50 Amp Service Install

[Kxbronco]

I'm planning on wiring up a 50 amp service in my existing garage and am looking for input and/or confirmation of my plans. First off, my electrician buddy says I have sufficient power to the garage and my MH is a 2005 Allegro Bay 34XB.

My breaker box is located next to my 18' garage door. My plan is to mount the plug just below my breaker box using #6 wire. Then I will use basically a 4 or 5' extension cord made of #6 flatwire to run under the garage door so it will seal properly with the gasket on the bottom of the door. I will then plug the MH into the extension. Does this sound like a proper, safe way to do this? I will make sure the connection is water tight.

I would mount the plug to the outside of the garage, but I would have to put a hole though concrete block and brick to do so. This will not be my primary storage location for the MH. It will be used for loading and unloading before and after trips. I also have water and sewer access here as well.

Thanks in advance

[FleetMan]

FWIW, my thoughts are to have your electrician buddy do it properly and do it to code with a 50 amp receptacle inside your garage. Running the wire, to code, through the wall should not present an insurmountable problem.

[tmw188]

I just put one on the outside of my garage ran it up from basement into the garage then out the wall to a 50a RV receptacle hid it behind a small bush. Not sure what you mean by a 5' flat wire? Is this something you are making up yourself? Your lucky your panel is in the garage that makes it easy. If you do drill the hole, drill it from the outside in, as not to blow the brick out going from the inside out.


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[nothermark]

Have you tried closing the garage door on your standard cord? That might work.

Just something to consider - Four #6 will go in a 3/4 conduit. That should be a size that is commonly used thus a drill & bit should not be hard to come by.

[tmw188]

That door will not seal over any round chord of that size.


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[JohnRR]

In my opinion no garage door is going to close and seal at the bottom with a standard 50 amp round pcable, I'm not familiar with any 5 flat cable.

I'd opt for an exterior power point.

[vsheetz]

Making that hole is not a big deal or hard to do. It will take less time and less material to make the hole than making up the flat cable. Make the hole and do it right, IMHO.

[UFO Pilot]

I started with my receptacle inside the garage and finally drilled thru the wall and mounted it outside. If you know what you are doing, you can adjust the door travel to leave clearance at the bottom for the cord. The problem is leaving a gap for "critters" (mice?) to enter the garage.

[Kxbronco]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess the consensus is to drill through the wall and do it the "right" way which I agree is the "right" way to do it. As for what I meant by "flat wire", the link below shows an example of it

Shop 6-3 UF Wire (By-the-Foot) at Lowes.com

Thanks again for all the input.

[Big Dude]

I ran the #6 wire thru the wall to an outlet mounted on the outside. Then I made an extension cord from 95' of #6, 3-wire with ground (available at building supply stores) with a Camco plug and receptacle from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Camco-55353-Fe...ilpage_o01_s00). It's working great for us.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by Kxbronco

Thanks for all the replies. I guess the consensus is to drill through the wall and do it the "right" way which I agree is the "right" way to do it.

I agree with the consensus. Drilling a hole this size is not a big deal. If you don't have the tools to drill the hole you can rent them or hire someone to do it for not much money. You will be glad you did it when the receptacle is mounted on your exterior wall with no cords to take in and out or have lying on the ground.

[Scottybdivin]

The 6-3 UF would work, but I agree with everyone else. Drill and mount on the outside. It's a simple procedure for any electrician.

[Pigman1]

Your UF cable will work just fine. The cover on the UF cable is a lot thicker and tougher than the typical indoor cable, so it should stand up well to the occasional scuffing it takes on the concrete. I definitely would not use indoor rated cable.

If I were doing it I'd go for the indoor plug. It's only going to be used for occasional use. If you go for an outdoor installation you're also going to have to put it into some sort of weather tight box to protect it from the elements and sun.

[MRUSA14]

I used this box on the outside of my garage. It works great.