Can I plug my 50amp cord from my class A into a dryer outlet?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Pedro Dog said:
You are wrong, all 240VAC systems require a neutral.
Click to expand...
Not true. I often charge my electric motorcycle with 240 VAC with no neutral connected at all. I don't bother to wire in the neutral because I do not need it. I make the adapters myself and wiring in the neutral in those would be a waste of my time. I even remove the neutral prong from the 14-50P.

I do use the ground, so the frame of the bike has a ground when plugged into a 14-50R. But the neutral has NO connection at all to anywhere. Not needed for 240 VAC--not for any reason. It's only a center-tap of a house transformer secondary for 120 VAC use, which I have no use for when plugged into a 14-50R as I have no need for the 120 VAC from a 14-50R.

-Don Crescent City, CA
 
DonTom said:
You mean the reason I am stuck here with 3,600 watts max right now is because of those idiots at the RVIA?

I need to straighten those RVIA people out! ;) I would never let them get away with only one hot wire and neutral. Just the fact that a neutral exists proves 240 VAC is nearby.

But I guess I am way too late--unfortunately!

-Don- Crescent City, CA
Click to expand...
The RVIA just tabulates the sales numbers. The park owners use those numbers to justify expenditures on park upgrades. If you want to blame someone, blame all those "idiots" that buy 30 amp RV's because those models fit their needs and budgets. I would think you could offer the park owner enough money to upgrade the park to your liking though. They might even let you have a free site for awhile... ;)
 
Last edited:
NY_Dutch said:
I would think you could offer the park owner enough money to upgrade the park to your liking though.
Click to expand...
If they used all dryer outlets from the beginning, there would be nothing to upgrade. Not only that, but there would be very little need for the so-called 50-amp (100-amp total) service. Two 30-amp lines (sixty-amp total) should be enough for anybody.

Seems to me that would be a cost savings to everybody from the start. Just one plug type on every RV. A drier plug & outlet. And then even at home all can have sixty-amp service in their RVs.

So, I say again, the idiots who decided on a single 30-amp line from the beginning screwed up BIGTIME (IMAO). The other side of the 240 VAC line has to be nearby every RV-30 as it is. Cannot have a 120 VAC neutral without having 240 VAC nearby.

Next time such decisions are made, be sure they talk to me first!!!! ;)

Besides that, I could charge my motorcycle with 240 VAC with my adapters. However, I am getting by here with 120 VAC, but with a small hassle. Such as if I want to use the microwave oven, I need to unplug the bike if it's not already fully charged.

-Don- Crescent City, CA
 
I have an electrical/EE/business education and a work background from apprentice to electrician to technician to semiconductor industry engineering to executive management. This thread reminds me of the countless times I've attempted to moderate between engineers; There is no way to get engineers in the same room to agree.

Separately, I was on the Board of the EIA (Electronic Industries Association). I also chaired the Solid State Products Division of EIA. We had 50 technical committees with hundreds of members (mostly engineers). I can tell you countless stories of "engineering standards".
 
Last edited:
DonTom said:
If they used all dryer outlets from the beginning, there would be nothing to upgrade. Not only that, but there would be very little need for the so-called 50-amp (100-amp total) service. Two 30-amp lines (sixty-amp total) should be enough for anybody.

Seems to me that would be a cost savings to everybody from the start. Just one plug type on every RV. A drier plug & outlet. And then even at home all can have sixty-amp service in their RVs.

So, I say again, the idiots who decided on a single 30-amp line from the beginning screwed up BIGTIME (IMAO). The other side of the 240 VAC line has to be nearby every RV-30 as it is. Cannot have a 120 VAC neutral without having 240 VAC nearby.

Next time such decisions are made, be sure they talk to me first!!!! ;)

Besides that, I could charge my motorcycle with 240 VAC with my adapters. However, I am getting by here with 120 VAC, but with a small hassle. Such as if I want to use the microwave oven, I need to unplug the bike if it's not already fully charged.

-Don- Crescent City, CA
Click to expand...
30-amp RV's predate 50-amp by many years, and may even predate you. I recall in the 60's, the most common RV power adapter was the 15/30 amp "hockey puck" since many RV parks only offered 15 or 20 amp 120 VAC service. State and national parks that offered electric power at all were pretty rare back then, and even private parks often only had power at some higher cost sites.

If you want to reinvent the RV industry electrical standards, good luck. I'm just happy they didn't invent a unique 50 amp plug for RV use, standardizing on the existing NEMA 14-50 instead.
 
DonTom said:
Of course they screwed-up before I was around! I would never let them get away with it! ;), BTW, how far back is the 240 VAC clothes dryer outlet?

-Don- Crescent City, CA
Click to expand...
Home electric dryers didn't become wide spread until well into the 1960's, so I'd expect the 240 dryer outlet was standardized around the same time frame. Most of the world has standardized on 220-240 VAC (with no neutral by the way) with only North America and a few others using 120 VAC derived from 240 VAC.

I'm sure a lot of things would have been different if you had been in charge with the ability to predict the future. Lacking that ability though... ;)
 
NY_Dutch said:
Home electric dryers didn't become wide spread until well into the 1960's, so I'd expect the 240 dryer outlet was standardized around the same time frame. Most of the world has standardized on 220-240 VAC (with no neutral by the way) with only North America and a few others using 120 VAC derived from 240 VAC.
Click to expand...
And some of us grew up and worked with domestic power supply being 240 VAC with neutral, derived from a "star connected" (aka wye) 3-phase 415 VAC transformer secondary.
 
NY_Dutch said:
Home electric dryers didn't become wide spread until well into the 1960's, so I'd expect the 240 dryer outlet was standardized around the same time frame. Most of the world has standardized on 220-240 VAC (with no neutral by the way) with only North America and a few others using 120 VAC derived from 240 VAC.

I'm sure a lot of things would have been different if you had been in charge with the ability to predict the future. Lacking that ability though... ;)
Click to expand...
The 240 VAC systems I'm familiar with have one hot 240v lead and a return at 0 volts. Just like North America's 120 volt system but at twice the voltage.
 
Kirk said:
Will making them stronger help resolve the argument? This has stopped being about learning anything and is only about winning.
Click to expand...
I just now edited that post. I think you read more carefully than most! I didn't even notice. Perhaps I was too quick to select a word from my spellchecker on a typo.

-Don- Crescent City, CA
 
NY_Dutch said:
Most of the world has standardized on 220-240 VAC (with no neutral by the way) with only North America and a few others using 120 VAC derived from 240 VAC.
Click to expand...
I noticed. Perhaps that's why more AC EV charging available in Europe.

But at least we didn't get stuck with 100 VAC at 50 hz like they did in Japan.

-Don- Crescent City, CA
 
DonTom said:
I just now edited that post. I think you read more carefully than most! I didn't even notice. Perhaps I was too quick to select a word from my spellchecker on a typo.

-Don- Crescent City, CA
Click to expand...
We knew what you meant ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,168 (members: 24, guests: 1,144)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,932
Posts
1,387,726
Members
137,682
Latest member
duckyw7528
Back
Top Bottom