Spridle wrote:
Taken from the 1996 National Electrical Code or NEC for short.
The NEC is adopted in all 50 states.
ARTICLE 551--- - RECREATIONAL VEHICLES, PARKS 70-667
551.81 Receptacles. A receptacle to supply electric power
to a recreational vehicle shall be one of the configurations shown in figure 551-46(c) in the following ratings:
(a) 50-Ampere. 125/250-volt, 50-ampere, 3-pole, 4-wire
grounding type for 120/240-volt systems
(b) 30-ampere - 125-volt, 30-ampere, 2-pole, 3-wire
grounding type for 120-volt systems
(c) 20-ampere - 125-volt, 20-ampere, 2-pole, 3-wire
grounding type for 120-volt systems
(FPN) Complete details of these configurations can be found in National Electrical Manufactures Association Standard for dimension of Attachment Plugs and Receptacles, ANSI/NEMA WD 6-1989, Figures 14-50, TT, and 5-20.
So, what does this mean? It means NEMA never had a 120-volt configuration for the 14-50 since 1989 when it was adopted and must be wired as intended. There is no “grandfathered in” clause for miswiring the NEMA standard.
Having worked a few years for an attorney in expert witness testimony, believe me, a RV park could get sued doing this. The question is, would it be profitable?
I'm not nearly so sure there. The
receptacle shall be in one of those configurations, but it doesn't say it must be wired to a 50A or 30A or 20A circuit in that particular snippet. The only requirement I'm aware of that the code places on what receptacles may be wired to what circuits is that the receptacle must be listed and rated for not less than the overcurrent protection of the circuit, so wiring for example a 50A NEMA 14-50 receptacle on a 40A circuit is permitted (and not at all uncommon for kitchen ranges).
What this certainly does say is that you can't instead install something like a twist-lock receptacle for an RV campsite, at least not to the exclusion of the standard receptacles.
Typically, I think local implementations of the code requires only that installations conform to the code in force at the time when they were constructed; that's where the grandfathering mostly happens. I don't claim to be an expert on such things, though.
