How Can I Plug In a Regular Extension Cord Into a 30 AMP Plug at a Campground?

by Anonymous

In a KOA campsite, with a 30 amp power supply, can you plug a standard outdoor extension cord into the box, or does it require an adaptor of some kind?

ANSWER: Thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

In a lot of cases the electrical boxes at campgrounds also have a normal household 15 Amp outlet as well as a 30 AMP and/or 50 Amp receptacles. You can call the campground that you are staying at and verify if they also have the normal 15 AMP electrical outlets on their electric boxes (pedestals).

If you stay at a campground that does not include a 15 AMP outlet you can use a 30 amp male to 15 amp female adapter to plug your extension cord into a 30 AMP outlet.

I hope this helps.

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RVing Al

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Comments for How Can I Plug In a Regular Extension Cord Into a 30 AMP Plug at a Campground?

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starstarstarstarstar 		Plugging a reg. ext. cord into a 30 amp campground breaker
by: Anonymous

In addition to the adapter, which you can get for less than $5 at Walmart, you must use the right gauge cord. For a cord up to 50' long, it must be a 14 ga. cord. Anything 50' - 100' must have a 16 gauge cord, or so I've read. I've seen some say that you must use 10 ga., so do your homework.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Is it safe to use an adapter
by: Anonymous

I read somewhere that using an adapter is a bad idea, because RV plugins expect grounding to be done by the RV's electric box. If you plug a regular electronic device into these outlets it may not correctly defend against shortcircuiting and fires. Is that true?

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