30A breaker on 50A receptacle?
I'm thinking of putting a '50A' receptacle on the side of my house where my RV is stored (only the receptacle outside in a box). The RV is 50A but I'd never need that much power in that location. ...
Forum Discussion
My recommendation is do exactly what you first suggested, then take black paint and write "30 amp only" on the box the outlet is in.
However, a better suggestion is to run heavy enough wire to carry the full 50 amps and install a 50 amp breaker. I am in favor of over-engineering for future growth. I don't know how long your run is so I can't judge if 6/3wG will do for 50 amp.
Here is a website that has a Wire Gauge Calculator that you can use to find just how heavy a wire you need for your specific run to use the full 50 amp rating. You put in voltage (you can use either 120v or 240v), use single phase, use 50 amps, use the length of wire you would have to run from the breaker box to the outlet box (one way only), use 3% loss and click calculate.
I have a 30 amp RV and put a 50/30/20 pedestal next to it. (Insurance in case I ever get a 50 amp unit). Someone suggested that I run heavy enough wire to use an 80 amp breaker at the house so I could use the 50 amp AND the 30 amp at the same time but that would have required 3g wire. I didn't want to go to wire THAT heavy, so I used 50 amp rated wire and 50 amp breakers.
However, a better suggestion is to run heavy enough wire to carry the full 50 amps and install a 50 amp breaker. I am in favor of over-engineering for future growth. I don't know how long your run is so I can't judge if 6/3wG will do for 50 amp.
Here is a website that has a Wire Gauge Calculator that you can use to find just how heavy a wire you need for your specific run to use the full 50 amp rating. You put in voltage (you can use either 120v or 240v), use single phase, use 50 amps, use the length of wire you would have to run from the breaker box to the outlet box (one way only), use 3% loss and click calculate.
I have a 30 amp RV and put a 50/30/20 pedestal next to it. (Insurance in case I ever get a 50 amp unit). Someone suggested that I run heavy enough wire to use an 80 amp breaker at the house so I could use the 50 amp AND the 30 amp at the same time but that would have required 3g wire. I didn't want to go to wire THAT heavy, so I used 50 amp rated wire and 50 amp breakers.
