Dear Dave,
Is there a meter to plug into the campground post that reads the amperage? We have the 30-amp plug cabinet that tells us the wiring is correct but not the flow. At one campsite we felt the flow was not 30 amps. —Brenda, 2024 Entegra Ethos van
Dear Brenda,
The campground source, or outlet, does not “push” or “flow” amps. Rather, it provides 120-volt power and your rig draws the amps as you turn appliances on.
Here is a typical campground pedestal with a 20-amp, 30-amp, and 50-amp outlet.
You can use a multi-meter to measure the voltage, which should be 120 volts +/- 5 volts on the following legs of the outlets.
The size of the wiring and the breaker determines the available amps to that outlet. You can measure the amp draw with a clamp-on meter such as this one from Amazon. However you would need to clamp the meter around the hot wire of the outlet which is typically not possible. Even then, without anything connected, it would have no amp draw.
An easier way to determine what amp draw your rig has is to use a surge protector that has an LED reading and shows what your rig is drawing as well as the voltage. You can get a Hughes Power Watchdog model like this one on Amazon.
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The Hughes Power Watchdog portable model has Bluetooth connectivity. The app that you can download and connect to the protector displays all the electrical parameters that are being monitored, including amps.
I have the Power Watchdog portable 50 amp model, vs. hard-wired model. This way, I can plug in and check the shore power for faults before I even connect the RVs cord. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you for your answer and explanation, Dave! Have a great day and safe travels!
Years ago, I installed the hardwired version of the Watchdog and the first thing I do when plugging in is to check the voltage via the phone app. There is comfort in knowing that if it is too low or too high, that the Watchdog won’t let it hit the camper. It’s surprising to find poor conditioned or incorrectly/inadequately wired pedestals even in newer parks.