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As a licensed electrician for almost 30 years, I had a good feeling about what this modification was going to be before I started the video. I have to say that I applaud you for stating to check your specs before doing this. I’ve seen people do this incorrectly and not use the right size outlet or cord. I would suggest either a 14 or 12 gauge extension cord up to 25’. They will more than adequately handle up to 15 amps at that length. WELL DONE video, and thank you for finally showing everyone how to do it correctly.
12 gauge to be safe, but what do I know… I work on govt contracted construction sites and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen 2 or 3, 25 foot extension cords connected to a miter saw zinging off 2x4’s all day. Inspectors walk right past.
I’m doing this tomorrow on our GDRV. We always have to turn off the electric heater (early spring and late fall), when we make a tea or coffee with the Keurig. What a great idea, thanks for posting.
Excellent mod. I’ve been running an external extension cord from the pedestal to my outdoor kitchen area to slow cookers, a fan, etc. Never considered using that same method inside… my wife will applaud this so she can run her hair dryer without having to do some math beforehand… 😊
We've been living in our RV for 3 months, we're first time RVers and quickly realized we couldn't keep the rv cool in the California High Desert when its 115 so we had to run extension cords to the cabins main panel. Two portable ACs, the RV AC, plus three shade clothes were necessary to keep it cool. 😮
I have an exterior 20amp Inlet that is wired to my w/b outlet. I just use a commerial grade 20amp exterior extension cord to connect the pedestal 15-20amp outlet to my 20amp inlet. Works amazing!!
I added a 2nd A/C and wired an 15amp male plug on the outside of the Rv dedicated (wired directly) to the A/C then I run a heavy duty extension cord to pedestal or a generator
great idea, i toyed around with the idea of running the inside outlet to an outside outlet, then plug in from there, but stuck with this. Thanks for sharing John!
I went the extra step and converted my 30 amp camper to 50 amp. I was tired of having to shut off things just to microwave something, plus I was able to add an additional a/c.
Ross, I installed a cord plug in the side of my RV and hard wired it directly to an interior outlet. I’ll take some additional pics and send you some that you can see my exact setup.
I put an extra outlet under the bathroom sink just for my wife’s hair dryer and an heater in the winter. I drilled through the camper and put a 15a male end just for an extension cord.
One of those things I have been "hacking" for a bit but now I have a project this weekend. My hacky fix is ... hacky... and you've inspired me to clean it up.
Good idea, I wish I would have done that when we had our 30 amp TT. I may have missed the video but I’m guessing you added the vent to your under the bed storage that seems like another good mod, I will have to do this. Keep the tips and tricks coming I really enjoy your videos
A work around for more power I've done is to add a 3000w power inverter to my camper that runs off the batteries (I have 2) this allows me to run my outfit kitchen fridge while I'm not plugged in and it essentially delays the power load of temporary a temporary appliance.
I did this 12 yrs ago with outlets for bathroom and dining table (coffee pot). Also found a pigtail at big box store thst is basically an in line 15 amp breaker so dont depend on the pedastal. Even with this, we have to run the water heater on gas when ac is running for more flexibility
Be mindful of your neighbors. Some campgrounds put one connection point between two lots, so one if the two RVs has their wire crossing under to get power. But it also means if you are running an extension to that other circuit, you might accidentally jump their breaker depending what you are collectively running at that time.
Totally agree. Even if you are using a 15 amp plug and a 30 amp plug, you are still using 55 less amps than if you had a 50 amp rv using the 50 amp service. Additionally, I would never run cords on my neighbors site, or condone doing it, as I wouldnt want it to be done to my site. Common courtesy.
I have a 30A Class A with 2 AC's and 5500 ONAN Generator (30a & 20a legs). Found out there is a relay that makes the front AC generator preferred on the 20a leg. So I spliced in plug (male & female 20A, 12/2 ga) and now I can unplug the circuit form the generator and plug in an extension cord to the 20A pedestal. in this configuration, I have the front AC running on that 20A, while the rest of the coach is still running on the 30A. Note: I do have a soft start on that front AC.
@@RVTIPSANDTRAVELS Next I'm going to buy a 50 AMP surge protector and a 50 AMP to 30/20 AMP splitter (like the Parkworld 885200 Splitter). So I'll have one connection that splits into 2 and both are protected. Then I can use the 50 AMP or my original 30 AMP (when I don't need both ACs and outside temps are cooler) or if 50 AMP is not available. My only concern is the multiple connection points. I'll likely zip tie the splitter to the 50 AMP surge protector so it will remain good and tight. And inspect/clean frequently.
Hey, Ross. Wifey and I haven't been camping much this season as we spent almost a month in Portugal. Our second trip (Cape May, NJ) is coming up soon. Because of this, I haven't been keeping up with your videos. I'll have to play catch up soon. Anyway, I heard you say "...here in Arizona." Is that where you are? I thought you were in the PNW? I only ask because we now have a home in Havasu and will be snowbirding there starting in November. If you're anywhere close, I'd love to meet you.
im thinking about maybe tucking that wire in the pass through behind the board and installing an outlet there to plug the extension cord into... being a neat freak im sure that cord will evenutally get on my nerves, but again, its a quick mod so Tara can use the hair dryer.
never thought of this mod for shore power boosting. i installed a 2k watt inverter and wired in a 15amp duplex with dual usb C ports by the entry door in our camper. this puts it by the bed and the kitchen so it was to take over when dry camping and we wanted to make coffee or use a toaster. But fair point that this may even be needed when on 30amp service to still run some appliance if we already have the other main things running. i tend to run the water heater on gas even when on shore power as i find it recovers much faster so perhaps that has kept us from really exceeding our 30 amp.. that and if the fridge is mid cycle and not drawing the 400watts or so it does when it is first cooling down. i will keep an eye on things and may enable the inverter even when plugged in just to take some strain off the main system.
