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Old 09-06-2017, 05:33 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by rssnape View Post
...I guess I should swap one pair of hots to lessen the possibility of all the load being on one leg...Attachment 175716
If you do and they 're all wired the same then you have an unbalanced load. Not much you can do unless you supply the 30 to 50 adapters.
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Old 09-08-2017, 04:35 AM   #16
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I have 3- 50 amp RV plugs and 1- 30 amp RV plug.
The double pole breakers are 2 on one side and 1 on the other side of the panel.
In a household electrical distribution box, when you use a double circuit breaker the result is a 240V supply or two 120V hot leads of opposite polarity. You c4an use that to supply a 50a plug just fine as it has 4 pins, L1, L2, neutral, & ground. But a 30a RV plug has only 3 pins and if you use L1, L2, and neutral, there will be no ground and the RV plugged into it will be subjected to 240V and you will do major damage to that RV. Since all 50A RV outlets are technically 240V and get power from both bus bars, it does not matter which side of the box they are on, they all still draw from both busses. All 50a RV outlets are connected to both L1 & L2.

A proper 30a RV outlet has only 3 pins and they are one hot, one neutral and one ground and it is supplied by one single, 30a circuit breaker. If you connect it by using a double breaker you will apply 240V to the 30 a RV. If you wire it properly, then it will have one single circuit breaker of 30a for each outlet and if they are located one above the other they will be on different buses. If you put them directly across from each other at the same level, they will usually be on the same bus but I'd have to look at the interior design of the box to know that for certain.

As stated previously, you need qualified help.
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Old 09-08-2017, 07:27 AM   #17
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No where did he say he wired the 30 amp to a double breaker. Sounds like the op knows more about electricity the most of the "experts" that have tried to "help" him
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Old 09-08-2017, 08:02 AM   #18
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Wire a both 50a and 30a to same double breaker. Then users are not using adapters. You have control of which leg each 30a is connected. Thus requires adding 30a connectors and ensuring they are used as an exclusive or pair. Like each is a pedistal in a CG, only collocated.
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Old 09-11-2017, 10:03 AM   #19
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Power panel should already be split into 2 busses

Every other CB slot is on same buss
SO 1,3,5 etc would be hot from one buss and 2,4,6 etc would be hot from other buss

But as posted above......
You have a 30A breaker feeding a 50A RV Plug?
30A is 1 Hot, 1 Neutral, 1 Ground
50A is 2 Hots, 1 Neutral, 1 Ground


You are feeding subpanel from main panel with 2 hots........correct?


Yes, and if you wire the two pole breakers identically then rotate it to the other side the loads end up on the same busses. If I swap the loads for one breaker it should reduce the possibility of everyone ending up on the same buss. My coach uses a 50 amp 4 prong plug so, I reduce the possibility even more.

Thank you for your help.
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Old 09-11-2017, 12:01 PM   #20
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Neutral and ground are, in a sense the same, as they both are connected to ground.
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Old 09-11-2017, 10:21 PM   #21
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Simple way to offset the possible load imbalance if 3 50a to 30a adapters are used at same time is move the 2 breakers in one column down one slot on the panel. If one double pole 30 amp and the single were moved down that would change the loads that were on buss #1 to buss #2. Take another single pole breaker and place in that open top slot to fill the open hole in the panel cover.
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Old 09-12-2017, 06:56 PM   #22
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Why not just wire in one 50 amp outlet and two 30 amp outlets? Do you really intend to have up to three 50 amp RV's being supplied at the same time? One 50 amp RV and one 30 amp RV from the same load center should be OK. But, if you are expecting three 50 amp RV's and one 30 amp to all be plugged in at the same time, wouldn't you be exceeding the ratings on the feeder breakers to your 100 amp sub panel?
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Old 09-12-2017, 08:04 PM   #23
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Owner of the KOA we're in has similar load problem...his boxes were wired so most RV's were using his L1 providing a vastly overloaded L1 leg. Most RV's are wired L1 as primary buss. I confirmed that with my primary AC unit. Tied to L1 along with fridge & water heater. Most of the heavy users are L1. Not all that much on L2.

His solution was to rewire every ODD box so that the primary conductor is L2.

He says load balance is now better than it was.

On my home pedestal I jus' wired a 30 off of...of course L1.

My issue at home was whether to bond neutral/ground at that third distribution box. My SC code says no, that it's bonded only once at main panel. Everything is working properly as far as I can tell.

Balancing household loads is an art form...doubtful it's ever near equal.
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Old 09-14-2017, 07:41 PM   #24
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Why not just wire in one 50 amp outlet and two 30 amp outlets? Do you really intend to have up to three 50 amp RV's being supplied at the same time? One 50 amp RV and one 30 amp RV from the same load center should be OK. But, if you are expecting three 50 amp RV's and one 30 amp to all be plugged in at the same time, wouldn't you be exceeding the ratings on the feeder breakers to your 100 amp sub panel?


My coach usually pulls right at 30 amps with 2 airs running. Anything additional and a breaker will trip. So let's just say 40 amps total. Divide that across a 2 pole breaker and maybe you are 20-15. So if you figure 30 amp max for each 2 pole breaker and 30 amp max for the single pole breaker, one leg would have 120 amps the other 90. The 2 pole breakers shouldn't get that high so 60-75 for each leg and 30 for the single that's 105 amps.
I understand that you can put up to twice the main breaker amperage in load breakers, although it's better to calculate the load.
Based on what I expect I should be fine on total load, but am concerned about the balance and having everyone running on one leg. That would lead to problems.

Thanks everyone for weighing in and giving me food for thought.
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Old 09-14-2017, 07:58 PM   #25
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This is exactly why I don't like seeing adaptors that allow a 30 amp plug to go into a 50 receptacle. First off--you have the potential of putting 50 amps down a 30amp cord. Second, you have a challenge of balancing load at the box. The reverse works perfectly to allow one 30 amp leg to power two 50amp legs to the coach, but you have no idea how two legs from coach to a single 30 amp at the breaker box. If you are only going to have 30 amp legs to begin with, then use a single leg and 30amp receptacle and balance everything at the breaker box. Agree--think the OP has a better command of the subject matter than most of the contributors--but that is the "beauty" of this form--isn't it?????
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Old 09-15-2017, 06:50 AM   #26
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This is exactly why I don't like seeing adaptors that allow a 30 amp plug to go into a 50 receptacle. First off--you have the potential of putting 50 amps down a 30amp cord. Second, you have a challenge of balancing load at the box. The reverse works perfectly to allow one 30 amp leg to power two 50amp legs to the coach, but you have no idea how two legs from coach to a single 30 amp at the breaker box. If you are only going to have 30 amp legs to begin with, then use a single leg and 30amp receptacle and balance everything at the breaker box. Agree--think the OP has a better command of the subject matter than most of the contributors--but that is the "beauty" of this form--isn't it?????


What you are missing is that 30 amps on 2 poles is 60 amps total. And on a 50 amp plug the 30 amp cord is protected by the 30 amp breaker in the coach. I have the 50 amp plug down rated to 30 amps as to allow more places to plug up and hopefully run each circuit at less than max by using 2 poles instead of 1. The X factor is any adapters that people might use to adapt a 2 pole to a 1 pole (50-30amp). If they all use L1 and I bond all L1 on the same buss then you get the problem.
Thanks
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Old 09-15-2017, 07:34 AM   #27
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Neutral and ground are, in a sense the same, as they both are connected to ground.
Yes they are....in the pedestal box! But at the trailer itself, the neutral and ground are not to be bonded together!
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Old 09-16-2017, 05:21 AM   #28
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True.
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