220V circuit for electric dryer

[Crespro]

Hello,

I have been looking at Class A coaches and a number of the new RVs have a stacked washer and dryer. The Ariston are fine with the 110V outlet, but if there were a 220V circuit, the apartment models (Samsung and others) would be an option.

For our electrical gurus -- is there a reason the RV builders do not include a 220V outlet with 50 amp service? Is this technically possible?

Thanks,

Crespro

[wa8yxm]

First 50 amp RV's on 50 amp sites do have 240 if you care to wire it. HOWEVER some breaker boxes are not configured to allow it (mine is Progressive Dynamics)

BUT if you are on a 30 amp site.. NO JOY as those are only 120 volts This is why they do not put 240 volt stuff in RV's (Well they do now in some but)

Now I know they make RV washer/Dryers. And I know they make Dryers that can heat with propane or natural gas... Can not help with models however.

[valhalla360]

Bikeboy57 wrote:
No one is addressing the performance issue. Having had both, the 110v dryer is Not even close to half the drying performance of the 220. The CFO says 220 dryer is mandatory anytime I start looking at coach porn.

Well, connected to a 30amp pedestal, the 120v unit has much better performance compared to the 240v unit.

[dougrainer]

Bikeboy57 wrote:
No one is addressing the performance issue. Having had both, the 110v dryer is Not even close to half the drying performance of the 220. The CFO says 220 dryer is mandatory anytime I start looking at coach porn.

This is true. But performance(which is really drying TIME) should not be an issue. Do you really need to dry your clothes that much quicker? Doug

[Bikeboy57]

No one is addressing the performance issue. Having had both, the 110v dryer is Not even close to half the drying performance of the 220. The CFO says 220 dryer is mandatory anytime I start looking at coach porn.

[DrewE]

valhalla360 wrote:
I believe it would be harmless but if you connect to 30amp with an adapter, both hots on the 220v circuit in the camper will be connected to the same pole, so you would see zero voltage.

Anyone correct me if I'm wrong about the safety aspect?

It wouldn't be unsafe. Any 120V parts of the dryer (or whatever) would continue to operate, so the timer/controls and possibly drum rotation might (or might not) still work, but it would not heat up. However, none of that leads to any particular safety issues.

[valhalla360]

I believe it would be harmless but if you connect to 30amp with an adapter, both hots on the 220v circuit in the camper will be connected to the same pole, so you would see zero voltage.

Anyone correct me if I'm wrong about the safety aspect?

It would have the downside, that you can't run the dryer if you have 30amp-120v service. Where as a 120v dryer could be run as long as you aren't running the air/con or other high draw items.

[Crespro]

Second Chance wrote:
Our Whirlpool stacked pair are both 110V - and the same size as the Splendide stackables.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Interesting idea. I found this Whirlpool option: Whirlpool WFW5090JW Washer LDR3822PQ Dryer. It is not a matched pair, but both from Whirlpool and the dryer is 110V. It can be stacked.

The washer seems to have some better ratings than the Splendide. Does anyone know about the comparison between this Whirlpool washer and the Splendide?

Thanks,

Charles

[theoldwizard1]

All RV that have 50A service (NEMA 14-50 plug) have 240VAC @ 50A. Of course it can be used a two 120VAC 50A.

[Crespro]

dougrainer wrote:
Yes, it is possible. Hi end Class A diesel builder's sometimes include a 220 circuit for a dryer. The 50 amp panel has the 2 separate 120 phase inputs to run the 220 circuit. You just have to run the wiring from the breaker panel to the Washer/Dryer closet. The reason the Builders do not include is COST. Lack of really needing a 220 dryer is the other. Doug

Doug,

Thanks for your always perceptive insights. Yes, the RV W/D does not get the use of a home unit, so the 220V unit is not as important. Still, the LG/GE/Samsung W/D units are likely to be better quality and more durable long term. It would seem that the cost for a manufacturer to do the 220V dryer outlet during the build should be quite moderate. I would hope they start to do this on the high-end RV units.

The other thought is that the high-end RV units are competing with the better timeshares. The high-end RV unit is a portable one bedroom apartment -- it can have a residential refer, a dishwasher and a comparable W/D unit. Over the last three decades that we have owned RVs, the trend is clear.

Best,

Crespro

[Matt_Colie]

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[Matt_Colie]

In 1973 I was an engineer at Thetford. The GMC motorhome was introduced. They were all built with for a 50 amp (14-50) service. It was widely believed that all campgrounds would be going this way and the simple reasons were that coaches were getting bigger and needed more A/C and things like microwaves were being installed.

Well, flash forward 40 years and they were wrong. I would have thought that for the cost of the extra copper, no park builder would limit to 30 amp. I am wrong, I have even been in newer parks that only have 15 amp (R6-15) at the site and not even 20(R6-20) and yes, they are different.

There were some GMCs that went for other upfitters that are only 30. Some have been retro fitted to 30 with another 15/20 cable for another A/C unit. I was told that this was because it was too difficult to wrestle that 50 amp cable. I don't have a problem with it.

I did talk to one owner that was under the impression that if he wired the sites for 50, he would need to have a meter for each site. Well, Edison also sold the light bulbs, so he used to bill based on the bulbs you owned. Then he invented an accumulating watt hour meter for billing.

Matt

[BB_TX]

I think the only reason not to add it on high end units (where cost is not much of an issue) is that if you stayed at a campground where only 30 amp were available then the dryer could not be used. And city, state, and federal parks/campgrounds you are more likely to encounter that than commercial RV parks.

Some 50 amp RVs have circuit breaker panels that you can simply install a linked two pole breaker and wire in a 220 vac outlet if you have two side by side empty breaker slots. Some are designed where you can’t do that.

[Second_Chance]

Our Whirlpool stacked pair are both 110V - and the same size as the Splendide stackables.

Rob

[time2roll]

Yes you can add what you like. Just add a subpanel to fit a two pole breaker between the cord entry and the main panel. Don't remove the 120v connector as you will need it if stuck on 30 amp service.