Dedicated circut and plug for my RV while parked at home

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irishranger2

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Jan 21, 2011
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I will shortly have a 5th wheel RV that will have 50 amp shore power cord.  I want to have an electrician put a circut breaker in my house panel box that will fire up a plug for the RV.  What kind or size circut breaker do I use?  I don't want to plug the RV into something that is going to fry all the appliances.  Thanks for the help.    Mike
 
If you are going to use full power in the trailer at all, you will need a 50 amp breaker in the panel, any electrician will know what to install if he looks at your plug or coach manual. On the other hand if you are going to use relatively low power for lights and well everything but the AC then you can still use a 50 amp receptacle but lighter wire and a breaker to match , cheaper job but does limit your usage to some extent.
 
See this article in our library for the wiring diagrams for the various types of receptacles.  You'll want the 14-50R for a full 50A connection and a dual 50A circuit breaker in the panel, along with the proper size wire for the length of run.  Be sure to tell the electrician that this is for an RV and if he doesn't understand the difference, find another electrician.
 
Ned nailed it. That's what I had the electrician do in '00 after he put in a new upgraded box and then the conduit to the location.

There's a 50amp outlet east of the carport on the cinder block wall waiting to be used by forum framily.
 
I do not think what you plug into the outlet makes a difference to the electrician, the service you call for and where it will be installed dictates the requirements to him.
 
There's a 50amp outlet east of the carport on the cinder block wall waiting to be used by forum framily.
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Does that mean we don't need to figure out the cheater box thingy?  ;D
 

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Mark R. said:
I do not think what you plug into the outlet makes a difference to the electrician, the service you call for and where it will be installed dictates the requirements to him.
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If the electrician decides he knows better than the home owner what should be installed, then you're likely to get a welder outlet and not an RV outlet.  I think it's very important that the electrician understands exactly what you're going to use the outlet for.
 
[quote author=Ned]... then you're likely to get a welder outlet and not an RV outlet.[/quote]

For that very reason, I've been known to warn an electrician not to plug something into the 50A receptacle he was installing for me before I checked it out.
 
Tom, since La Casa de Amistad was sold that box has been available for 50 amp RV service.  ;D

Now, if me next mh has 50 amp req. . .  ::)
 
The standard RV 50A service requires a dual 50A breaker, i.e. 50A@240V.

You could choose to save money by under-supplying the outlet with something like 30A@240V or 40A@240v, but chances are the local electrical inspector would not approve, since the outlet is spec'ed as a 50A@240v. If the inspector would go along, 30-40 amps is plenty for most uses.

As an alternative, you could go with a standard RV 30A outlet, which is 30A@120v.  Much less expensive to wire and still enough power for most purposes (except running two a/c units and/or a/c + microwave).
 
If the electrician isn't familiar with RV 50 amp outlets, just tell him to wire it the same as a 4-wire 50 amp kitchen range circuit. The RV circuit even uses the same NEMA 14-50R outlet as the range. It's the 30 amp 120-volt RV circuits that residential electricians seem to mess up the most.
 
Gary to the best of my knowledge you can put a breaker that is under the outlet rating, and over the outlet rating depending on the layout, example you can have a 20 amp breaker and 15 amp outlets ,but you need more then one.

Ned,  I will quote myself "any electrician will know what to install if he looks at your plug or coach manual"
 
Mark R. said:
Gary to the best of my knowledge you can put a breaker that is under the outlet rating, and over the outlet rating depending on the layout, example you can have a 20 amp breaker and 15 amp outlets ,but you need more then one.
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According to the NEC that is correct on 20 amp circuits where 15 or 20 amp receptacles are allowed or 40 amp circuits where 40 or 50 amp outlets are allowed. The caveat is as you mentioned, these cannot be dedicated circuits where there is only one outlet on the branch circuit. Dedicated circuits call for the outlet to match the rated circuit amps. (NEC Table 210.21(B)(3)
 
You all are correct about the NEC, but the local inspector has the final say on interpretation and arguing with him is seldom productive.  A 50A RV power pole circuit is a dedicated circuit because it is considered a subpanel. You could use a smaller breakeron it, but I think most inspectors would balk if you used wire rated at less than 50A. They know all too well that somebody will come along later and upgrade the breaker to match the outlet, creating a dangerous situation if the wire is undersized. And if you don't use smaller wire, you don't save much on the install, cause the price difference on a 30A vs 50A breaker is not that much.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
  A 50A RV power pole circuit is a dedicated circuit because it is considered a subpanel. You could use a smaller breakeron it, but I think most inspectors would balk if you used wire rated at less than 50A. They know all too well that somebody will come along later and upgrade the breaker to match the outlet, creating a dangerous situation if the wire is undersized. And if you don't use smaller wire, you don't save much on the install, cause the price difference on a 30A vs 50A breaker is not that much.
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I think we are all in agreement Gary, maybe just saying it differently. One should always have the wire sized to the breaker. IMHO I would spend a little extra, (as you said, it's normally not that much) as long as there is enough power in the main panel, and put in the 50 amp with the correct outlet.
 
My recommendation for a dedicated RV outlet EPICALLY if having it professionally installed is to go with a 50 amp, This requires a dual breaker at the service box and some heavy (8 or six ga) wire.  But the odds of it being properly installed are near 100%.

If you go with a 30 amp,  Far too many electricians look at and even though it says 120 volt right on the fixture, think 240 volt dryer, Air Compressor or Welder and ... Bad things happen.

20 amp outlets work too but why lmit yourself.. With 20 amp you can not do much in the trailer (keep batteries up, run a TV and perhaps 1 A/C without hot water, or the hot water w/o A/C)  20 amp outlets are easy t find at any hardware.. One slot is "T" shaped.
 
Before I brought the mh here from NC, I asked the owner [a parishioner] of a small RV Park in Belen for the name of the electrician he used for his park to find a knowledgeable and experienced RV electrician. That's the easiest way to find the right resource for this project.
 
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