Old-Biscuit wrote:
OP........
So you are going to go with the dual 30A/50A CBs in your house panel providing they can be used..
Then a 50A RV Outlet at garage.
So pulling ALL new wire for the 50A Outlet?????
sayoung wrote:
But as I said, I would replace with #4 or larger , install subfeed panel, tie in dryer and add full 50 amp rv . I am very cheap about some projects but I am Mister Big Bucks when I do electrical . If the walls are easy to fish wires, no fire blocks , might just add wire , brkr , and plug but I would allways think I'm going to need a wire to something else one day
I figured I'd reply to both of you. (EDIT: I see since I started, @time2roll replied; his answer is correct. Mine just goes into exhaustive detail, lol!)
So.
Originally, I didn't want to mess with the panel at all. I was going to just cut through the garage wall into the laundry room, to the wire disconnect, rewire to the switch, then get some new wire from the swtich to the old outlet (in laundry room) as well as new wire to a box in the garage (the hole I just cut). No new wire pulls (from the breaker panel), and fairly simple to do. Just flip those two 30A breakers off, do the rewiring, and turn them back on. This would work because, unlike many other "put down the tools and walk away" threads, my current dryer outlet is
already a NEMA 14-30 outlet (two 120VAC @ 30A circuits, Neutral, and Earth). Just add a 14-50 outlet in the garage and put a safety switch to enable only one at a time.
Then came the suggestion to replace the double 30A breakers with a quad 30-30/50-50 breaker, and just put a 14-50 outlet right below the panel. My mind was blown that you could even buy such a breaker (as evidenced by my mind-blown animated gif :D ), and so got carried away with that thought.
Then came the caution that higher breakers may not support being doubled up, and that I may need to replace breakers lower in the panel. I went and looked at the panels in general, and both panels have sets of neighboring 15A's near their bottom. And I thought to myself, "why replace the dryer 30/30 with a quad when I can just replace two lower 15's with a quad 15/50-50-/15?"
So,
Current Plan is to use this 15/50-50/15 quad breaker (
Q21550CT) and replace two 15A breakers near the bottom of one of the two panels, whichever is more convenient. The new 6/3 wire will just punch through the bottom of the panel and I'll install the new 14-50 a foot or two below the panel. I'll only need about five feet for the job (and proabably have two feet leftover when I'm done).
I'm currently looking at replacing the lower left two 15A's in the panel imaged below. They go to light fixtures in two different rooms. Not that it probably matters though. But anyway, they're near the bottom, I'll just replace those two with the quad 15/50=50/15 (inner 50's are linked, outer 15's are independent), punch a new hole in the panel floor, run the new 6/3 down a foot or so, and install my new 14-50 outlet. The other panel (to the right of the one shown below) may be a LITTLE more convenient for the flow of the garage. There are also several neighboring 15A's there (not shown below) that I may use instead. It looks very similar, just larger. (one's a 100A panel, the other a 200A panel)
Oh, one other thing. You may notice the panels don't have master breakers at the top. For some reason this house was wired with those outside at the service entrance. I'm not sure why they did that. But no matter. Just have to walk around outside to cut off a panel.
I will also mention here that originally I was looking at this
Leviton NEMA 14-50R, however looking at the reviews there were multiple reviews that said these were great for dryers (few plug/remove cycles, mainly just plug-and-leave). That TESLA recommended this
Hubbell (HBL9450A) 14-50R that is industrial grade and designed for multiple plug/remove cycles. Although the price is significant (Leviton approx USD$10, Hubble approx USD$70), I felt the ladder would be better long-term. So I ordered the Hubble outlet.
(
DISCLAIMER: Pulling off panel covers can be dangerous (fatal!). Please do not do this at home unless you understand the consequences.)
Click For Full-Size Image.
