SupportPicture this: You’re spending a long weekend traveling in your RV. You and your family have settled down for the night. The Tv’s on, dinner’s cooking on your electric stove, and your favorite movie is playing the background – all thanks to RV Shore Power.
We can all agree that the electrical hookup at our campsite helps us to make the most of our travels. With a few quick connections, shore power allows us to tap into the electrical grid so that we can power appliances, lights, and other devices without straining our RV’s batteries or generator.
We get it – at first glance RV shore power parts can seem intimidating. With so many RV power products available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Well, the good news is that our team is here to help! In this article, our RV experts will provide you with a comprehensive overview of RV shore power and help you to select the proper equipment to hit the road with confidence!
What is Shore Power?
Shore power is an external power supply provided at campgrounds that allows your RV or trailer to connect with a utility power source. RVs are connected to a shore power pedestal with 30A or 50A RV shore power equipment, depending on the model of your RV.
It’s also worth noting that your RV’s batteries use DC, or direct current electricity while out on the road. Since shore power pedestals provide AC, or alternate current electricity, your RV has a built-in inverter to turn shore power from AC to DC currents that can be used to charge your batteries. To ensure your batteries keep a healthy charge, we recommend regularly staying the night at a campsite to keep their energy levels above 70%.
Essential Shore Power Parts
The RV shore power pedestals at your campsite will include an RV Power Outlet, or a device that is wired into the power pedestal and offers a receptacle for you to plug in your RV. These outlets typically come in either 30A or 50A variations. Sometimes they offer only a simple receptacle to provide your RV with an electrical hookup, and sometimes they include circuit breakers and 20A GFCI protected receptacles for convenience.
When an RV Power Outlet includes circuit breakers, it can help to protect your RV from power surges and electrical faults. You can tell if your RV’s shore power outlet has circuit protection by looking for breakers and switches on your power panel.
You can see if your RV Power Outlet has GFCI protected receptacles by looking for a “test” and “reset” button in the center of the outlet. GFCI protection helps to prevent electrical shocks if the outlet gets wet. For example, imagine that you have your phone plugged in so that it can charge. If it begins to rain, the receptacle’s GFCI protection will trip and interrupt the flow of electricity so that you won’t get shocked!
RV Power Cords
As we briefly touched on, your RV typically has a 30A or 50A electrical system. 30A systems are rated to distribute up to 3600 watts at 120V and can be used to power small or mid-sized RVs, making them the most common. 50A systems can circulate up to 12000 watts of electricity at 240V, making them a good choice for large RVs that require much more electricity.
No matter your RV’s amperage requirements, RV Power Cords allow you to easily hook up your RV and enjoy shore power. An easy way to spot the difference between a 30A and 50A RV Power Cord is by looking at its prongs. 30A RV Power Cords will have three prongs rated for up to 120 volts of electricity. In contrast, 50A RV Power Cords will have a fourth prong to safely handle up to 240 volts of electricity.
We have plenty of 30A and 50A RV Power Cords available on our RV Power Page to keep you plugged in wherever the road may take you. Our RV Power Cords are available with straight blade or twist locking ends, and plenty of lengths to help you extend your reach while parked at your campsite.
RV Dogbone Cable Adapters
What happens if your RV has a 30A power system and you pull into an RV park that only has 50A outlets? Well, as long as you have a RV Dogbone Cable Adapter, there’s nothing to worry about! These handy cable adapters can be used to help you convert the shore power connection into the receptacle type that your RV or trailer needs. We have several Dogbone Adapters available to help you transform 15A, 30A, or 50A connections.
However, it’s important for you to know that our RV Dogbone Adapters can only be used for the end with the lowest amperage rating. For example, while our 50A NEMA 14-50P to 30A TT-30R Adapter has a 30A and 50A end, it can only be used to distribute up to 30 amps of electricity.
We hope that you enjoyed this article and feel ready to power your next camping trip! If you have any questions about this article or our collection of RV shore power parts, please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help!