rv hook up at home

drsteve wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
Folks come here to get info on how to do things, perhaps to save a few bucks. Then some simple jobs get blown way out of proportion and scare the bejesus out folks. There is no need to tell people how they should spend their money. Anyone can hire contractors and pay inspectors, but wise people will learn and do for themselves.

And that's fine, though there are better forums for electrical advice... But I'd also point out that if a stand alone pedestal is installed at a distance from the building (as opposed to an outlet on the outside wall), it needs to have a separate equipment ground, not bonded to the neutral, and it's own ground rod. It must be fed by UF cable. If not in a conduit, the feeder needs to be buried 36" deep. In a conduit, 24" is sufficient. And even if a DIY person is confident, after doing the research, in their ability to do this work, it's still cheap insurance to have an inspector take a look at it. Mistakes with electricity can damage equipment, start fires, or even cost someone their life.

Having it inspected is fine if your jurisdiction has a good inspector. In they some are not, ask how I know.

Lynnmor wrote:
Folks come here to get info on how to do things, perhaps to save a few bucks. Then some simple jobs get blown way out of proportion and scare the bejesus out folks. There is no need to tell people how they should spend their money. Anyone can hire contractors and pay inspectors, but wise people will learn and do for themselves.

And that's fine, though there are better forums for electrical advice... But I'd also point out that if a stand alone pedestal is installed at a distance from the building (as opposed to an outlet on the outside wall), it needs to have a separate equipment ground, not bonded to the neutral, and it's own ground rod. It must be fed by UF cable. If not in a conduit, the feeder needs to be buried 36" deep. In a conduit, 24" is sufficient. And even if a DIY person is confident, after doing the research, in their ability to do this work, it's still cheap insurance to have an inspector take a look at it. Mistakes with electricity can damage equipment, start fires, or even cost someone their life.

drsteve wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
It's 3 freakin' wires, white, black and ground. This ain't rocket science.

The 50A is four wires...

The OP is doing 30A.

Folks come here to get info on how to do things, perhaps to save a few bucks. Then some simple jobs get blown way out of proportion and scare the bejesus out folks. There is no need to tell people how they should spend their money. Anyone can hire contractors and pay inspectors, but wise people will learn and do for themselves.

It is only 3 wires, but far too many have hooked those wires to the wrong terminals back at the service panel.. resulting in many hundreds of dollars in damage to the RV.

Now the 50 amp outlet is only 4 wires, but due to it's nature the professionals tend to wire them properly.. Then the Dog bone picks up 3 of those wires, the proper 3, and everything works properly.

Lynnmor wrote:
It's 3 freakin' wires, white, black and ground. This ain't rocket science.

The 50A is four wires...

relaxin wrote:
yup its only 3 wires ;)



heres an option for the backyard

Yah, I'd like the one with optional RJ45 termination so when Cousin Eddie comes up to stay, he's got an Internet connection. :B

yup its only 3 wires ;)



heres an option for the backyard

I am attempting to help the original poster safely resolve his issue. It is plain that he wanted help, and did not know exactly what to do. He came seeking friendly advice, and for the most part, that is what he received. There is a lot of sound advice on this forum.

Why is it that someone always has something negative to say? There is much more to it than "three wires." With that said, those of you that want to do it yourself, take out the required permits so that at least the work will be inspected. It is not extremely hard, but not as easy as you think.

My post was for the original poster attempting to help him with his specific problem. It seems that people want to discredit, and argue with the answers to questions here more so than they want to help the person that is asking the question.

wa8yxm wrote:
To the O/P.. Remember that..

OP is gone.

Mcamper wrote:
Hurley24, I stick by what I told you before. Hire a COMPENTANT electrician and be sure he is licensed in your state. I am sure there are some cases where an outlet is wired incorrectly, however, most of the time the wiring was done by someone that was not qualified to begin with. An electrical contractor will have insurance, in case of the remote possibility that something is damaged during the job. The reason that electricians are required to be tested and licensed is electricity is dangerous and they must prove that they know what they are doing.

Also the advice about only installing a 50 amp service and using the adapter is not the best thing to do. Operating a 30a system off of a 50 service is not entirely safe, and should only be done as a temporary solution if you run into a situation traveling that would warrant such a connection where there are no other options available.

The bottom line is, find a reputable, licensed electrician and get him to install specifically what you need. You can even get a box with all of the outlets that you would find in a campground, and it would only cost a little more. (Someone already mentioned this). Just be sure you use the appropriate outlet.

It's 3 freakin' wires, white, black and ground. This ain't rocket science.