Are 50 amps 220 volt?

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

There is a standard for 50 amp RV service. It consists of two 50 amp 120 lines, out of phase to provide 50 amp 240v service. 50 amps at 120v (single leg service) won't provide enough power for a 50 amp coach.

50 amp RV service has 12,000 watts. 2 X 120 X 50 = 12,000
50 amp single leg service will give you half that or 6,000 watts. 120 X 50 = 6,000.
However I have yet to see anywhere wired as a single 50 amp 120 volt service although we did stay at one that advertised 50 amp service, but they had a 30 amp breaker on one leg and a 20 amp on the other for 6,000 watts available.

[Scatterbrain]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

50 amp RV service has 12,000 watts. 2 X 120 X 50 = 12,000
50 amp single leg service will give you half that or 6,000 watts. 120 X 50 = 6,000.
However I have yet to see anywhere wired as a single 50 amp 120 volt service although we did stay at one that advertised 50 amp service, but they had a 30 amp breaker on one leg and a 20 amp on the other for 6,000 watts available.

That was my point. It's called "50 amp", which makes people think of the normal 120v household service, but it's actually two separate lines. I remember reading (it may have been here) of an RV park where the owner had wired up the 50 amp hook ups as single pole, 120v 50 amp; which just tripped the breaker constantly. I've also heard reports of the 20/30 split as well. I'd be pretty miffed if I reserved a 50amp space and there was a 30/20 split. At that point I'd be better off on the generator.

[Arch Hoagland]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-100-Am...32SS/203393689

This is what I used at my house. It is completely wired internally and all you have to do is run four wires from your main house breaker box.

Ground.

Neutral

Line 1

Line 2

[Grey Ghost I]

I have a 50 amp coach, but I installed a 30 amp receptacle as it is all I need at home and is cheaper for my longer wire run. Suggest you consider same.

[Crasher]

Originally Posted by leshchat

I'm trying to set up an electric pole for my monaco with a 50 amp service...is that 220 or 110?

Be sure to get it right the first time. If wired wrong, you can take out a $120 VCR and a $3000 invertor plus anything else that might be on when the power is applied. Don't ask how I know this, as I am trying to forget it.

I guess on the bright side, I ended up with a true sine invertor when done.

[gemini5362]

Nobody has asked the most important question. Do you have an EMS monitor either to plug your coach cable into or hard wired into your coach. If the answer is yes at least you will not burn anything up provided you let it do its job and not disable it.

[HD4Mark]

Originally Posted by Grey Ghost I

I have a 50 amp coach, but I installed a 30 amp receptacle as it is all I need at home and is cheaper for my longer wire run. Suggest you consider same.

Not for that reason we only have a 30 amp plug at home. I originally installed it for our first coach that only required 30. We have found that for being parked most of the time the only thing running is the inverter/charger. On the rare occasions someone is actually staying in the RV at the house we have never had enough things running to require 50.

If I understand how our MH is wired after replacing the auto transfer switch and actually looking at how the wire is distributed. It looks to me like the two hot leads are simply wired to different circuits. So it would make sense that when a 30 amp adapter is used it feeds the single 30 to both of the hot leads inside the coach. Correct?

So with this in mind, my thinking is that even though you may have 220 across the leads, obviously there are no devices that run on 220 or could even be connected inside as. It is just two 120 connections.

[gemini5362]

Originally Posted by leshchat

I'm trying to set up an electric pole for my monaco with a 50 amp service...is that 220 or 110?

It has to be 240. The other posters are correct when they say it is 110volts line to line. The reason you cannot just hook up both sides of the same leg to the two hot sides of the plug is the neutral wire. RV plugs are typically #6 AWG which is good for around 60 amps. The neutral wire carries current for both hot legs. If the legs are out of phase then the current in the neutral is the difference between the two hot legs. For example. If line 1 has 40 amps and line 2 has 30 amps of current flowing through them the neutral has 10 amps. If you use the same leg from your breaker box and tie both of the RV power cord hot legs to that then the current through the neutral would add. Using the same numbers if Line 1 has 40 amps and line 2 has 30 amps then the neutral would have 70 amps going through it and that would exceed the current rating of the neutral wire. Since the neutral is not fused running excessive current through it would be an extreme fire hazard.

