Socket adapter

[MasonicVet]

Has anyone ever used on of those electrical socket adapters? I found one at Lowes that you can plug in to a 15 amp outlet and then you can plug in the RV 30 amp plug to it and power the camper.

Are they any good? Worth the money to buy one? Should I expect everything to work? Or, everything to burn out? Any experience with these out there?

[Marcm157]

I used one before I installed my dedicated 30 amp outlet. You are limited as to what you can run in the rig. I used it just to keep my battery topped off while parked at home.

[MasonicVet]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

I used it just to keep my battery topped off while parked at home.

So, my battery will charge while the rig is plugged in to electricity?

[norty1]

Yes they will do in a pinch.

Just remember if you are powering your 30a camper with a 15 a breaker, it will trip when you exceed 15a of current draw so conserve. I would only use that to run a few lights and maybe the fridge, or to keep the converter charging the battery..

Adapters are available to adapt just about any type of ac source to your 30a camper. It is your responsibility to know which one and how much current you have available.

Search google for: Dog bone adapters. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55165-P.../dp/B000BUU5YA

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by MasonicVet

So, my battery will charge while the rig is plugged in to electricity?

Yes, I've used those adapter plugs.
I used to have the small cheesy one I got when we bought the trailer.
For Christmas I got the dogbone adapter that was referenced above. It works well. We keep our travel trailer plugged in all the time when at home. It should allow you to run stuff, but you won't be able to run a bunch of power hungry equipment at the same time. When at a campsite, always use the 30 amp outlet if it is available, then you can run most things...but probably not run two space heaters at the same time on the high setting.

And yes, your battery will charge while the rig is plugged in to electricity. I would assume that you have a smart charger in your trailer, if it was manufactured within the past 5 years or so. It will charge up a low battery and then automatically shift to a maintenance/trickle charge so as not to overcharge or boil off your battery water. It is a good idea to check the water level in your battery every month or so just to be safe.

[MasonicVet]

Originally Posted by dewey02

And yes, your battery will charge while the rig is plugged in to electricity. I would assume that you have a smart charger in your trailer, if it was manufactured within the past 5 years or so. It will charge up a low battery and then automatically shift to a maintenance/trickle charge so as not to overcharge or boil off your battery water. It is a good idea to check the water level in your battery every month or so just to be safe.

Not sure what type of charger I have. The rig is a 2003 Jayco Kiwi HTT. I read the manual but it never mentioned a battery charger.

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by MasonicVet

Not sure what type of charger I have. The rig is a 2003 Jayco Kiwi HTT. I read the manual but it never mentioned a battery charger.

Here's the brochure for your 2003 Jayco Kiwi. It says you have a 30 amp converter.

http://www.jayco.com/files/downloads...20Trailers.pdf

And here is the owner's manual for your 2003 Kiwi. Check out page 47 for info on your converter, and the manual says it will charge your battery when plugged into shore power.
http://www.jayco.com/files/downloads...lename_120.pdf

Not sure exactly which model you have, but I think they are all listed. You likely have a 30 amp electronic converter which should be charging your batteries, but being a 2003, it is not likely to be a "smart" model, so you should keep track of your battery water and perhaps not leave it plugged in all the time when you are not using it.

[MasonicVet]

Excellent. Thank you for the info.

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by MasonicVet

Has anyone ever used on of those electrical socket adapters? I found one at Lowes that you can plug in to a 15 amp outlet and then you can plug in the RV 30 amp plug to it and power the camper.

Are they any good? Worth the money to buy one? Should I expect everything to work? Or, everything to burn out? Any experience with these out there?

Just don't try to use the A/C Everything else in the RV will work..

[Jagiven]

We use one all the time. You cannot pull a lot of power through them as they heat up, and can melt.

Our htt, is plugged in at home all the time using a cheap plug adapter. Not enough power for the AC, or microwave, but the frig, lights and charger work great.

[MasonicVet]

Thanks everyone. I used it today and everything worked fine with no damage. I didn't run the A/C though.