FL..)

How to plug a 30 Amp RV into a 50 Amp Receptacle

How to plug a 30 Amp RV into a 50 Amp Receptacle

Can I with an adapter plug my 30amp unit into a 50 amp plug without damage?

John

ANSWER: Hi John if you are talking about plugging your 30 Amp RV into a 50 Amp plug at an RV campground, then yes you can safely do it. All you need is a 30 Amp To 50 Amp Adaptor which has a 120 volt 50 Amp male end and a 120 volt 30 Amp female end. You just plug your 30 Amp RV cord into the female end of the adaptor and plug the male end into the campground's 50 amp service plug.

If you are talking about plugging your 30 amp RV into a 220 volt 50 amp Welder plug then no that will not work. Read the answer I gave to Can I Plug My RV Into The 50 Amp Service For A Welder?.

The video below gives some more important information on what you should consider before plugging your RV into a power source.

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Here are some of the items mentioned in the video:

Electrical Adaptersicon

RV Extension Cordsicon

Voltage Metersicon

I hope that this information is helpful to you.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

Comments for Can I Plug My 30 Amp RV Into A 50 Amp Plug Without Damage?

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Rating
starstarstarstar 		30 to 50 amps with an adapter
by: Joe

I use 59 amp power when at rv parks I don’t have to worry about low power do I n Ed a surge protector when I do this
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Additional Protection
by: Anonymous

The only other thing I would mention is the use of a good Surge Protecter when plugging into any receptacle.
Rating
starstarstar 		electrical advice
by: FL Catalina

You repeatedly referred to the "household" plug as 20 amp. No 20th receptacles were pictured come at those are all 15 amp. A 20 amp female has a sideways leg on the hot. This is a very important Fact to distinguish, when calculating what devices you can use. Thanks.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		30 amp RV on 50 amp Outlet
by: Anonymous

Because you have breakers in the RV, it is safe. A 50 amp RV on a 30 amp outlet would likely trip the breaker before overheating the connection, but I wouldn't trust the breaker. They can go bad, like anything. I'm not sure if it would stay on, if it did go bad, or just stay off.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Over current protection
by: Randy S

I would not feed a plug that is designed for 30 amps with a receptacle that is a 50 amp. This means you could exceed the current rating of the wires and overheat the wires.
The amp rating is not an indication of the load, it is the capacity of the wires.
I would prefer to have a UL listed over current protection device between the 50a receptacle and 30a plug.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		50 amp info
by: Anonymous

The rv 50 amp is 2 hot legs so it has 220 volts.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I just bought an RV to live in
by: Dorothy

I just bought a 1999 Forest River Sierra fifth wheel to live in while I'm gutting & re-building my house in southern Nevada (think SUPER HOT & high temps). I have a regular dryer plug, and I was told that I woulb be able to plug my RV into that. Since I'm not going to be more than 10ft from my house, would it be a better idea to have a 50AMP plug installed so that I can run everything at once? By everything I mean: Both A/C units (Bedroom & living area), TVs, Fridge & Freezer, Fans, CD/Boom box, Lighting & Micowave?

I'm expecting to be in the RV for 2 years. I'll be able to hook the potable water directly from the house & black/gray lines directly to my septic system.

Any help is appreciated, I've camped in a rented RV before, but never installed one like this before!

Many thanks,
Dorothy
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		fridge trips GFCI
by: Anonymous

If the fridge trips your 50 amp GFCI, the the AC doesn't, the fridge has a bad ground connection behind it.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Surge Protector
by: Marilyn

Thank-you so much. It is definitely something we will consider.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Question about amperage
by: Marilyn

We have a 21 foot camper trailer that has 30 amp service. We were told in order to run air, microwave, lights, etc., we would need an adapter for 50 amp. We just camped at another campground and used everything with no problem. What is the reason for this? We are confused. Is this for bigger RV's, etc.?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sugre protection
by: Anonymous


Progressive Industries Surge protectorsicon

I would highly recommend considering getting a Progressive Industries Surge protectoricon of the same amperage as your RV/plug. This will protect you from both over voltage and under voltage, amperage over draw, and improperly wired outlet. it is also available for inline and hardwired application as well and comes with a lifetime warranty
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Where do I put surge protector?
by: Anonymous

I have a 30 amp RV, need a 50amp adapter for park, where in that do I put the surge protector?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Question
by: Anonymous

My rv is a 50amp but plugged into a 30amp plug in. Is this safe
Rating
starstarstar 		Understanding AMPerage
by: Anonymous

Let's make this simple to understand: Amperage ratings are about how much the circuit can handle on its end, not about pushing power to your end.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		To the person with the blown GFCI
by: Anonymous

Check outdoor plugins. I had my GFCI blow, and it took me several hours to figure out why. Then for some reason, the outdoor plugin was full of crud. When I cleaned it out, everything was fine again. Go figure.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Can I Plug My 30 Amp RV Into A 50 Amp Plug Without Damage?
by: Anonymous

Yes. Think about this...You can pug a 5 amp vacuum cleaner into a 20 amp outlet without problems right? The 30 AMPS is the max rating of the coach, meaning your coach COULD draw 30 AMPS, (but more than likely not)The 50 AMP curcuit will allow UP TO 50 AMPS to be drawn from it, it will handle 30 AMPS just fine and your breaker panel in the coach won't know the difference. Now going the other way is different (plugging into a 20 AMPS circuit)
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		maybe
by: Anonymous

Do not do this unless you control your electrical usage. I have a 30amp rig, when plugged into 50amps the on board computer cannot sense the usage difference ad you WILL blow your surge guard.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		GFCI
by: Anonymous

Ron, I belive a GFCI will not trip due to overload...only when approx 40ma is not returned to neutral. You must have a dead short somewhere.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Plugging in a 30 amp campert to 50 amp outlet at an rv park
by: Robert

Can I plug my 30 amp camper into a 50 amp at an rv park? and is it safe? and Will I gain more power by doing so?

Thank you,
Robert
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		additional 50 AMP to 30 AMP question
by: Ron

I have a '95 Winnebago Adventurer with 30 AMP service. I recently had a 50 AMP electric service installed (with coach upgrade plans in the future) at the driveway where I park. I use the adapter and I can run the air and the TV with no problem. When I turn on my refrigerator, (with the other two turned off at the time) my GFCI breaker trips in the house. Any ideas why? Thanks.

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