50amp on RV, how to plug in at home?

[nole_trainer]

I have a 50amp Wildcat, just pulled into driveway for first time. Was going to sleep in tonight with boys, but the AC keeps breaking the house breaker. I have the 50amp plugged into 3 prong dog bone, do I need to step it down to a 30amp dog bone first, then plug the 30amp into the 3 prong house plug dog bone?

I realize I can only run one AC (have two), but just have some lights and tv on and the circuit pops?

I will not store at house, so this is just a every-know and then kind of thing. Not sure I can justify installing a 50amp service?

[DutchmenSport]

If you have the time, talent, and energy, you could go ahead and get the electric wire for an RV box yourself. You could even purchase the outside box, and even purchase a secondary sub panel and have it somewhat in place. In other words, run everything yourself, and then just have electrician do the actual hookup of the electricity.

I did this with my 30 amp I ran in my garage. I purchased everything myself, ran the wire (I had to remove wall panel) and ran the wire through a conduit so it matched everything else in the garage (not attached to the house). I then contacted an electrician who actually connected the wire to the fuse box and to the RV plug box. Cost was less than $100 for his service, and took him less than 10 minutes.

I could have hooked up the electricity myself, but for this one, I just wanted to make sure it was correct. He told me I did not need to run the wire through the conduit since it was already insulated. The reason for the conduit for the rest of the garage was because they ran single wires through the conduit (3 wires), not bundled in one. He asked me how I managed to shove that wire through all that conduit. I told him "with a LOT of patients and muscle ache! He was impressed!

So if you want to save some cost, purchase the wire, conduit, fuse panel, breakers, all yourself, install it, and have the electrician do the actual hook-up. Besides, if you do have to go through walls, or rip off dry wall or paneling, you can replace it right! And not have to pay extra either!

[Water-Bug]

Golden_HVAC wrote:
Another thing.

Some new code requires that ark interrupting circuit breakers are used. These might trip due to the RV being plugged in. it is sort of like a GFI circuit breaker, however it detects arks, such as when a extension cord is sparking, and trips instantly, even at less than the amperage rating on the circuit breaker.

Fred.

I hate to nit-pick but an "ark" is a boat or vessel. An "arc" is an electrical spark.

[Cummins12V98]

Bumpyroad wrote:
for a every-now and then kind of thing, I wouldn't go the extra cost of a 50 amp hookup. just do a 30 amp supplying a 50 amp outlet.
bumpy

The labor is the same there is a small increase for wire cost and receptacle.

You don't know what the future holds and ya may as well have what you need to run the whole boat!

[mileshuff]

Originally I hooked my trailer to a standard 20 amp outlet at my home. Could not run much more than just the A/C. Breaker would not trip but long extension cord would get VERY hot despite it being heavy gage.

I installed a 30 amp box available at CW or Lowes. Was very easy to wire into our homes breaker box. Works great.

[oilslick]

Bumpyroad wrote:
for a every-now and then kind of thing, I wouldn't go the extra cost of a 50 amp hookup. just do a 30 amp supplying a 50 amp outlet.
bumpy

Agreed 30 amp is plenty for most usage at home and way cheaper to install the circuit.

[Bumpyroad]

for a every-now and then kind of thing, I wouldn't go the extra cost of a 50 amp hookup. just do a 30 amp supplying a 50 amp outlet.
bumpy

[nole_trainer]

Dave H M wrote:
Did we not look on the circuit breaker for grins and see what kind of circuit is present. :h

My garage is 20 and I get plenty of juice out of it to run the 13500 air.

Now why would I do that? I would rather burn the house and camper for grins :S

[john_bet]

Here is my advice. You need at minimum a 20 amp very short run dedicated circuit just for the RV. If you can not do that then a dedicated 30a amp RV plug and circuit with at least 10/2 with ground wire. If it is a long run from your panel then consider using 8/2 with ground wire and a single pole 30 amp c/b with either wire size. JMHO.

[Dave_H_M]

Did we not look on the circuit breaker for grins and see what kind of circuit is present. :h

My garage is 20 and I get plenty of juice out of it to run the 13500 air.

[nole_trainer]

Thanks so much for the help! Will call today to get an estimate to see if it's worth it. Since we do not store at the house this would only be for when we load/unload and the occasional weekend.

[dahkota]

We had to do that for a month, helping my mother move. The thing that always threw the breaker was the water heater.

We could run the a/c, two tvs, receiver, computer, and a bunch of lights off 15A. We would have to have most of that off when the water heater kicked on, on electric.

[time2roll]

If you have laundry in the garage it is often 20 amp dedicated circuit.

[laknox]

Best solution is to call an electrician and have them install a proper 50 amp RV plug, subbed off your main panel, with proper breakers. I did this with a 30a box at my house.

Lyle

[SailingOn]

Consider a shorter or heavier gauge extension cord.
If you decide to call an electrician, show them this.

[Cummins12V98]

nole_trainer wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:
Hi,

The breaker is tripping at home. You are resetting it. Does the number on it say 15 or 20? I know I am getting pretty simple here, but you are asking for help, and not giving to much information.

What else in your home is off when the circuit breaker that you plugged the RV into is off? Does it shut off some lights, or all the bedroom circuits and the desktop computer, and other stuff with 5-8 amps running on it? That combined with it being a 15 amp circuit breaker, you only need the RV to use 7 amps to trip it.

If you can plug the RV into where the washing machine is plugged in, then it should be on it's very own 20 amp circuit breaker (NEC Code).

If your laundry room is really close to the driveway, and your dryer is electric, then it you could plug the RV into the 4 wire dryer receptacle. You would need to buy a 4 wire dryer cord (it will be 4 feet long) and a 50 amp flush mount stove range receptacle. It will look just like your RV cord end, and wire them together, you will have up to 30 amps 120/240 just like when plugged into a 50 amp service, except only 7,000 watts available, still you can run both A/C's with that adapter.

Fred.

No, I appreciate any/all help. I believe all my plugs in my garage are 15amp, so that sounds like the prob?


I'm done for the night, going to sweat it out with the boys!

If I have an electrician come out and add a plug, what do I need them to install? Do I just show him the sticker on the RV?

Do it once and do it right. Have him install a 50AMP outlet and be done with it !!!!!!!!!!!!