Community Forums

andipandi · 09-04-2016, 05:18 PM

I know I am going to sound stupid asking this to all you seasoned rvers but I bought a old farm and am going to put a fleetwood motorhome on it to live until I can pay off property and build a house. My question is what do I need to hook up electric to motorhome, I am sure it cannot be plugged into a 110 plug what do I need to do

vsheetz · 09-04-2016, 05:37 PM

First question. Do you need 30a or 50a connection? It can be plugged into 110v circuit but the capacity is of course limited.

jbrv · 09-04-2016, 05:40 PM

I am in a fleetwood in my daughters driveway plugged into a 110 outlet right now.

I am running one ac, the fridge, and a tv watching nascar.
Your results may vary. I have invested in a hybrid inverter/converter that allows me to run a bit more ac stuff than most normally can on a standard 110.

I would think a 30 amp outlet will do what you need.
google a bit to learn what 30 am and 50 amp are and you might need....
Electrical Tutorial - Chapter 3 - 30 Amp versus 50 Amp

wingnut60 · 09-04-2016, 06:45 PM

After learning whether you have 50amp or 30amp service as mentioned in the link above, you can utilize an adapter to get from whatever you have on/in the MH to 110volt source house current. 110volt will probably run most of what the MH has, but basically only the low-amp draw items one at a time. Any 110volt extension cord, if needed, should be 10gauge and as short as possible. You will most likely not be able to run the AC at all, but maybe...
If you use a regular household wall plug, it most likely has a 15amp circuit breaker on it, so if you try to use more than 15amps, it will trip the breaker. 15amps = about 15-1600 watts to run any appliances.
Be careful.
Joe

Melmoses · 09-04-2016, 06:47 PM

Find your motorhome first. If it requires 50 amp, put that in. If it's a 30 amp mh put that in. If you put power in that is less than what the coach supports, you would regret it. To live in one you want to be able to use what it has without worrying about limiting what you can run. I want to be able run my ac's while I am cooking during the hot of the summer season. I don't want to try to remember to cut off a couple of ac's to wash and dry clothes. It's my home and I want things to be normal.

twinboat · 09-04-2016, 07:02 PM

I just bought a fixer upper on a river.

I used the outside 15 amp, standard outlet for 2 days, until it tripped the breaker.

Next I plugged into a kitchen, 20 amp outlet that was fine, as long as I didn't run the AC and microwave together.

Used that for 2 weeks, until I got my 30 amp outlet wired in.

I have a 12 gauge 25 ft extension cord that I used. I also use it at my brothers place with a 20 amp outlet.

It took 2 months but we're in the house now.

TLGPE · 09-05-2016, 08:06 PM

I would recommend getting a 240VAC (4-wire dryer/range) outlet installed. This will properly power any motorhome or fifth wheel trailer you can get.

It may be more than your present coach needs, but needs change, and standard RV adapters will allow you to use any coach now or in the future.

It also gives you plenty of power for your construction site.

JMO

Tom

montyhp · 09-06-2016, 08:10 PM

If you have 50 Amp, make sure you put in RV 50 amp. Just any 50 amp service won't do. It is actually two 120v legs with neutral and ground. The 120v legs are out of phase so combine to 240 volt.

http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/50-amp%20Service.pdf

twinboat · 09-06-2016, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montyhp

If you have 50 Amp, make sure you put in RV 50 amp. Just any 50 amp service won't do. It is actually two 120v legs with neutral and ground. The 120v legs are out of phase so combine to 240 volt.

http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/50-amp%20Service.pdf

There is no special RV 50 amp service.

The 50 amp service, RVs, welders, ranges, air compressors and dryers use, is 120/240 volt 50 amp service.

http://www.rvtechmag.com/electrical/chapter3.php

RV Vagabond · 09-06-2016, 10:13 PM

A 110 15 amp will keep the refrigerator and all 110 appliances/TV's going. A 20 amp might run an A/C with the refrigerator battery powered. I would suggest putting up at least 400 watts of solar and that will keep everything running 24 hours a day (except A/C, which you will need a generator for) and it's free electricity. 30/50 amp is an expensive luxury, but I would do it if possible.

bluepill · 09-06-2016, 10:29 PM

If you end up installing a "RV-30AMP" service MAKE SURE THAT THE ELECTRICIAN KNOWS THAT IT IS 120 VOLT ONLY - NOT 240 VOLT.

Many reports of improper installations that have fried the RV electrical system because most electricians are not familiar with RV wiring.

TwinBoat's link above is excellent for this.