T&T: 30A/50A Y Adapters

[Peter Bennett]

Sunday, July 9, 2006, 7:58:08 PM, ron wrote:

rb> SNIP: "In effect, via the splitter, both 30A lines are now plugged into a
rb> single 50A circuit meaning either 30A line may draw up to its  
rb> capacity (30A), but TOGETHER they may not draw more than 50A."

rb> My shore breaker board has two legs. 
rb> It seems to me that the TOTAL draw at any time should max out at 50A were I to
rb> use my 50A connection to a 50A shore outlet - or do I get 50A on each leg - I
rb> don't think so. A 30A single connection gives me 30A total no? So how do I get
rb> 60A as someone suggested? That would be more than the 50A connection. The other
rb> issue is that the two 30"s have to have the opposite legs of the 125 feed?

I see some confusion here, caused by the use of 120 and 240 volts.

The 50 amp/240V outlet you would normally plug into can  be viewed as supplying 50 amp at 240 V, or 2 x 50 amp at 120 V (which some people seem to want to call a 100 amp service).  Ashore, this would be called a 50 amp service (most houses probably have a 100 or 200 amp, 240 volt service)

When we put a Y-cord adapator on the shore end of the 50 amp 240V power cord, we can plug the two legs of the Y into two separate 30 amp 120 volt outlets - this should (unless we hit two outlets on the same phase) give us 30 amps at 240 V (a 30 amp/240V service).


-- 
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI    Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lien Hwa 28 (AKA Polaris 30) "Sea Spray"
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter 
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca