RV shore power and converter questions, answered

A 30 amp hookup is one 120 V line: 30 A x 120 V = 3,600 W. A 50 amp hookup has two separate 120 V legs of 50 A each, 100 A in total, or about 12,000 W. If you plug a 30 amp RV into a 50 amp pedestal with an adapter, you still only get 30 A.

Yes, with an adapter, but you only get what that outlet can supply. A Camco 15 amp to 30 amp dogbone adapter is rated for 125 V and 1,875 W, about half of the 3,600 W a 30 amp pedestal offers. Run light loads such as lights and the battery charger, and leave the big loads off.

Only through a purpose-made adapter, and only if you know how the outlet is wired. A 4-wire 14-30 dryer outlet has two 120 V legs, a neutral and a ground, and the right dogbone adapter feeds your 30 amp RV from just one leg. A 30 amp RV needs 120 V; Mike Sokol warns that 240 V on its plug can do thousands of dollars of damage in seconds. Have an electrician check the outlet first.

With a smart converter, yes. Progressive Dynamics built its Charge Wizard's 13.2 V storage mode so you can leave an RV on 120 V power in storage, and its lithium converters drop to an idle 13.6 V and top the battery off every three weeks. Check your converter's label or manual to see whether it has a storage or idle mode.

They work in opposite directions. A converter runs off 120 V shore power to supply the RV's 12 V circuits and charge the battery; an inverter turns 12 V battery power into 120 V AC for your outlets. An inverter-charger does both jobs in one box.

Progressive Dynamics lists three causes for its converters: a battery bank too big for the charger to fill in its charge window of up to 8 hours, RV loads using up the charging current, and solar or alternator voltage making the converter think the battery is already full. If none of those fits, have the converter and its fuses checked.

Only if it has a lithium profile. Progressive Dynamics' lithium converters charge at 14.4 V, the voltage Redodo specifies for its 12 V batteries, while its lead-acid Charge Wizard sits at 13.6 V in normal mode. Check the converter's model and manual before you switch to lithium.