30 amp home circuit for Roadtrek Sprinter

[kdcnett]

Hi guys, i am going to put in a 30amp circuit at my home for my 2012 roadtrek sprinter, would anyone know if it should be ground faulted if so at the breaker or the plug ?
thanks

[Skip426]

I don't think GFI is the best for an RV plug ; they aren't GFI in parks , and a lot of RVs will trip GFIs .
My first 3 , 5th wheels would work on a GFI outlet , my 4th 5er and current coach wont.

[powercat_ras]

Originally Posted by kdcnett

Hi guys, i am going to put in a 30amp circuit at my home for my 2012 roadtrek sprinter, would anyone know if it should be ground faulted if so at the breaker or the plug ?
thanks

Just a standard 120 Volt 30 Amp dedicated branch circuit terminated in a TT-30R NEMA Receptacle. Don't use a GFCI breaker. It may false trip and cause you lots of frustration as it is designed for a single load leakage current and not the combined leakage of the multiple branch loads of the sub-panel in your RV. The places in your RV that need GFCI protection already have it via GFCI outlet somewhere or somewheres.

Make sure it is wired correctly as a 120 Volt receptacle per NEMA TT-30R and not mis-wired 240 Volts, sometimes people get the 120 V wired NEMA TT-30 RV receptacle confused with dryer receptacles which are wired 240 V and it's catastrophic to the RV when this happens unless the RV has a power protection device.

[hdevera]

I did this with in my garage and did not use a GFI. However, my electrician wired it with reverse polarity. Luckily I used the Portable Surge Guard I bought from Camping World. It warned me of the reverse polarity before any damage could be done.

[Podivin]

I used one of these at my place, works nicely.

Shop Eaton 30-Amp Overhead or Underground Temporary Power Panel at Lowes.com

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by hdevera

I did this with in my garage and did not use a GFI. However, my electrician wired it with reverse polarity. Luckily I used the Portable Surge Guard I bought from Camping World. It warned me of the reverse polarity before any damage could be done.

AC does not have a polarity, it is alternating current, which means it goes negative 60 volts then positive 60 volts from the imaginary 0 volts line, your home AC uses a 60hz cycle.

[RandyKathyM]

Originally Posted by wildcatter

AC does not have a polarity, it is alternating current, which means it goes negative 60 volts then positive 60 volts from the imaginary 0 volts line, your home AC uses a 60hz cycle.

Yes it does matter! Outlets are wired from the panel with a line and a neutral plus a ground. The neutral is connected to the ground bar at the panel providing a extra measure of safety. This is why almost all lamps and appliances have a polarized plug.

[YC1]

One more to CAUTION you about not having an electrician wire an ordinary 30 amp outlet that is set up for 220 volts. There are countless reports of major disasters due to the issue.

Heck, if you are going to the effort to wire an outlet, why not wire it for 50 amps?

[Dr4Film]

Originally Posted by hdevera

I did this with in my garage and did not use a GFI. However, my electrician wired it with reverse polarity. Luckily I used the Portable Surge Guard I bought from Camping World. It warned me of the reverse polarity before any damage could be done.

This can happen easily if the person wiring the receptacle is not paying attention. However, it is NOT catastrophic. Simply reverse the Black wire (Load) with the White wire (Neutal) and you are good to go.

Also for those reading this thread a GFI/GFCI should NOT be used on any RV 30 amp or 50 amp receptacle. However it should be used on any 20 amp receptacle installed in the same box.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by RandyKathyM

Yes it does matter! Outlets are wired from the panel with a line and a neutral plus a ground. The neutral is connected to the ground bar at the panel providing a extra measure of safety. This is why almost all lamps and appliances have a polarized plug.

You are right about the color of the wires and where they connect on the panel, but AC does not have a polarity, the little atoms move back and forth on the wire, DC voltage and current moves from positive to negative unless you are using negative voltage, a lot of DC network equipment runs on negative DC voltage. As far as a piece of AC equipment you can flip the plug around on it and it will run fine. I copied a link to explain it better.

Electronics Basics: What Is Alternating Current? - For Dummies

[Old Radios]

Originally Posted by wildcatter

You are right about the color of the wires and where they connect on the panel, but AC does not have a polarity, the little atoms move back and forth on the wire, DC voltage and current moves from positive to negative unless you are using negative voltage, a lot of DC network equipment runs on negative DC voltage. As far as a piece of AC equipment you can flip the plug around on it and it will run fine. I copied a link to explain it better.

You are missing the point. If the plug is reverse polarity (hot and neutral switched) then the chassis of the RV could be hot and someone could get killed. Yes AC technically has no polarity like DC but you are confusing the issue to the point where a dangerous situation could occur if the plug is mis-wired and someone reading this could get killed.

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by Old Radios

You are missing the point. If the plug is reverse polarity (hot and neutral switched) then the chassis of the RV could be hot and someone could get killed. Yes AC technically has no polarity like DC but you are confusing the issue to the point where a dangerous situation could occur if the plug is mis-wired and someone reading this could get killed.

I'm not missing the point, the chassis of the camper will not become hot. You shouldn't be giving advice if you do not know what you are talking about.

[Old Radios]

I know exactly what I'm talking about. While newer RVs and converters should be okay, not all RVs, campers, and TTs have have converters or distribution panels that really don't care which way they are wired. Assuming all RVs are the same and telling anyone that it's okay if hot and neutral are reversed in their feed and will never make a difference is just stupid.

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by Old Radios

I know exactly what I'm talking about. While newer RVs and converters should be okay, not all RVs, campers, and TTs have have converters or distribution panels that really don't care which way they are wired. Assuming all RVs are the same and telling anyone that it's okay if hot and neutral are reversed in their feed and will never make a difference is just stupid.

Ok