[HHIDan]

Originally Posted by HD4Mark

If I understand how our MH is wired after replacing the auto transfer switch and actually looking at how the wire is distributed. It looks to me like the two hot leads are simply wired to different circuits. So it would make sense that when a 30 amp adapter is used it feeds the single 30 to both of the hot leads inside the coach. Correct?

Yes Correct. This is done in the 30 (shore side) to 50 (RV side) adapter. The 120 volt feed is connected to both L1 an L2 on the 50 amp side. If the coach tries to draw more than 30 amps total, the breaker on the shore power side would/should trip.

[Iwillbeit]

It's not two "hots" and a common that make up a RV 50 amp plug. It's two "opposite phase" 120 lines. AC current means alternating current and the positive and negative sides alternate 60 times a second. The two lines are on opposite alternating cycles, meaning when one hot line is negative while the other is positive each cycle. If you hook a volt meter to two opposite phase lines.. You get 220/240 volts and that the proper wiring method. If you hook up 2 110/120 lines on the same phase you will still get power in your coach but problems will occur with sensitive electronics and heavy power use. Hook a meter to hot side of two wires on the same phase you will get no reading at all. However you will still get 110/120 on each side when you hook to the common or wire. Like I said it will work, but is makes both sides pull through the common wire causing the common to carry 100 amps. A lot of time that will burn up the common and or ground wire in the cord. You should always check the RV plugs in parks with a volt meter to insure they read 220/240 indicating they are wired right. Hope this helps


Randy W

[Iwillbeit]

Originally Posted by gemini5362

It has to be 240. The other posters are correct when they say it is 110volts line to line. The reason you cannot just hook up both sides of the same leg to the two hot sides of the plug is the neutral wire. RV plugs are typically #6 AWG which is good for around 60 amps. The neutral wire carries current for both hot legs. If the legs are out of phase then the current in the neutral is the difference between the two hot legs. For example. If line 1 has 40 amps and line 2 has 30 amps of current flowing through them the neutral has 10 amps. If you use the same leg from your breaker box and tie both of the RV power cord hot legs to that then the current through the neutral would add. Using the same numbers if Line 1 has 40 amps and line 2 has 30 amps then the neutral would have 70 amps going through it and that would exceed the current rating of the neutral wire. Since the neutral is not fused running excessive current through it would be an extreme fire hazard.

I did not see Gemini's post before writing mine above.... Gemini is spot on here!


Randy W

[AlanTerry]

OK, Question for me is a lot of campgrounds have 50 amp service but my coach is 30 amp. I have one of the 50 amp plugs to 30 amp plug converter they sell at CW that is about a foot in length. Am I going to burn up my coach using this? Or is this OK and will not cause problems?


Thanks,
Alan & Terry

[Iwillbeit]

Originally Posted by AlanTerry

OK, Question for me is a lot of campgrounds have 50 amp service but my coach is 30 amp. I have one of the 50 amp plugs to 30 amp plug converter they sell at CW that is about a foot in length. Am I going to burn up my coach using this? Or is this OK and will not cause problems?


Thanks,
Alan & Terry

Nope you will be fine... The 30 amp only uses one phase or one 110/120 line. Even with the adaptor plug ... It's only the 50 amps that use two.


Randy W

[andy29847]

Youse guys are very confusing.

The label "50 amp service" refers to the breaker.

50 amps is the recommended level of protection for most big RVs.

How many amps your RV uses depends on what you have turned on. Generally, one AC + lights and other equipment required 30 amps.

The 2nd Ac is when most RVs start needing 50 amps.

Your electrical power supplier will normally give you 120 volts on 2 legs (phases) of power out of the transformer. How many amps you can get is determined by the size of the wire to your home, the size of the breaker/disconnect used, and the actual load generated by the electrical devices you use.

The voltage you measure at any receptacle can vary according to the actual load on the power system (both on the grid and in your home). A normal dryer receptacle would measure somewhere between 220 - 240. A normal receptacle in the wall would measure between 110 - 120 (again, depending on the load of the system).

The 50 amp service is wired using 2 120 volt legs. Yes, if you add them together, you get 240 volts. Most RVs do not have any 220/240 equipment, so adding them together doesn't mean much.

To install a 50 amp RV receptacle, you need 2 hot wires, one from each power phase, a neutral wire, and a bond wire. The size of the wire is dependent upon the length needed to get from your power panel to the new RV receptacle.

Here is a webpage that says it plain and simple:

The 50-amp 120/240-volt 3 pole 4

Like others have said, electrical work is not a thing to learn by trial and error.