My Observation About RV Parks

[cmillsap]

Well, here’s another observation about RV Parks. Many RV Parks have insufficiently sized electrical power at the post. Yes, they have 50A/30A/20A service with a 50A plug that you can connect to but that doesn’t mean they are supplying you with good power. The last 4 parks we have visited have had serious problems supplying me with strong 120V power on both legs.
While we were at Wildhorse RV Resort in Pendleton, Oregon last week, there were 4 power failures in one day. One of the maintenance men told me it happens every day during the Summer months between 2 and 6 P.M. After the first failure, I began to watch my volt meters closely. One leg was down to 103V and the other leg was 112. I immediately switched to generator power and left the next morning.

The next park we stayed in at Oregon had issues also with one leg running 124V and the other running 112V.

At the park in Boise, ID where we are at presently, the Volt meters are showing 109 on one leg and 123V on the other leg.

All the RV Parks we’ve visited are full of 5th wheels and trailers with mostly only one and sometimes two A/C units connected to the 30A plug. Maybe what’s happening is that all the RVs in the park that are using the 30A plugs are pulling one leg’s voltage down.

Anyway, if you are in a RV Park, watch your voltmeters closely. Low voltage is hard on your appliances, especially your A/C units. Also, use a current surge protector with low voltage protection when you plug into RV Parks shore power.