Should I go 50amp or 30amp?

[Mr_Steve]

Hi!

I'm new to the site. I have found a great deal of knowledge on this site and want to thank you for that. I am currently building a 28'X8' Tiny Home on a triple axle trailer. The outside should be completed by the end of next week. I am currently planning my electrical system and that is what leads me to this post. I plan to have propane for heat and the stove/oven. Major electrical appliances will be a fridge, microwave, and a mini split AC unit. I feel I could get by with 30 amps but I am also looking at resale value and since it is a new build it might not be any more difficult to install a 50amp split panel to get 100 available amps at 120v? I have zero experience with RV'ing so that's why I bring this question to you. Right now I am leading towards a 50amp as it would provide flexibility for potential buyers down the road but am I missing some cons? What added challenges will I have compared to 30amp?

Thanks in advance,

Steve

[greenrvgreen]

Regarding transfer switch, tell US your needs. Many of us have spent several grand to get seamless power transfer, but if you don't need it, do as Bobbo says and save all that money. An expert electrician can tell you how to wire a house, but is it a house or an RV? Plenty of posts here from RV owners who hired an expert electrician to feed 30amp 240V into their RV and fry everything.

Tiny home, tiny home--I just don't get it!

[bfast54]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

MWJones wrote:
WESTERNRVPARKOWNER:

I don't know where you got your info about anything home built won't be worth anything. As posted earlier, I built a 24x8 concession trailer. I used it for 12 years and sold it for 2 and 1/5 times what it cost to build. If built well and kept well it WILL be worth something.

If you say so. However a concession trailer or a construction trailer or any other kind of commercial trailer is a lot different than an RV. There just isn't a whole lot of people looking for a used RV built by Tom, Dick or Harry. They shop manufacturers.

Not to quibble too much but apparently you don't get around much---- must be you don't leave your RV park?????


The original posted he's building A tiny home.

A tiny house in a trailer ----look it up and watch some of the stuff on TV ....:S


These are huge now days he could sell it in a minute.......:C

[Mr_Steve]

john&bet wrote:

Mr_Steve wrote:
Currently in the process of selecting my panel. Seems like this should be easy. Would be nice to have 10 circuits even though that's overkill. Here is one option I found but can't find many others. Anyone have other panel suggestions?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200196374_200196374?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Generators-_-...

I would suggest you make a visit to your local electrical wholesale house. Explain to them what you would like to do. They will help you out. At least the ones around here do.

I think you are right. Too many options out there. Possibilities are endless. Great advice.

[john_bet]

Mr_Steve wrote:
Currently in the process of selecting my panel. Seems like this should be easy. Would be nice to have 10 circuits even though that's overkill. Here is one option I found but can't find many others. Anyone have other panel suggestions?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200196374_200196374?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Generators-_-...

I would suggest you make a visit to your local electrical wholesale house. Explain to them what you would like to do. They will help you out. At least the ones around here do.

[Bobbo]

Even with an onboard generator, you can do without a failure prone ATS. Wire the generator output to an outlet in an outlet box inside your electrical compartment. When you need to use your generator, unplug your shore power cord from the pedestal, and plug it into the generator's outlet.

[enblethen]

This would do about the same. Are you going to have an on-board genset or a portable type unit?
If it is a portable unit then you would not need the transfer function as your shore power cord would be used for shore power pedestal or genset connection.
Transfer switch
A small panel like this would do. You would need to install main and then branch breakers.
Flush panel

[Mr_Steve]

Currently in the process of selecting my panel. Seems like this should be easy. Would be nice to have 10 circuits even though that's overkill. Here is one option I found but can't find many others. Anyone have other panel suggestions?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200196374_200196374?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Generators-_-...

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I consider commercial cheap brands to be a mere step above junk. I built mine 30 years ago and unlike Blunders, Illwinds, Winnebuggers, and like ilk, I don't spend ten grand a year trying to keep ahead of toilets that leak, refrigerators that are superb at spoiling good food and a hundred other things that may look good but operate like garbage.

[greenrvgreen]

Certainly an OTR tractor will tow this weight easily--kind of wish you'd mentioned that in your original post where you say:

"I have zero experience with RV'ing."

As regards your project, currently you seem to be under-speccing your appliances and electrical sys, even by RVing standards. Generally speaking, RVs are moving towards residential appliances and residential-sized circuitry. Gas appliances and/or RV-specific appliances will both limit your capabilities and drag down the resale value you say you don't care about but mention in every reply.

