cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

30 amp 110 or 220 volt?

AikenRacer
Explorer
Explorer
Our mh is a 50 amp system. With an adapter, I can use 30 amp with limited capabilities. I am putting a 30 amp receptacle at my home so that I can run our fridge and one ac (total 11 amps). My question is should this receptacle be wired up 110 volts or 220 volts? I am fairly sure it should be 220 but just not 100% sure. Any comments?
2012 Tuscany 42RQ tag
2005 Silverado 2500 w/ piggy back golf cart
47 REPLIES 47

MotorPro
Explorer
Explorer
AikenRacer wrote:
I am using two 30 amp breakers that are hooked together as one presently in the breaker box that used to go to a stove that we no longer have. I bought a 30 amp RV box at Lowes. So my present wiring is the top 30 amp breaker in the box has one wire going to one side of the new 30 amp receptacle. The bottom 30 amp breaker is wired going to the other side of the new 30 amp receptacle. That is why I figured it is 220 volts. Is this wired right for a mh?
do not under any circumstances plug your rv into that.!!!

fla-gypsy
Explorer
Explorer
Careful or your next post will be "I screwed up"
This member is not responsible for opinions that are inaccurate due to faulty information provided by the original poster. Use them at your own discretion.

09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)

wolfe10
Explorer
Explorer
wildmanbaker wrote:
Wow! Then 2 legs of 120 volts, at 50 amps each leg, gives you 100 amps total 120 volt electrical. Correct? Since they are from different sides of the buss, this seems to make sense to me. One leg could feed the entire loads of the MH, and the second leg could feed a electric heating element in the furnace.


Yes, 50 amp RV outlet gives 100 amps @ 120 VAC (TWO pinned 50 amp breakers!).

The two separate hots each feed half of your RV breaker box (unless Bubba wired it the loads are close to equally balanced).

Sorry, do not know what you are talking about about the "second leg feeding..."

Sure, you could run a couple of space heaters on each leg (as long as total draw per leg is less than 50 amps per leg).
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38'FDDS
Ex: 1997 Safari 35'
Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240

Diesel RV Club:http://www.dieselrvclub.org/

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
AikenRacer wrote:
So you are saying that the 30 amp receptacle should be wired up with one wire from the breaker to one side of the receptacle and the other side of the receptacle to the neutral bar?
:E :E Disconnect the second hot before the smoke comes out :E :E

One hot to the brass screw, neutral to the silver, ground to ground.

Yes polarity matters.

Big_Katuna
Explorer II
Explorer II
wildmanbaker wrote:
Kayteg1 wrote:
This is the issue even professional electricians get confused on.
Your 50 amp service is having 2 legs at 50 amp EACH.
The 30 amp adapter connect both legs into single 30 amp 120V plug.
You can find lot of stories about people plugging 30amp 120V RV adapter into 240V dryer plug (yes, you can make it fit) and sparks are flying.


Wow! Then 2 legs of 120 volts, at 50 amps each leg, gives you 100 amps total 120 volt electrical. Correct? Since they are from different sides of the buss, this seems to make sense to me. One leg could feed the entire loads of the MH, and the second leg could feed a electric heating element in the furnace.


Few if any RVs use electric heat. Some roof units have heat. There are conversion kits around to convert gas furnaces to electric. Most higher end all electric DPs use Aqua hot water heating systems
My Kharma ran over my Dogma.

wildmanbaker
Explorer
Explorer
Kayteg1 wrote:
This is the issue even professional electricians get confused on.
Your 50 amp service is having 2 legs at 50 amp EACH.
The 30 amp adapter connect both legs into single 30 amp 120V plug.
You can find lot of stories about people plugging 30amp 120V RV adapter into 240V dryer plug (yes, you can make it fit) and sparks are flying.


