MrWizard wrote:
both of you guys are overlooking the whole topic
"50amp cheater"
only 50amps available at the plug, not 100amps
because only ONE 50amp 'service leg' was used to power both legs of the 50amp receptacle
meaning only 50amps at 120v is available ,,, shared to both legs of the outlet
NOT possible to use more, the 50amp breaker will trip
That depends upon what 50A breaker you have and how it's wired. If it's the normal 50A 2-pole breaker, wiring both inputs to the same incoming leg will not limit the total current to 50A since each side of the breaker has its own 50A trip limit.
If it's a single-pole breaker with a single output wire that in turn feeds both pins of the 50A receptacle, then you're correct and the total is limited.
If it is the two-pole breaker with only one side in use (acting like a single-pole) that in turn feeds both pins in the receptacle, it's fine.
In other words, did they cheat the incoming bus bars or just the 50A receptacle downstream of the breaker?
