Can't use 30 AMP service - source circuit breaker pops - RV-Dreams Community Forum

jtmartinsrus · RV-Dreams Community Member

Can't use 30 AMP service - source circuit breaker pops

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sounds like someone wired it up wrong for an RV, they used 240 volt dryer plugs instead of 240 volt (50AMP) RV plugs. I didn't think the dryer plugs were rated for 50AMP 240, only 30AMP, so that is a potentially dangerous situation. It is not to code and needs to be fixed. It sounds like a homebrew/Good Ole Boy fix, not something a real electrician would have done.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

it is wired incorrectly.....you should be able to dogbone to 30 amps with the breakers off and no load........have an electrician look at it and wire it correctly.....if it is a 4 pin receptical it sounds like neutral and ground are switched..or has been miswired to a 30 amp configuration

jtmartinsrus · RV-Dreams Community Member

bjoyce & Lucky Mike,

Thanks for the quick responses. It may have the RV plugs. I'm not sure really. They "look" similare to household plugs, so that's what I equated them to.

If miswired to a 30 amp config., I wouldn't think it would work in 50 amp...or would it?

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

it shouldnt.....but I dont know if your cords are store bought rv cords or home made.......I believe the same as bill does you have a bad case of "Homer's Handywork" and need a Lic. electrician to correct whats going on...its not a backyard repair and something very dangerous will occur if not corrected

jtmartinsrus · RV-Dreams Community Member

The cord and dogbone are molded type, not home made. It sounds like you guys do not think the missing transfer switch is an issue though, correct? The reason I'm asking is that I don't want the RV tech selling me something that will not fix the issue.

jtmartinsrus@gmail.com

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

putting the transfer switch back would be nice but not necessary......it is nothing more than a switch....something is wired incorrectly

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Start here, http://www.rv-dreams.com/rv-electrical.html, for education on how RV electrical works. Then you can tell if the tech is being honest.

jtmartinsrus · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks Bill,

I read that earlier, hoping to see info about the transfer switch, but not so much.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

In our previous motorhome, a 2002 Dolphin, we had to manually plug the shore power cable into the generator outlet in the power bay to use the generator. It was easy to forget to do. It worked fine on 30AMP. There was no power bay outlet for shore power. I have not heard of an RV manufacturer doing it the way yours is installed, with two outlets.

Our current motorhome has an ATS (automatic transfer switch) and we prefer it. When driveway camping we can turn on the generator and the ATS will move us to the generator from extension cord shore power. Useful if it gets hot and we need to run the A/C. The transfer switch is a simple piece of equipment, you hook up two inputs and if only one is alive it is the one that provides power. If both are alive, it sets to the one on the default input, which should be generator. The switch needs to be heavy duty, it has to be able to handle 100AMPs of 120 volt (50AMPs of 240 volt) and survive switching between two inputs with live power.