Dry Camping?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I do not think that AJ has a transfer switch that establishes a ground before connecting the shore power to the bus. As soon as he plugs in to a cheater the GFCI will pop.

I also do not think he has an adjustable inverter that he can program to share loads.

Different generation buses have different capabilities and I think yours Bruce allows you to tell the coach the power available and the coach then manages the loads. That is not the case with older coaches or even coaches from all converters.

[0533]

I do not think that AJ has a transfer switch that establishes a ground before connecting the shore power to the bus. As soon as he plugs in to a cheater the GFCI will pop.

I also do not think he has an adjustable inverter that he can program to share loads.

Different generation buses have different capabilities and I think yours Bruce allows you to tell the coach the power available and the coach then manages the loads. That is not the case with older coaches or even coaches from all converters.

Good point Jon. If AJ has no way of seeing if the ground is correct before transfer, its a real pain in the neck. How about a portable inline deal, (see link) something that he can place on his cheater big tail at the main power source.
See attached link:

http://www.tweetys.com/index.asp?Pag...OD&ProdID=6747

[Ray Davis]

Can we define "cheater" here? So, I have 30 to 50A adapters, and I've used them on occassion when needed. I haven't had issues with GFCI tripping, but as Jon indicated you have to limit your total electrical usage then.

Generally you can't run AC's, or only one. Electric cooktops generally won't work then either.

But, for normal camping for a night, your batteries would charge. Heck, where I used to park the bus, we used a 20A to 50 adapter, when stored, just to keep batteries charged. Obviously nothing else, other than the fridge was running at the time, though.

They also make these dual 30A to 50A adapters, which I would consider more of a cheater? The idea with these is that you plug into two 30A circuits. I've never used this type of setup, although one came with my new bus.


Ray

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Ray, excellent observation about what we mean by cheater plugs.

In the context of trying to get more power than 30 amp I consider the dual plug adapters such as the 30 and 20 amp plugs going into a common 50 amp receptacle that will plug into your 50 amp cord is what I consider a cheater.

The intent is to get more power into the coach than just the 30 amp.

The problem I mentioned is that campground almost universally have GFCI 20 amp receptacles and unless the coach has a transfer switch that established a ground before allowing power into the coach it is unlikley the cheater will work.

Other plugs such as a 50 to a 30, or a 50 to a 20, or a 30 to a 20 are not cheaters, but adapters.

[MangoMike]

Good clarification as I think there was some confusion between cheater plugs and step down adapters.

In Myrtle Beach I have no problem keeping things humming with 20amps. Just no A/C (webasto's fine). And I have to let the inverter know that only 20 amps are coming in. Easy to do with the Hart Inverter on the Marathon.

Mike

[tdelorme]

Scroll toward the bottom of the page in this link to see what is commonly referred to as a cheater plug.


http://www.lawrencerv.com/progressive.htm

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Correct. That is what I was describing.

There is an unfortunate mixup regarding our shore power supplies due to what has become industry terminology.

We typically refer to the campground box as a 50/30/20 or a 30/20 or some other combination to define the breakers and receptacles we plug into. The problem exists because the 20 and the 30 refer to the number of amps on a 120V circuit for those respective receptacles. So when a cheater is used (assuming the GFCI does not trip) 50 amps at 120V is available.

When we plug into a 50 amp receptacle we actually have 2 50 amp 120V circuits, or a 50 amp 240V circuit. In short a 50 amp receptacle has five times the power of a 20 amp circuit, or more than 3 times the power of a typical 30 amp circuit so when we are on those circuits we really do have to manage our power.

[ajhaig]

Jon - I do have a transfer switch that I turn on after we plug in and confirm that the two green lights are on (sorry for being so technical). If I understand you, assuming that I can use a cheater plug, I will be getting 50 amps or 1/2 the power of a true 50 amp connection.

If I can keep the fridge (our fridge is only 10 cubic ft) and batteries up on 30 amp service that would be great. We could run the generator if we need to use the stove, etc.

Our plan is to head to Vermont after Boston, I'd like to do some dry camping up there. We've been staying at campgrounds almost exclusively so I really don't know what the state of our batteries is. The batteries were new in 2005, they are the fancy kind.

How will I be able to tell if the batteries are any good?

Thanks.

AJ

P.S. We are really bummed out that we are missing the rally!

P.P.S. M.Mike - what is the best campground near Washington DC?

[Ray Davis]

If I can keep the fridge (our fridge is only 10 cubic ft) and batteries up on 30 amp service that would be great. We could run the generator if we need to use the stove, etc.

AJ, a 30A used via a 50-30 adapter will keep your batteries charged, and allow you to use much of your bus devices just fine. Stay away from the high current draws like air conditioning and electric heaters etc. You might be able to get away using a single AC unit, with 30A power.

At worst, and Mango indicated, you may need to go to your inverter charging controls, and either step down the charging current, or on newer models, tell it that you're attached to only 30A plug.

If you've just driven for any length of time, your batteries will very likely be fully charged, and your inverters will very quickly go to float charging, using very little current.

Don't be afraid of 30A service, it's fine for "regular" use. I would be concerned when it's 110 degrees out, and you need to run multiple AC's to cool the bus.

Ray

[tdelorme]

AJ, this is a link to the most popular RV Park close to DC. I don't know about others but Mike might come up with something else.

http://www.cherryhillpark.com/