If you want anything that will provide a consistent source of basic backup supply power after a storm, the finest models like 30 amps and 50 amps that are large enough to power your house could be beneficial.
In general, if you want to power your central air conditioner, a 50 amp generator is required. A 30 amp generator, on the other hand, uses nearly half the fuel as a 50 amp generator. When there is a power outage and fuel is limited, a smaller generator will run longer and use less fuel than a larger generator.
A 30 amp generator will suffice if you only need to power your refrigerator, a few small appliances, and a few lights. However, if you want to run your washing machine, dryer, refrigerator/freezer, air conditioner/heater, and water heater, you’ll need a generator with at least 200 amps.
They both have different plugs as well. A 30 amp plug contains three prongs: a 120-volt hot wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire. It’s typically seen on RVs with lesser load requirements.
A 50 amp plug contains four prongs that supply two distinct 50 amp, 120 volt feeds — two 120 volt hot wires, a neutral wire, and a ground wire. You can select one based on your requirements.
No matter where you are, 30 amps and 50 amps will give you hours of electric power. Let’s look at their comparison in more detail!
Difference between 30 amp and 50 amp hookups
A 30-amp shore power plug is standard on most modern RVs, while a 50-amp plug is standard on all large RVs. Even a single toaster oven or hairdryer would consume more than half of the power available from a 30-amp shore power outlet, as you can see.
A 50-amp pedestal outlet, on the other hand, can power a hairdryer, microwave oven, toaster oven, air conditioner, and a number of lights all at once and still have power left over. So, if you park your RV close to your house, you need to have an electrician install a proper pedestal outlet.
That way, you can keep your RV running even if it’s parked in your driveway. You may not be able to run the air conditioner in your RV if you simply plug it into your house using a dog-bone converter to connect to a 30-amp outlet in your garage.
Difference between 30 amp and 50 amp Generator
Following are the key differences between 30 amp and 50 amp generators:
- The design of plugs on RVs with 30 amp service and 50 amp services differs.
- A 30 amp plug contains three prongs: a 120-volt hot wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire. It’s typically seen on RVs with lesser load requirements.
- A 50 amp plug contains four prongs that supply two distinct 50 amp, 120 volt feeds — two 120 volt hot wires, a neutral wire, and a ground wire.
- A 50 amp service RV may deliver up to 12,000 watts.
- Even with an adapter, the maximum power available to your 30 amp service RV is 3,600 watts.
- If you utilize a 50 amp RV adaptor, though, you’ll be limited to 3,600 watts.
30 Amp Generators
A 30 amp generator can supply much-needed power with little noise, whether you’re camping, tailgating, traveling about in your RV, or considering backup power for your home.
The optimum sort of generator for you will be determined by your power requirements. If you’re looking for a generator for camping or tailgating, a smaller model would be a better choice.
A 30 amp generator is a vital element of the RV experience, even if your tastes tend toward the rustic. Camping isn’t much fun if you can’t brew a decent cup of coffee, let alone keep the AC or heater functioning when you need it. A portable 30 amp generator might literally save your life when you’re without access to electricity.
50 Amp Generators
Portable generators with 50 amps are commonly used as RV generators, camping generators, in emergencies, on construction sites, and in other applications. They are typically powered by gas or a combination of gas and propane (dual-fuel variants), with some bigger industrial/commercial types using diesel engines.
In addition to having an incredible amount of power, a 50 Amr generator unit can offer you 8 to 12 hours of backup power while operating heavy appliances. As a result, even if you require a lot of electricity, a power outage or a large-scale outage will not render you powerless. Read more about 50 Amp Generators.
30 Amp Or 50 Amp Transfer Switch
For the back feed breaker method to operate, your panel must have at least two unused breaker slots. You’ll need a circuit breaker that matches the amperage of your generator and the brand of your service panel. A 30-amp breaker is commonly used for generators up to 8,000 watts, whereas a 50-amp breaker is frequently used for generators between 8,500 and 15,000 watts.
Because a back feed breaker sends power to every circuit wired in the main panel, and portable generators can’t provide enough power to run everything in your home at once during an emergency, you must limit the load on the generator. Turning off breakers that aren’t in use is a straightforward way to accomplish this.
An easy approach to do this is to turn off breakers that control non-essential appliances and circuits and turn on circuits that you might need at any given time. If you’ve been using an electric heating system for the bulk of the day, you’ll almost certainly need to turn it off when you need to turn on the range circuit to cook supper. If a generator is overloaded, it may be permanently damaged.
Install a weatherproof inlet receptacle ($50 to $80) in the home wall within 30 feet of the main service panel, and link the generator to the breaker with the cable running from the inlet to the breaker. You’ll also need a 4-wire generator cable to connect the generator to the intake receptacle.
How Many Amps Does a Generator Produce?
Companies typically rate generator output in Watts (W) or KiloWatts (KW) (kW). Watts = Volts X Amps is the widely accepted formula.
When you multiply 120 volts by 30 amps, you get 3600 watts as a maximum. As a result, the total wattage of all items plugged into the 30 amp RV generator cannot exceed 3600.
A 50-amp hookup will have two separate hotlines, each with 50 amps, for a total of 100 amps. Each of the hotlines is 120 volts. Because each wire may draw 50 Amps at 120 Volts, a 50 Amp generator can produce 1,200 watts in total. 6,000 watts = (50 amps) X (120 volts).
30 Amp VS 50 Amp Generators – FAQs
To Sum Up
When the need for as much power as the generator can provide arises, generators with 50 amp and 30 amp outlets are always a good choice. These generators are reliable workhorses for high-power demanding applications on job sites, farms, and ranches, as well as huge RVs and buses, and can be used at home.