Wow! Then 2 legs of 120 volts, at 50 amps each leg, gives you 100 amps total 120 volt electrical. Correct? Since they are from different sides of the buss, this seems to make sense to me. One leg could feed the entire loads of the MH, and the second leg could feed a electric heating element in the furnace.
Wildmanbaker

ArchHoagland
Explorer
Explorer
Prewired outlet

I installed this one.

It is completely wired and all you do is connect your four wire power source following the color codes they have marked on the input connector.

Very simple.
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD
Workhorse W22 8.1 Gas Allison 1000, 7.1 mpg

2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
US Gear Brakes

Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Explorer III
AikenRacer wrote:
I think what is confusing me is that when I camp at a 30 amp campground, I use a 50 to 30 amp adapter and only run 2 air conditioners instead of 3. The power mgt system screen shows 118 volts coming in on line 1 and 118 volts coming in on line 2. That is why I thought the 30 amp service was 220 volts......??


That is because the 30A Adapter has a jumper wire connecting the 30A 1 HOT keg to the 50A 2 Hot legs
Is it time for your medication or mine?


2007 DODGE 3500 QC SRW 5.9L CTD In-Bed 'quiet gen'
2007 HitchHiker II 32.5 UKTG 2000W Xantex Inverter
US NAVY------USS Decatur DDG31

newman_fulltime
Explorer
Explorer
AikenRacer wrote:
I think what is confusing me is that when I camp at a 30 amp campground, I use a 50 to 30 amp adapter and only run 2 air conditioners instead of 3. The power mgt system screen shows 118 volts coming in on line 1 and 118 volts coming in on line 2. That is why I thought the 30 amp service was 220 volts......??


If it was 220 it would say line 1 220 line 2 220:h

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
AikenRacer wrote:
I think what is confusing me is that when I camp at a 30 amp campground, I use a 50 to 30 amp adapter and only run 2 air conditioners instead of 3. The power mgt system screen shows 118 volts coming in on line 1 and 118 volts coming in on line 2. That is why I thought the 30 amp service was 220 volts......??
And what does that say at a 50a site?
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Aiken,

30 amp is 120 volts.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

AikenRacer
Explorer
Explorer
I think what is confusing me is that when I camp at a 30 amp campground, I use a 50 to 30 amp adapter and only run 2 air conditioners instead of 3. The power mgt system screen shows 118 volts coming in on line 1 and 118 volts coming in on line 2. That is why I thought the 30 amp service was 220 volts......??
2012 Tuscany 42RQ tag
2005 Silverado 2500 w/ piggy back golf cart

Busskipper
Explorer
Explorer
Executive wrote:
WOW! Reading these responses even confuse me and I know what I'm doing.

To the OP: Decide if you want 30 or 50 amp service. Since you already have purchased the 30 amp stuff, go with that. Your 30 amp service is 120VAC NOT 220. Your coach is 30amp too. Click on the link below and read about how to hook it up correctly. When you're finished, test it for 120VAC BEFORE hooking up your RV. Good luck...Dennis

MyRV Electric


This is it.

Read no more just follow the clicky's directions.
Busskipper
Maryland/Colorado
Travel Supreme 42DS04
GX470-FMCA - Travel less now - But still love to be on the Road
States traveled in this Coach

in5r
Explorer
Explorer
If you have any doubts as to what you are being told watch this video. Hopefully the visual reference helps too.
Watch "How to install 30 amp 110 volt RV  Electrical box" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/T_A3A15FvIs
2019 Ford F250 6.7 CC SB
2015 Jayco Eagle HT 28.5RSTS

BB_TX
Nomad
Nomad
AikenRacer wrote:
So you are saying that the 30 amp receptacle should be wired up with one wire from the breaker to one side of the receptacle and the other side of the receptacle to the neutral bar?

That is correct. DO NOT USE BOTH SIDES OF THE BREAKER. I would replace the breaker with a single pole 30 amp breaker.

Open the link in the first reply and read the 30 amp wiring info carefully.