Electrical Issues on new travel trailer

[beachdrmr3369]

Hello,
I'm a new owner of a 25' travel trailer. So I am completely not up to speed on the electrical. A situation happened when I was hooking it up to the meter panel for the first time. I was not told that the trailer should be hooked up to 110. The rv site is set up for 220 hookup. The plug on the trailer is also set up for the 220 hookup as well. So when I plugged it in, there was a loud pop and smoke came out of my tv and the control panel inside the trailer. I quickly unplugged it. But then some of the lights, microwave and tv didn't work. I called the dealership I bought the trailer from and they informed me that the trailer is 110 and not 220. Very frustrated at the moment. Then much later there was another pop and then the microwave, A/C and tv turned on. But it appears they were only running on the battery. Because now everything appears very dim which means the battery is losing power. So is there anything I can do to figure out this problem I'm having? If the items came back on, can I assume it didn't fry them? Please help! Thanks!

[BurbMan]

Spot on, Bobbo! What you call a welder outlet is also common for dryers, water heaters, and other 220/240v appliances. Most electricians are not familiar with RVs and when you ask for a 30a outlet, you get the top version because that's all they've ever installed. Sometimes the sparky will put in the correct outlet and wire it for 220/240v.

Beachcomber certainly fried a whole bunch of stuff, including the converter (why the batteries no longer charge), TV, micro, etc.

[Bobbo]

azdryheat wrote:
You are mistaking a 50 amp RV plug with a 220 volt plug. There is no 220v at any RV site.

If you check between L1 and L2 at a 50 amp RV outlet, you get 240v. So, it IS a 240v outlet. It is the RV that is only 120v, because it doesn't USE the 240v. And, there are even some RV's, with clothes dryers, that actually USE the 240v.

If you check, the 50 amp RV outlet is the EXACT same outlet as a 4 pin 240v dryer or stove outlet, and is wired exactly the same way.

azdryheat wrote:
It is a 50 amp hookup. Each leg is 120 volts. You're looking a 4 flat blades.

He didn't plug into a 240v 50 amp RV outlet. He plugged into either a 30 amp 120v RV outlet that was miswired with 240v, or he plugged into a 3 pin 240v welder outlet. The 3 pin 240v outlets DO exist and look a LOT like a 120v RV outlet, but with pins shaped differently. However, people HAVE forced an RV plug into the welder outlets. It can be done.

My guess is that there was a 3 pin 240v welder outlet already there, and he used it.

Welder outlet, 240v:



RV outlet, 120v:

[ppine]

Dusty is right. so is the last guy.

[azdryheat]

You are mistaking a 50 amp RV plug with a 220 volt plug. There is no 220v at any RV site. It is a 50 amp hookup. Each leg is 120 volts. You're looking a 4 flat blades. Two blades are 120 volt, one blade is a neutral and the other blade is a ground. If your trailer has two blades and a round post that is for a 30 amp connection. You need an adapter to connect your 30 amp to a 50 amp power supply.

Your trailer's power cord will not physically fit into a 220 volt power supply.

TV's and microwaves do not run on battery power. They only run on 110 volt.

I truly think you need someone to personally show you how things are supposed to work.

[Roger10378]

Was this at a campground or something you had installed at home? I'm betting something you had installed at home. While the 240v and 120v plugs look similar they are not interchangeable.

[Dusty_R]

A 30 amp 120 volt male cord cap will not plug into a 50 amp 240 volt receptacle.
So if you were able to plug in your 120 volt into 240 volt somebody wired something wrong.

[wa8yxm]

And People keep telling me "That won't work"

3O amp RVs are 120 volt I know the plug LOOKS like a 240 volt plug and many are the electrictians who think it is but the TT30 outlet says "Max 125 volts" right on the body or frame.. Same with the Plug.

This is why I recommend all 30 amp RVers have a Progressive Industries HW-30C installed (For 50 amp make it a HW-50C) This device, along with the remote display. if you plug into a miswired outlet (IE: 240 with a 30 amp rig) will tell you "240 volts do not bypass" and you can get it fixed.

The cost.. of the HW-30.. TV+Microwave+converter and possaibly parts of the Fridge and water heater and more.... The cost of the HW-30 is peanuts.

Set it for LONG DELAY and it also protects your Air Conditioner from power "Blinks" (where power goes out for just a couple seconds) this is a "long term" saving but.... IT makes the HW-30 even cheaper long term.

[bikendan]

beachdrmr3369 wrote:
Hello,
I'm a new owner of a 25' travel trailer. So I am completely not up to speed on the electrical. A situation happened when I was hooking it up to the meter panel for the first time. I was not told that the trailer should be hooked up to 110. The rv site is set up for 220 hookup. The plug on the trailer is also set up for the 220 hookup as well. So when I plugged it in, there was a loud pop and smoke came out of my tv and the control panel inside the trailer. I quickly unplugged it. But then some of the lights, microwave and tv didn't work. I called the dealership I bought the trailer from and they informed me that the trailer is 110 and not 220. Very frustrated at the moment. Then much later there was another pop and then the microwave, A/C and tv turned on. But it appears they were only running on the battery. Because now everything appears very dim which means the battery is losing power. So is there anything I can do to figure out this problem I'm having? If the items came back on, can I assume it didn't fry them? Please help! Thanks!

a 25' TT is most certainly 30 amp/120v. By you plugging into a 220v, you probably did do damage.
it's up to the owner to learn about stuff like this. a dealer is not going to explain every detail. Unfortunately, like many others, you have come to a RV forum AFTER the fact and not before. How do you know the trailer plug is "set up for 220, since you're stated that you're not up to speed on electrical. If the plug is only 3-prong, it is NOT 220v.
Please describe the 220v outlet that you plugged into.
Hopefully you might have only fried a few things.
a 25' TT is most certainly 30 amp?120v. By you plugging into a 220v, you probably did do damage.
it's up to the owner to learn about stuff like this. a dealer is not going to explain every detail. Unfortunately, like many others, you have come to a RV forum AFTER the fact and not before. How do you know the trailer plug is "set up for 220, since you're stated that you're not up to speed on electrical. If the plug is only 3-prong, it is NOT 220v.
Please describe the 220v outlet that you plugged into.
Hopefully you might have only fried a few things. Try posting pics of the TT's shore cord and what you plugged it into.

[Lynnmor]

You need to tell us just what plug is on the RV, 30 amp or 50 amp. video