Converting to 30 Amp

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Wizard

Be sure to make that 10-2 with ground.

Your dogbone connector will take care of the phasing as you won't have 220 volt anyway, same 30 amp leg will feed both 50 amp circuits with a max 30 amp on all circuits.

Really no phasing involved since you're only connected to one leg of the 50 amp circuit.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Paul R. Haller

Man, If I were going to all the trouble of putting in new breakers, wiring, conduit, etc, I would certainly put in a 50 amp 2 phase instead of a 30 amp single phase. It's the same amount of work and you get 3 times the power. Even if you never use it with your current RV, if you ever upgrade to a 50 amp coach, the power is there. Just pull 6/3 with a ground and a different plug and breaker... all the other stuff is the same as long as you have space in your main panel. It's just the added cost of the larger wire and you'll have more then enough amps to run anything you need. I'm just saying that for all the labor involved, go BIG! There is no substitute for more power except to do it over.
-Paul R. Haller-

I put in 30 amp circuit back in 1988 when we had a 17' Type B MH, since then we've had three 50 amp MH's. I've never felt the need to put in a 50 amp circuit. In fact I'm going to redo the circuit in the next few weeks as the 25+ year old fence posts are rotting off. I'm not going to put in a 50 amp circuit even now. The shore power box is too far forward for the 41' Type A we now have it was just fine for the older, smaller ones we had.

[Rvgirl2669]

Use 10/2 with ground .

[Rvgirl2669]

Originally Posted by Rvgirl2669

Use 10/2 with ground .

I would also recommend to go to 50 amp service and just adapt down to 30 in case you upgrade coaches

[Ramblin]

Originally Posted by Rvgirl2669

I would also recommend to go to 50 amp service and just adapt down to 30 in case you upgrade coaches

Ditto.... Also useful if you ever want to plug in a welder (with the proper adapter, that is).

[Paul R. Haller]

I dont know about the rest of you but I always need 220 power. What about that Powermatic table saw or the Inca jointer planer, Band saw and shaper and finally that Millermatic wire feed welder?!? With 50 amp connector in the garage I just unplug the coach and plug in the table saw to make a new walnut cabinet for the wife. We all know how nice it is to have a happy wife. You just might find marital bliss and power hungry heaven with a 50 amp dual phase circuit.
-Paul R. Haller-

[Parkerco]

Might want to check with an electrician but I believe the wiring for a welder is different than the wiring for a std 30 amp circuit. Has to do with the ground wires.

[Paul R. Haller]

Actually, the difference is with the neutral wire. In a 220 appliance like a wire feed welder or table saw that uses no 110 there is no neutral connection. You just have both phases of hot and a ground. In a stove or dryer that uses 110 to run the clocks and timers as well as large heating elements that use 220, there also has to be a neutral to provide 110 from one of the hot legs.
if you have all four wires at the 50 amp outlet and there is an automatic overload protection on the motor of that appliance plugged into it; it is permissible to use an appliance that only draws say 15 amps 220 on a 50 amp circuit and it is also permissible to daisy chain a 220 circuit for muliple outlets on a 50 amp circuit as long as no one appliance on the circuit draws more amperage then 1/2 the circuit ampacity. In the case of 1 50 amp circuit that is about 25 amps. Remember too, that when running 220 instead of 110 you use 1/2 the amps for the same motor on 110. So, a 5 horse motor on 220 draws say 17 amps. With the same motor running on 110, it will draw 34 amps. That's the advantage of 220 over 110 and why 3 phase power is available in commercial applications where air handlers, elevators, and AC systems use very large, power hungry motors.

While a 50 amp RV circuit has both the hot legs available, a neutral and a ground, I have yet to see a RV that actually uses 220. All the RVs I have seen use only the 100 amps of 110 available. That's not to say it coudn't use 220, and I'm sure in the future 220 will be standard fair in RVs, to date 220 is not used.
-Paul R. Haller-

[bluepill]

Originally Posted by Paul R. Haller

All the RVs I have seen use only the 100 amps of 110 available. That's not to say it coudn't use 220, and I'm sure in the future 220 will be standard fair in RVs, to date 220 is not used.
-Paul R. Haller-

I think the reason that RV builders stay away from 240 VAC appliances is that they can never be run on anything less than a 50 AMP service. If a CG only has 30 AMP available, then you would be out of luck.

It would also require a different generator setup than is currently used.

[Peterd503]

One point, make sure you calculate the wire length there and back to calculate voltage drop. Eg, a 60' pull length will be 120' for calculations.

Peter D
2000 Bounder 32W F53