Hello rally attendees! We are less than two weeks from the start of the National Rally and we are so excited to see everyone. We’re going to have a great event this year!

Since many of the sites at the fairgrounds are 30 amp, and most Grand Design rigs are 50 amp (with multiple AC units!), I wanted to share some advice for power management at the fairgrounds. I am part of the team that helps solve any problems that pop up with fairgrounds utilities. It takes a monumental effort to provide power and water for 600 rigs, made more impressive when you consider the vast majority of these sites are temporary. I have been assisting with this for the last two rallies and I wanted to share some tips and tricks I have learned.

• Bring a 30 to 50 amp (dog bone) adapter. These are not available at the fairgrounds and you will need one.
• Due to the way the fairgrounds power boxes are wired, you will not be able to use a “cheater” adapter to connect to both a 30 amp and 15 amp plug to get more power. Those outlets are piggybacked and on the same circuit, so they are in phase and will not get you more power.
• It is possible to run two AC units on 30 amp service, but you will need to use care. The power draw of your AC will be well below that, but the startup current draws a lot and can cause issues. Here’s the trick: run both ACs on low, and stagger your starts. Start one AC on low, give it a few minutes, then start the second. Set the thermostat quite low so it will not cycle on and off. Once it is comfortable, you can turn one off and set the thermostat to where you want and let it cycle. While your rig is cooling down, minimize your power usage from other items: set your fridge and water heater to propane (if you have this option), and do not run your microwave or coffee maker with both AC units running.
• If you have been dry camping or running your DC fridge while driving, the first thing that comes on when you plug in is your converter to charge up your batteries. This will be using a bit of your 30A power as well. If you trip your pedestal breaker when you first hook up, try just running one AC for a bit while the converter catches up and then fire up the second AC.

We are the largest rally at the fairgrounds, which means no one stresses their systems like we do. I always hope for cool weather with the windows open, but we do get hot or rainy weather.

We do sometimes have power issues. If you find your row or pedestal loses power, notify your area host. They will know how to contact us and we will get it sorted out.

We don’t usually have problems with the water connections. Many sites have shared water with the site behind you, so please bring a hose wye if you have one. Again, if there is any kind of leak or issue with the water, notify your area host and they will let us know and we will get it sorted.
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