When I make a mistake, it's usually a dooo-zie:

[Motor7]

So, I had a well drilled about 20' from where Wanda is parked. The pump installer needed to tie into my existing power line with 220. I "thought" that the old 110 pump feed through my 30 amp RV box was a separate line to the breaker box from the RV feed. I was in a hurry, taking Wanda and the pontoon down to Lake Thurmond in GA for the weekend....so I told him to switch the pump breaker to a double & off we went.

Upon returning home, I was pleased at the quality of water I now had compared to the creek water the shop was on before. So, I plugged Wanda in and left everything in the fridge since we are leaving for Manitoba in 2 weeks.
My wife went in the RV yesterday and found the power 'off'...fridge warm...uh oh.

Apparently, a 30 amp 110 RV outlet really does not like 220v(and neither did Wanda).....yep it was all on the same feed. So far the only casualty is the Inteli-Power 9000:




Notice the pot front center? Blew it's guts out along with another pot all over the inside of the housing. So that was a $155 OOPs.............

Jeeze I hope nothing else is fried....{sigh}

[bill06447]

Shame on the electrician; plugs are all different shapes for a reason. S/he should have checked when the work was completed.

[Cat320]

If that's the worse thing you ever do in or around an RV, you are in good shape, and better off than most of us.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Cat320

If that's the worst thing you ever do in or around an RV, you are in good shape, and better off than most of us.

Isn't that the truth!! (not that I'd ever admit it)

[TQ60]

The "pump guy" cannot in any way touch any customer electrical equipment unless he is licensed to do so.

Most jurisdictions require any circuit modified to be brought to current code as well.

What this means is l licensed electrician should have verified exactly what was there and also observed that the 120 volt rv outlet was there.

Any modifications done should have been done to code and that outlet should have been confirmed or disconnected.

The pump guy has some 'spliain ing to do as well as covering your repairs as YOU as a CONSUMER are usually not expected to check the work and since the plug was existing and known good no reason to check it.

[Motor7]

I really put the blame all on me. I built the building, had an electrician wire it, then later added the 30amp RV box myself. The 10 gauge wire circuit was already there ready for the box. Later, I rigged up a surface pump to get water from a nearby creek, so I needed a 110 feed. Instead of running a new line all the way to the breaker box(which is what I should have done), I made a connection inside the RV box and added the short run there...that was 7 or 8 year ago and that water was the only water my shop had.

Fast forward to pump guy day and me running around packing the RV and already 3 hours behind schedule. I dug up the old water line and electrical line out in the yard where the new pump power and water line would be connected. I showed him the breaker box and which breaker the old pump was on & to go ahead and make that one a double/220.

If I had taken 5 min to just walk around and look at the RV box I wold have remembered what I did. Pump guy had no reason to look in the RV outlet box since he was at the breaker box, or out in the yard splicing the wires there.

So, as shameful as it is, I really have to take the blame for this one.......

[lynnmor]

Originally Posted by TQ60

The "pump guy" cannot in any way touch any customer electrical equipment unless he is licensed to do so.

The unions haven't taken over the laws in most rural areas and people still have some freedom left in those areas.

[MnTom]

Originally Posted by lynnmor

The unions haven't taken over the laws in most rural areas and people still have some freedom left in those areas.

Unions have NOTHING to do with the legal licensing requirements. I have no idea how you ever figured a union was involved with this. That comment was totally and 100% NOT NECESSARY and did nothing to help. The breaker change would be legal only if the property owner lived there and did it him or herself OR a properly licensed electrician changed it. Either way there is an inspection by the proper authority requirement.

[TQ60]

Originally Posted by lynnmor

The unions haven't taken over the laws in most rural areas and people still have some freedom left in those areas.

Nothing about any union here and being a self installed circuit dies NOT let "pump guy" wiggle off the hook.

A single line powered circuit with a single breaker in a non - commercial residential panel is most likely going to be 120 volts.

And it may or may not be wired to code but if the "customer" states that it is okay to swap from single to dual breaker that is a modification of existing so it must all be brought to code meaning the licensed person needs to determine and confirm what is there and do it correctly.

If it was 120 vac rv plug and done correctly it should have had 3 wires and one should have been white for neutral but if home brew could have been anything.

Reusing that wire for a hot lead could have resulted in someone being killed.

In your case, the neutral line was connected to 120 vac hot and out of phase with other so possibility of hot skin if safety ground in rv attached to neutral which is common combined with a possible bad cord which also is common could result in a 240 vac difference between the skin and a lamp.

A licensed electrician who knows what they are doing would have asked exactly was on the circuit and verified both by touch and measurment.

Your pump was connected to the rv outlet so it would have been in the path.

Folks using wrong colors and having other things oddball make life difficult for folks doing work later and those doing that work always need to verify exactly what is going on.

Easily adds much additional time to our work on most jobs but that is how we discover Un fused power leads and other hazards.

No this is not about unions...It is about living to see the next day.

[lynnmor]

I was talking about laws that prevent folks from having the freedom to do work on their own property. You might want to research how those laws come about and who it was that pushed for them.

[MnTom]

Originally Posted by lynnmor

I was talking about laws that prevent folks from having the freedom to do work on their own property. You might want to research how those laws come about and who it was that pushed for them.

Show me proof of the unions making laws. EVERYWHERE with the exception of commercial property (rentals fall under this classification) the owner can do ALL the plumbing and wiring they want. They ARE required to do the work to meet code. Just an FYI, I have held a plumbing license, a high pressure pipe fitters license, and an electrical license, so I am somewhat familiar with code requirements.

[bill06447]

What happens when work is done however one pleases and ignores code? Same that's going to happen to the 3500 square foot house around the corner from me-the owner added to it over the past 40 years, nothing done according to code let alone permits, he passed 2 years ago and now it languishes because before anyone can live in it, it needs to be brought to current code or razed. Quite a shame, really

[TQ60]

Code is there for a reason.

Look for myth busters episode where they build a shaker platform then build structures to simulate earthquakes.

Simple and cheap things really make huge difference.

Was in the middle of Coalinga during quakes back in 83.

Buildings that had "improvements" performed to better their structures survived while those that did not did not.

Code requirements would have protected the op but someone who was paid to do the work FAILED and could have killed someone.

[Old-Biscuit]

Motor 7..........

You stated Fridge was ON

Should have blown fridge AC fuse on circuit board and possibly heater element
MIGHT have damaged fridge circuit board

Converters always take a hit when subjected to 240V AC.......

Luckily A/C wasn't on.....Microwave usually survives (internal ceramic fuse blows)