Reverse Polarity code When Plugging in at Home

[Lakejumper]

In the past I have plugged my RV in directly to my 30 receptacle in the garage, without any issues. Today a friend who is visiting plugged into my 30 amp plug, but placed a surge protector in the middle of the power cords and got a Reverse Polarity error code. Why is this happening?

[K_Charles]

A volt meter stuck in the long spot and the round hold should be zero.

[BB_TX]

Bobbo wrote:

wildtoad wrote:
Call an electrician and have them check the wiring.

This can be done before calling an electrician.

Go to a big box hardware store and buy a no-contact voltage tester. They are not expensive. That will tell you exactly which slot on your 30 amp outlet is hot. You can then tell if the outlet is wired backwards. With the round slot at the top, the hot slot should be lower left.

This is the best answer. And that tester is handy to have around any way. Here is how it should be wired.

http://www.myrv.us/electric/

[Dave_H_M]

Bpbbo, If you hare some elcheapo HF volt ohm meters laying around already, won't they suffice for the testing?

[Bobbo]

wildtoad wrote:
Call an electrician and have them check the wiring.

This can be done before calling an electrician.

Go to a big box hardware store and buy a no-contact voltage tester. They are not expensive. That will tell you exactly which slot on your 30 amp outlet is hot. You can then tell if the outlet is wired backwards. With the round slot at the top, the hot slot should be lower left.

[wildtoad]

Call an electrician and have them check the wiring.

[BurbMan]

Agreed, if OP was not using a polarity checker the garage outlet has likely been wrong from the get go and he never knew it.

[bob_nestor]

TenOC wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Whomever wired his EMS did it bass-ackwards. Anything reconnectable on the incoming shore power from plug to his breaker panel is reconnectable. But it is commonly it's in the umbilical cord.

Or maybe the 30 receptacle in the garage is wired wrong and it always had a problem but was never checked.

This is what I'd check first. Getting the Hot and Neutral swapped when wiring the plug is very easy to do. In the old days before the 3rd wire ground was introduced it usually didn't matter how you wired the plugs. But with the 3rd wire ground and with a lot of the newer electronics it does matter and can make a difference (it actually makes a difference on 2-wire connections too which is why most plugs can only plug in one way with the larger blade on one side of the plug). I always use a tester on any new circuit or plug I install just to make sure I did it right.

[TenOC]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Whomever wired his EMS did it bass-ackwards. Anything reconnectable on the incoming shore power from plug to his breaker panel is reconnectable. But it is commonly it's in the umbilical cord.

Or maybe the 30 receptacle in the garage is wired wrong and it always had a problem but was never checked.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Whomever wired his EMS did it bass-ackwards. Anything reconnectable on the incoming shore power from plug to his breaker panel is reconnectable. But it is commonly it's in the umbilical cord.