Installing 14-50R NEMA RV receptacle

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Back2PA

Back2PA

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We are visiting family next month who are keen to have us park the coach on their property rather than a nearby campground, so keen in fact that they are installing a 50amp RV outlet. (I requested that they also consider adding a concrete pad and sewer connection but apparently the electrical hookup is as far as this family thing goes  ::) ).

The fellow doing the install is an engineer and rewired much of his house plus a shop so, although he's not an electrician, he is far from an outright amateur.

The wiring of a 50 amp receptacle seems pretty straightforward with each leg coming from the respective house buss, then neutral to neutral and ground to ground, but I thought I'd ask the experts what to watch for. Also, I have this surge protector; do the three green lights guarantee proper wiring or, again, is there something I should watch for? Finally, is the info in the attachment accurate?

Thx
 

Attachments

  • 50ampRVoutletInstallation.pdf
    91.1 KB · Views: 36
Scott,

I could not download the PDF file.

This link might help you.

It is a post on how I hooked up a temporary 50 amp service at my Mom's a few years ago.

This involves taking the power directly from the service panel.

Please note that you will have TWO 50 amp breakers to get 50 amp service.

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,66762.msg611714.html#msg611714

 
Those instructions are pretty good.  They are showing you a double pole breaker which is what you need.  You do not want to install 2 separate single pole breakers because one can trip and leave one leg energized.  50A is not nearly the issue that 30A is.  50A is the same as a range outlet where as 30A RV is very different than a 30A dryer.
 
The wiring and 14-50R outlet are exactly the same as that used for a standard electric kitchen stove. It's much less prone to mis-wiring than the TT-30R outlets used for 30 amp RV service.
 
Do the 3 green lights indicate Proper wiring.. Well.. I'd not trust them.  But proper wiring is not always needed for proper operation (long technical story)

If it is a 50 amp outlet and he knows what he is doing odds are high it will be done right

If you want to test (A volt meter is a useful tool though you may need to modify the probe to go far enough into the socket.. This is a safety issue. I have one modified out of several I have)

Side to side 240 volts

Side to either top or bottom 120 volts
Top to bottom (Assumes round pin at bottom by the way ) Zero or dang close to it.
 
Maybe redundant, but we have a wiring diagram in our forum library for various types of receptacles, including 14-50R.

When we had our dock behind the house wired with two 14-50R receptacles, I warned the electrician that I'd chop his fingers off if he plugged our boat in before I verified that he'd wired them correctly.
 
It's hard to go very wrong with the 14-50R outlet if you can tell hots from neutrals and know the difference between neutral and ground. Or if you just just follow the wire color codes.

Yes, your surge protector will provide an adequate practical test of proper wiring. About the only thing it would miss is a poor quality neutral connection and that's a fairly rare problem.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
It's hard to go very wrong with the 14-50R outlet if you can tell hots from neutrals and know the difference between neutral and ground. Or if you just just follow the wire color codes.

Yes, your surge protector will provide an adequate practical test of proper wiring. About the only thing it would miss is a poor quality neutral connection and that's a fairly rare problem.
Click to expand...


Thx. Kinda what I figured but thought I would check.
 
If it was my house the breaker would be a "ground fault" breaker. A metal camper, wet ground and any minor appliance or wiring problem could turn the rv into a death trap. A person will die before they trip a 50a breaker. With a ground fault breaker the slightest hint of a short will trip it. This is the same breaker used for hot tubs and boat docks. Hope this helps.
 
Most outlets in an RV are GFCI protected already, so there's little need for the supply breaker to be a GFCI as well. The NEC only requires that a utility 15/20 amp outlet installed in the supply housing be GFCI protected. 30 amp and up breakers in this application are exempt.
 
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