ForestRiverTT wrote:
We are not seasoned electricians. We know just enough about electric to be dangerous, as proven by the damage we did. We assumed the RV breaker would catch any issues, but it didn't. We definitely should have started with a qualified electrician!
We now have a 30amp receptacle on the side of the garage even though father in law asked for 50 amp. It's possible when he went to pick up 50 amp receptacles they only had 30s, because he did put a 50 amp breaker. May be the plan is to swap the 30 for a 50 when he can get one. I'll find out when I go over there today. At the very least, the 30 amp connection will be much better than the 110v we were using. It's getting cold here and the 110 wasn't enough to run space heaters to save on propane.
OK, well part of the problem is understanding some basics.
This is one that trips up qualified electricians!
They often will wire the three wire 30A 120V RV outlet assuming it is the same as a three wire 240V drier..
For RVs and RVs only, there is a specific THREE WIRE 30A 120V ONLY outlet. NEMA-TT30R is the official socket and will be marked "for RV use only"
Looks like this..
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71oIsfLlA7L._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
The bad thing about this outlet is it is easily confused with a THREE WIRE 30A 240V drier outlet which looks like this..
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/710ccypu5uL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
People look at that drier outlet and think the 30A RV plug can be plugged into it.. Unfortunately it is possible to physically plug a 30A RV plug into that drier outlet if you really want to brute force it in. Or they assume they can add on or use that drier circuit to power their 30A 120V RV.
30A 240V drier outlet is fed by a two pole breaker from the panel, this means there is two "hot" wires (each wire supplies 120V) and one equipment ground.. Connect your RV to this circuit results in what happened to your RV.
30A RV outlet has one single Hot wire and that HOT is connected to a single pole breaker in your home breaker panel. It is the same idea as your homes 120V outlets with the exception that it will be wired to a 30A breaker unlike your homes outlets which may be on 15A or 20A breaker.
For FOUR WIRE 50A 120/240 RVs, they ARE the same plug and socket as a 50A 120/240V electric range/stove and in this case can be safely plugged into a electric range socket..
Looks like this..
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71UG6asjboS._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
Four Wire 120V/240 50A outlet can supply 120V and 240V (L1 and L2 black, red or blue) since it has a neutral wire (White) plus ground..
I have found a good website which gives a lot of good info on how to wire a 30A 120V RV socket..
HEREAdditionally I found a nice youtube video which you may find very helpful..
HEREAlthough, if your RV has a 50A 120V/240 service, adding a 50A 120V/240V socket and appropriate wiring and breaker would be a nice upgrade if your homes breaker panel has the space for a two pole breaker..
I am sure you could do some searching and find similar info and video like I did for that setup.
They do also sell combo outdoor RV shore power panels which have 50A and 30A sockets..