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Why would you buy a 50 amp EMS for a 30 amp rig? There are plenty of 30 amp solutions out there. If you are trying to save for an eventual upgrade to a 50 amp rig, you are probably just asking for problems, IMHO.
The 50 amp will work ... no rewiring required, but you will need a plug in adapter to allow your 30 amp rig to plug into the 50 amp surge protector. IMO, this will expose your coach to more amperage than it can handle ... just don't do anything wild like actually trying to draw 50 amps. There are others who can explain this better than I can, but IMO not every cheap price is actually a good deal ... just sayin'.
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Ron and Janice
2016 Ford F350, King Ranch, DRW, 4x4, CC, 6.7 PS Diesel, remote control air lift system
2017 Durango Gold 381REF, Lambright furniture, MCD shades, morRYDE IS, 8K Disc brakes, GY G114 LR H Tires, 27,320 lbs CGVW
The 50 amp will work ... no rewiring required, but you will need a plug in adapter to allow your 30 amp rig to plug into the 50 amp surge protector. IMO, this will expose your coach to more amperage than it can handle ... just don't do anything wild like actually trying to draw 50 amps. There are others who can explain this better than I can, but IMO not every cheap price is actually a good deal ... just sayin'.
Ron, don't know how with the 50 amp you will " . . . expose your coach to more amperage than it can handle."
The EMS just measures current for the read out - It doesn't do anything about current, or over current. Only voltage and other bad things. The pedestal breaker and the main breaker in the rig are to current protection devices. If anything those 50 amp contacts, now handling a max of 15 per side, are going to be really over rated.
That said, will it work. Yea, IMO. Your just running the single 30 amp hot wire through two sides of a relay and monitoring system as opposed to one. Would I do it? Well, probably not. It's too important a device and I'd purchase the 30 amp version so I could have the monitoring in the coach. But it will "work."
All of this campground expert talk aside, I'd call PI and ask their opinion of the issues and the plan. It's a free call. One must know what they are doing for sure to wire it correctly in and out.
This is a hardwired unit. I thought it might be possible to wire it in a way it would work like a 50 amp with a 30 amp adapter to the pedestal.
Well yes, a kind of Frankenstein adapter could be made do do this electrically and with breaker protection at 30 amps in an external waterproof NEMA box. Buy one would need a 30 amp breaker protection at the PI if you were actually plugging into a 50 amp socket. Not a good idea. (Thought you were hard wiring in the rig and using a 30 amp pedestal outlet. I now see where Ron was going.)
The this unit is not externally waterproof. Not to be short, but while this could be done if you really knew how, it shouldn't be done. While the price is great it really would be better, especially for the protection of your trailer's equipment, to get the right kind of PI and do it the right way. Sometimes, just because something is possible doesn't mean it it the best idea, IMO. Short version, don't.
The 50 amp will work ... no rewiring required, but you will need a plug in adapter to allow your 30 amp rig to plug into the 50 amp surge protector. IMO, this will expose your coach to more amperage than it can handle ... just don't do anything wild like actually trying to draw 50 amps. There are others who can explain this better than I can, but IMO not every cheap price is actually a good deal ... just sayin'.
Ron, don't know how with the 50 amp you will " . . . expose your coach to more amperage than it can handle."
The EMS just measures current for the read out - It doesn't do anything about current, or over current. Only voltage and other bad things. The pedestal breaker and the main breaker in the rig are to current protection devices. If anything those 50 amp contacts, now handling a max of 15 per side, are going to be really over rated.
That said, will it work. Yea, IMO. Your just running the single 30 amp hot wire through two sides of a relay and monitoring system as opposed to one. Would I do it? Well, probably not. It's too important a device and I'd purchase the 30 amp version so I could have the monitoring in the coach. But it will "work."
All of this campground expert talk aside, I'd call PI and ask their opinion of the issues and the plan. It's a free call. One must know what they are doing for sure to wire it correctly in and out.
My opinion.
So here was my logic .... I assumed he would plug the PI unit into the 50 amp pedestal and use an adapter to plug in his rig to the PI. Each leg of the 50 amp plug allows for 50 amps, if the 30amp adapter just picked off one of those legs, it seemed to me that 50 amps would be available ( the cb on the pedestal would allow it and the PI would allow it, so the only thing keeping an overdraw from happening would be the coach’s panel.
You know more about this stuff than I do, so I yield to you on this.
-- Edited by RonC on Thursday 9th of November 2017 06:40:10 PM
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Ron and Janice
2016 Ford F350, King Ranch, DRW, 4x4, CC, 6.7 PS Diesel, remote control air lift system
2017 Durango Gold 381REF, Lambright furniture, MCD shades, morRYDE IS, 8K Disc brakes, GY G114 LR H Tires, 27,320 lbs CGVW
I appreciate all that responded. Thank you. Bill and Linda, you convinced me that of all the " hold my beer " ideas I've ever had this might not have been the best. Thanks again to all.
No problem ... you were smart enough to ask😜. Many just try it and bad things happen. Tires are also a big deal ... as is proper pressure, etc. Keep asking, you’ll get good counsel on this board!
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Ron and Janice
2016 Ford F350, King Ranch, DRW, 4x4, CC, 6.7 PS Diesel, remote control air lift system
2017 Durango Gold 381REF, Lambright furniture, MCD shades, morRYDE IS, 8K Disc brakes, GY G114 LR H Tires, 27,320 lbs CGVW
Thanks. I appreciate the advice of knowledgeable people here.
Your more than welcome. I'd really consider getting the HW30C with the in-coach readout. Especially with only 30 amps of service the readout of amps can really help manage power usage to avoid a tripped breaker. (No honey, we can't run the AC and the hair dryer at the same time on 30 amps while making coffee. {Grin} )
There is no better rig electrical protection device than the PI units. $229 on Amazon. Actually not a bad price. You may be able to do better price wise but there is no better unit regardless of price.
There would be "No Plug Adapters" required anyway. As he says it's a hardwired protector. Go ahead and hardwire it between your original cord and it will be fine.
There would be "No Plug Adapters" required anyway. As he says it's a hardwired protector. Go ahead and hardwire it between your original cord and it will be fine.
What you say is true, but the OP said "This is a hardwired unit. I thought it might be possible to wire it in a way it would work like a 50 amp with a 30 amp adapter to the pedestal."
Once the OP said "adapter" that opened up way too many possibilities for an issue if the OP misunderstood and thought this might be an acceptable outside unit as one possibility. That "adapter" could have been after a 50 amp pedestal breaker as RonC so indicated. If he were hard wiring it in the rig there would be no adapter, just an internal to the PI jumper wire. But yes, inside the coach, if wired properly such that both sides of the unit (i.e. L-1 and L-2) were used it would work. Only power input for sensing would actually be required - hence a jumper wire. But I usually key on words in questions that can indicate not everyone knows all the "Yea, but you have to do this" type of things and then can get them into trouble. Not everyone has the same background so best to be cautious.
30 amp protectors work just fine. No advantage to monkeying around with a 50 for a 30 amp rig.
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Winnebago TT 2101DS & 2020 Silverado LTZ Z71. 300 watts WindyNation solar w/MPPT, 2 Trojan T-125s. TALL flag pole. Prefer USFS, COE, BLM, USF&WS, NPS, TVA, state/county camps. 14 year Army vet-11B40 then 11A - old MOS 1542 & 1560.
