Which Power Inlet Type Should I Get?

[sladezero]

Hey All,

I am working on adding a power inlet to the driver's side of my Cargo Trailer conversion. However, I am up in the air as to which one to add, the 30 amp one with the 3 or 4 prongs or a 15 amp one with the normal outlet prongs.
I will be running the following appliances:

1) Refridgerator (3.7 Cu Ft)
2) Small 2 Electric Burner
3) 1 Light (40 Watts)
4) 1 12 VDC Vent Fan

I am open to thoughts right now.
Thanks everyone.

-V/R
Slade

[Dale M.]

Total up wattage (amperage) of your appliances and assume the will all be running at same time.... IF combined value is less that 15 amp (1800 watts) go with the 15 amp 3 wire connection....

Dale

[TPMcGinty]

I picked up this one at Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NI38MG

The price seemed right and if you order more than $25, shipping is free.

[brian_bp]

...the 30 amp one with the 3 or 4 prongs...

A normal 30A connector for RV use has only 3 prongs, with the same functions as an ordinary 15A connector (but bigger, and differently angled). The four-prong connectors have the extra prong so they can have two "hot" lines, for 240/120 V service; in RV use, this is only done on the 50A size... which would be massive overkill.

I agree that the service size should be determined by what you have or expect to have. If you some day run both an electric hotplate and an electric heater or air conditioner, one 15A circuit is not going to be enough.

[Miriam C.]

Hey All,

I am working on adding a power inlet to the driver's side of my Cargo Trailer conversion. However, I am up in the air as to which one to add, the 30 amp one with the 3 or 4 prongs or a 15 amp one with the normal outlet prongs.
I will be running the following appliances:

1) Refridgerator (3.7 Cu Ft)
2) Small 2 Electric Burner
3) 1 Light (40 Watts)
4) 1 12 VDC Vent Fan

I am open to thoughts right now.
Thanks everyone.

-V/R
Slade

What are the chances that you will use the hotplate and a coffee maker or hair dryer at the same time. Those will make your biggest draw. This is assuming you are not going to turn on a microwave too.

Here is a picture of the power supply at most campgrounds.

[sladezero]

Hey All,

Thanks for the advice on the power inlet.
I believe I will go with the 30 Amp model.
IE: this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Inlet-Rear- ... 30&sr=1-10

However, what does the back side look like?
Does it have prongs as well or connections for gauges of wire?

It looks like I will also have to get an adapter as well.
All of my stuff is the 15 Amp connections.

Thanks everyone. If I missed anything please let me know.
I would rather spend a little more money and be safe than skimp and pay the price. ............

-V/R

Slade

[TPMcGinty]

Hey All,

Thanks for the advice on the power inlet.
I believe I will go with the 30 Amp model.
IE: this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Inlet-Rear- ... 30&sr=1-10

However, what does the back side look like?
Does it have prongs as well or connections for gauges of wire?

It looks like I will also have to get an adapter as well.
All of my stuff is the 15 Amp connections.

Thanks everyone. If I missed anything please let me know.
I would rather spend a little more money and be safe than skimp and pay the price. ............

-V/R

Slade

I don't know what the back of the 30A one looks like but the back of my 15A connector looks just like one of those 15A replacement plugs for the extension cords. Real easy to use.

[sladezero]

So far so good,

Everyone, again thank you for the inputs.
Right now I am still looking at a 30 amp inlet for the trailers driver side.

Now, I am trying to find out is if the interior part of the inlet has prongs or requires wiring. Either way, I am looking at 10 gauge wiring just in case to go from the trailer to the campground power. If I am off basis please let me know.

Thank you.

-V/R
Slade

[Alphacarina]

There's little point in buying the 30 amp inlet umless you're also going to buy the expensive 30 amp shore power cord to go with it . . . . even then, 90% of the time you'll probably be using an adapter on the end of that power cord so you can plug it into a standard 20 amp recepticle

30 amp service on a tear or small travel trailer containing no more than you have is a complete waste, in my book - Buy a 15 or 20 amp connector and use a standard 12 gauge extension cord to go with it

Don

[Miriam C.]

Can't say for sure but the inlet should have screws to hold the wires. You can email the company to ask.

I'm with Don on the cord. Get a good outdoor 30 amp cord.

[bdosborn]

Don's right, a 30A service is overkill for a tear. You'll wonder what you were thinking after your trailer is done.
Bruce

[sladezero]

Hey Everyone,

I have finally made a decision. I decided to do a cord hatch like a few other people on the forum have.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-p ... atches.htm

This way I can switch between cords if needed.
I went ahead and went with a 30 amp cord since my double electric burner uses ~12.5 amps out of the 15 amps available. This does not include the refrigerator, TV/DVD, lights inside, and probably a few other things. I figure I would go this route since I am already at the edge anyway. All of you had really good inputs.

On another note, I have finished the roof vent vent frame and will be adding this in soon along with the vent.

Again, thanks everyone.

-V/R

Slade

[Juneaudave]

V/R...that cord hatch isn't the same as a shore power plug in. Is that what you want?

[sladezero]

Hey there,

Yes, I know the cord hatch is different from the inlet. I really do not want to
spend a ton on this endeavor. I just want to make sure it seals when the cords are not being used. I am getting an adapter at the end of the cord to plug in my strip. That's the plan.

-V/R

Slade

[Alphacarina]

You can buy a PVC pipe coupling which has a screw thread on one end and then buy a screw cap to fit that - Bulletproof housing for an inlet connector

If you get the correct size (which slips my mind at the moment . . . 1 1/4 inch or 1 1/2 I'm pretty sure) you can epoxy a male 120 volt 3 prong hospital grade plug into the non-threaded end (with the prongs facing the threaded end) so that you can insert a standard extension cord into it (when the screw cap is removed) and you're all set - Epoxy that coupling into the side of your tear and you have an instant 'shore power' connector for less than $10 complete . . . . including the epoxy

If you cut the male connector off your extension cord (and replace it with a hospital grade plug too) then you can buy a second threaded cap to fit your inlet fitting and drill a hole on the center of it for the cord, put it on the cord before you put the connector back on and then you have a waterproof 'cap' which you can screw into the inlet fitting after you plug in the extension cord

I used exactly that setup for many years on a small boat I kept moored at the house

Neat huh?

Don