Good idea. We run the water heater on electric. I’ve never had an issue with cold water, plus it’s free, but it puts us right at the top of not being able to pull another 5-6 amps.
There are different ways the pedestal can be wired. The most common I have personally seen is the 20A circuit is connected to one phase of the 50A and the 30A is connected to the opposite phase. So you are still limited. Some panels sold on Amazon have a wiring diagram in the photos for a reference. Hope this helps.
Thanks Dan, that makes sense and I'd be willing to bet those are the campgrounds with the gate blocker on the 30 and 50 amp outlets that I showed towards the end of the video. Regardless, if some pedestals are wired the way you explain, it would still be pulling less amperage than the 50 alone, so no harm there. Appreciate the input bud!
Good idea and I like the ease of install and having usb, but be careful what you plug into it. The linked outlet from Amazon is only rated at 12 amps -- probably due more to the wire size of the slim flat attached cord than the outlet itself. That does mean however that when you connect to a 20 amp breaker on the pedestal if you had the wrong things plugged in you could draw way to much power before tripping the breaker and potentially that small wire could heat up to the point of being dangerous.
I couldn’t agree more. The hairdryer will be the strongest appliance at 11 amps on high, so still under the spec. As mentioned in the video, it’s very important to do your math.
The only issue here is if you use a dogbone to plug a 15 amp cord into a 50 amp pedestal. The cord will not be protected from overloads and can catch fire. I had a quick look on amazon and it looks like they do sell dog bones that have a built in circuit breaker. You should only plug into a 50 amp receptacle if you have a dogbone with a circuit breaker.
What type of overloads are you talking about? Amperage is decided by what the appliance asks for. You can plug into a million amp outlet, you’re only going to pull what your appliances request. I think what you’re saying is that you can request more amperage than the wiring is rated for but less than what would pop the breaker? This is absolutely true, but it’s the nature of the beast when you dogbone down. That’s why I mention in this video to know what amperage youre appliances are going to pull and build around that. The circuit breaker is really secondary, the circuitry needs to handle the power long before the breaker.
@RVTIPSANDTRAVELS a circuit can be overloaded when an appliance has a failure. Mostly items with motors can fail and then draw a high current. Other failures can cause overcurrent situations too. So it's not just about plugging too many things in at the same time, although that is the most likely scenario to cause a fire. As a safety measure I would recommend a dogbone with a built in circuit breaker and they are only $30 on amazon. If you use one of those and accidentally use too much power, it will trip before melting your cord, as long as you are using a properly sized cord.
Quick question- I have always wondered if you use a 30 amp Rv to 120 pigtail , don’t you technically have an extension cord thats only 14 or 12 gauge that is on a 30 amp breaker and could overheat before popping the breaker? I have done this for years with small loads.
You can plug into a 1 million amp outlet, the appliance asks for the power. so if you try to pull more than the cord is rated for but not more than the breaker, yes you can have problems. That’s why I mention to know what you’re pulling, and plan around that.
Nice - maybe add a thin re-enforcement plate on the panel/wallboard behind the new outlet to strengthen the installation from repeated plugging and unplugging - Thanks #YankeeTraveler
@@RVTIPSANDTRAVELS now I need to review your tire posts. Just had my first flat tire on our 2021 Heartland Trail Runner. Repair, replace? Replace in pairs? , same side or opposites, dealer service? …. 😳
Thanks Paul, have you ever analyzed the amp pull real time? The Hughes Power Watchdog will allow you to do this on a phone app. It's mathematically impossible to run all your appliances at once on a 30 amp circuit without exceeding the rating, according to physics. As mentioned in the video, not popping a breaker doesnt always mean you arent exceeding your amperage. If you havent popped a breaker you are probably being smart about which appliances you run at one time. If that is not the case, your pedestal breakers are just not popping as they should. Just be careful, if breakers don't pop, wiring is getting hot, terminals will probably show signs of singeing. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I understand. I do not have a lot of extra appliances in my rig. I am also cognizant of what is drawing power and actively mitigate going over. I have to thank you for your content, it is most valuable.
Thank you for the nice comment and for your input. Always appreciated my friend. One thing that I know kills me is powering my water heater on electric. I hate using propane for something I dont have to.
code? its a singlular prewired desktop outlet. If you bought this for its intended purpose, you would be mounting it to your desk at home and plugging into an entension cord or outlet. but if you want to wire in a duplex with romex to meet code thats absolutely fine too. i dont think its necessary to worry about code when just adding a prewired desktop outlet. its being routed safely through a grommet and tieing the wire as you go. the important part is that you are using a sufficient gauge wire.
@@RVTIPSANDTRAVELS I noticed it because we have the GD2150RB, a similar floor plan to your GD2600RB. I close the door at night because the fridge lights shine into the bedroom. Keep that spare door for when the bath door gets damaged - it could happen. Enjoying the channel very much.
OMG! Why do you Americans make everything so complicated? All caravans (RV) in Australia are fitted with 15amp 240v inlets. The problem with America is using 110v!
