Are Campers Supposed To Use 120Volt or 240Volt Connections?

Published 12/31/2021

Question:

I have been told that 50 amp campers are 120 v power, but the cords and plugs look to be 240 v to me. Am I correct?

asked by: Bob B

Expert Reply:

Campers with either 30-amp or 50-amp connections are all going to be 120 volt. The connectors they use can be wired for either 120 volt power or 240 volt power which is why you see several people damage their campers as they try and plug into an outlet in their home that was designed for either a dryer or welder that uses 240 volt power.

It gets really confusing with 50-amp campers as they use 2 separate hot plugs with 120 volt power and then they combine the neutral wires which is why they must label the connector as 240 volt, but it only connects to 120 volt power.

I recommend always using either a 50Amp # HU57FR or 30Amp # HU24FR Hughes Autoformers Voltage Booster with Surge Protection. These are superior to a standard surge protector that will only protect against power surges. This has a voltage booster that will help protect sensitive electronics as it will boost voltage to 120 volts if it drops. Once power drops to 90 volts it shuts down power until it gets back to safe levels. This is very handy at your more primitive camp grounds where wiring may be questionable or large crowds cause power drops.

expert reply by: Bud M