Switching out amperage box

there are lots of old houses with 50-75A main service still around. those built in the 20-40's. 50A service since it has two 50A legs may very well give you all you need for power. They often had gas HW and gas stoves and ovens.

Do a power analysis and I think you will find 50A may be very adequate even with a few 240 appliances.

I am backward.......

I started out with rigs with 50a service and could rarely find a place to plug it in. (early '90s)

My current rigs both have 30a service and it suits my needs very well. And, of course, now I see 50a pedestals most places we go. :)

Debbiepowers wrote:
I am going to live in my 2005 gulfstream (gutted and rebuilt with non-VCO materials) and I need to be able to run my ac/heat, appliances year round and use whatever electronic devices I want.

Your profile says you're in Rhode Island. Is it your intention to spend the winter in Rhode Island (or the Northeast) with this rig? If you're staying at campgrounds, you'll have a hard time finding many open year-round here in New England. If you are planning on staying up north, you will have problems IF and WHEN the temps drop down through the teens and into the single digits and possibly below. You can't have too much insulation on your rig. If you have the opportunity to better insulate it at this stage, do so. Seal up all of the holes and add extra insulation wherever possible. You will need it. If you'll be in one spot for a long period of time, consider hay bales around the outside to minimize drafts under the rig.

If you're going to use the propane heater, you will use A LOT of propane on those cold nights (plan on a 20 lb. cylinder per day). If you're going to try to heat solely with electric heaters, again, you are going to need A LOT of electricity. You can only put one 1500W heater per 15A or 20A breaker branch circuit or else you'll trip the breaker. Since you talk about "one end" of the rig, I'm assuming this thing is about 30' long or so? In the coldest weather, you'll need atleast 3 or 4 1500 watt heaters running to keep the entire rig livable, let alone warm. Get quality heaters that have several settings (i.e. 600W/900W/1500W) so you can tailor the heat output to the outside temps. PLUS you'll need several 200 Watt smaller "personal" heaters down in the water bay, holding tank area, plumbing areas to keep them from freezing up. Will you have a source of water throughout this period?

In other words, when you're done running those heaters, you may have some additional juice left on a 50A service. BUT, you have to preplan and run the proper wires for the outlets where the heaters will be located. Normal RV outlets are generally not the best for sustained high-current load appliances as they use relatively cheap components. If you're down to the walls, then replace it all with quality stuff.

Does your rig have dual-pane windows? If single pane, expect even more problems with condensation and heatloss.

On the other hand, if you're driving the rig down to Florida in the winter....forget everything I said above! :-)

Oh, one other thing, you mentioned turning it into a mobile sound studio? Are you going to be recording acoustical sounds (guitar & voice) as well as electronic sounds? If so, be advised that the acoustical insulation of most RVs isn't all that good either, so IF you're located near others, outside noises will perpetually be trying to find their way into your mix.

Good Luck,

~Rick

A school I attended in the ‘’80’s had a GMC motorhome converted to a recording studio. Iirc, it had a 100 amp service that was hooked up using individual #2 cables and camlock connectors.
If it were me, If you have an existing 50 amp service, I would add a second 50 amp service for technical power, and run the electronics off it.

Chris,

THAT is pretty cool!!! But I suspect no one was trying to live in the moho at the same time. LOL

Debbiepowers, Another thing that Chris' post brought to mind, is that IF your rig is easily moved, that could make it a prime target for theft if the wrong person/people find out about it. RVs in general are not "secure" vehicles by their design, so IF you have a lot of high dollar equipment in it, you might wish to incorporate a good anti-theft system in your design. While you have it stripped to the walls, it's a good time to do that if you have to run wires, etc. I know there are wireless solutions, but there's something to be said about good ol' fashioned switches too! :)

You might also chat with your insurance agent to see if you'll need additional coverage for that equipment. Most likely you will. Well, I know in Massachusetts you would, can't say for sure in other states.

~Rick