50 amp outlet

haddy1 wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I wound stay away from GFCI, unless it is required by code.

X2 GFCI outlets are known to have issues when connecting to RVs, even when they (the RV) are properly wired.

I think that most often, when this happens, it's because something is not right in the RV: either the fridge element or the water heater element is leaking current to ground, or there's a neutral that's grounding, or something of that ilk--in other words, a genuine ground fault that could be a safety hazard under the right (wrong?) conditions.

It is possible that there's enough benign leakage via power supply filters in electronic devices etc. to trip a GFCI, but as I understand things that's less commonly the actual problem.

Personally, I'd rather find out that I have a ground fault in my RV while sitting at home when I have plenty of time to correct it (and make things safe) than when I get to a campground that only has 20A power available and I can't get the GFCI outlet to stay on.

My house was built before GFCIs were common, and did not have any when I moved in. In putting one into the outlet in the bathroom, I found that it would trip instantly. Hunting around the circuit revealed that one lighting fixture on the circuit had the neutral wire pinched in the mounting bracket, causing it to ground out. I would have never found that otherwise. Fixing that problem made everything A-OK. That's not an RV, of course, but the idea is similar.

Having said that, double pole GFCI breakers are definitely not inexpensive.

I'm doing the same thing you are but my cable run is much longer so I'm going for #4 wire.

If 1" pipe is something you'd like to use, go for it. Otherwise, 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" is a lot easier to pull through.

Yes, a circuit breaker or a switch at the receptacle is a good choice, less steps and better functionality. There are a lot of good arguments for installing a standard pedestal box at the receptacle location. You would have the additional 120V receptacles to use and price is not that much more.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I wound stay away from GFCI, unless it is required by code.

X2 GFCI outlets are known to have issues when connecting to RVs, even when they (the RV) are properly wired.

Hi,

I wound stay away from GFCI, unless it is required by code.

It is not good practice to disconnect any cord end plug while it is under load. There are load capable switches and disconnects, there are also switch rated circuit breakers.

Pulling your shore power plug will cause arcing and eventually damage both plug and outlet.

So in this order, your outlet circuit should have circuit breaker, switvh or disconnect and the outlet.

If the run is through exposed studs and ceiling joists you can use 6/3 Romex (a.k.a. NM-B). No conduit required.

Hire a qualified electrician.

The NEC allows six 6AWG THWN or THHN conductors in 1" PVC Schedule 40 conduit, and 5 in Schedule 80 PVC conduit. The chart linked below references the 2005 NEC, but the charts are the same in the 2017 edition.

PVC Conduit Fill Table

If you look up the NEC (which can be accessed for free from the NFPA web site, though it's a pain and requires signing up and stuff), they have tables of the allowable fill factors for conduit based on the number of wires and the number of current carrying conductors and the wire sizes and stuff. My gut feeling is that 1" should be fine.

Double-pole GFCI breakers are not inexpensive. Having one would not be at all a terrible idea, but is not required by code and most would not bother (as most campgrounds likewise do not bother). I would suggest thinking about a disconnect switch, perhaps inside the garage, so you don't have to use the breaker as a switch; or, at the least, looking for a breaker labeled for switching duty ("SWD" I believe). Normal breakers are not really designed for repeatedly being turned on and off.

Be aware that any wires in the exterior box and in any conduit on the exterior need to be rated for wet locations per the NEC. Many of the commonly available wire types for individual wires meet this requirement, so it's not a big difficulty.