If you want to see where high-end RVs are heading, browse high-end yatching sites. There you will find commercial-grade appliances whose physical size has been reduced way down while retaining high-end functionality--after all you keep saying "tiny".

Good luck and post pics!

[Mr_Steve]

I don't think this guy will get this much money on this ad link below but this is for an 18' trailer listed at $47k. There is a strange market for these types of homes. People like the ability to have a more liveable place than an TT but smaller than a Park Model so they can move it with a pickup. As I have said every time I don't plan to sell this upon completion or ever but if for some reason I do have to sell I feel there is a market for this type of build.

http://tinyhouselistings.com/modern-tiny-house-11/

[Mr_Steve]

greenrvgreen wrote:
The OP says he isn't concerned about resale value, and yet he keeps coming back to resale value. If the OP is assuming that the Gold Rush economics of the ND Oil Patch will still be in place when he tries to sell his trailer eight years from now, he should study up on supply and demand.

As far as towing a 15,000-lb (dry) trailer with a 1-ton, I would leave that up to the towing experts. But I would at least urge the OP to try towing SOMETHING before he tries towing something that heavy.

Or consider having a professional trucker move it for him, the few times he's going to move it. But then he has to reason why he doesn't just buy a bunch of park models and park them places, as was suggested previously. Personally, the more I realize I hate towing the better that idea looks to me.

As far as the OP's original question about electricity (where he mentioned resale value twice), I would agree that 50a should be considered the minimum for a rig that's mostly going to sit.

I appreciate the fact that you assume I have never done any towing. I have also said said several times I am not concerned about resale value as I plan to have it forever but it is always good to have the resale mindset just in case. I still feel it is worth mentioning that I think the group would be surprised with the THOW market.

I grew up on a farm in ND where my brothers still farm and had lots of experiencing towing. My best friend is a professional driver with his CDL. I plan to have him tow it. If we need, we will use the farm semi but that shouldn't be necessary. Thank you for finally addressing the original post.

[greenrvgreen]

The OP says he isn't concerned about resale value, and yet he keeps coming back to resale value. If the OP is assuming that the Gold Rush economics of the ND Oil Patch will still be in place when he tries to sell his trailer eight years from now, he should study up on supply and demand.

As far as towing a 15,000-lb (dry) trailer with a 1-ton, I would leave that up to the towing experts. But I would at least urge the OP to try towing SOMETHING before he tries towing something that heavy.

Or consider having a professional trucker move it for him, the few times he's going to move it. But then he has to reason why he doesn't just buy a bunch of park models and park them places, as was suggested previously. Personally, the more I realize I hate towing the better that idea looks to me.

As far as the OP's original question about electricity (where he mentioned resale value twice), I would agree that 50a should be considered the minimum for a rig that's mostly going to sit.

[Mr_Steve]

Rick Jay wrote:
OP,

Building on greenrvgreen's comments above, I think a realistic assessment should be done on it's expected value if you have to sell. I believe you mentioned that you'll be in Washington for a few years, then possibly move up to Alaska.

Have you considered just getting a used park model for now, selling it when you need to move, and then when you have a better idea of where you'll be permanently located, buy something there? I know it won't be quite the layout you want, but it will get you housing cheaper and probably be easier to sell as well. This will only be "short term".

I think this is a neat project, but I'm not sold on the idea this will have much value to most people, may not be allowed in some campgrounds and wonder what it might cost you to have it towed from Washington to Alaska if you don't have access to a very large truck.

Now if you're building it and don't expect to sell it and have the means to safely move it, that would be different.

Again, good luck. I hope it all works out for you. 🙂

~Rick

Thanks for the input, Rick. It's really not about the resale value. We plan to travel around for 8 years and felt this would be a fun project/adventure. I actually posted a Craigslist Ad and had a gentleman offer me a free place to park with hookups as long as I kept up the land for him. I would have to pay for electricity of course but that's it.


It will probably make it's way back to North Dakota where our family resides and be an heirloom. That being said I still feel it will have more value than this group expects. Especially if I brought it to western ND.

[Mr_Steve]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
A couple of points if I may...

RV Park 50-amp receptacles tend to be in better shape than 30-amp receptacles. You will be drawing a lot less.

Wire L2 to all the items that you would never wish to run while boondocking.

For Alaska I would be sorely tempted to fit healthy size home baseboard heaters in the living room and bedroom. Thermostats.

Plenty of receptacles. Spec grade and 12/2 marine duplex - tinned.

Marine not RV switch type breakers on both AC and DC. Klixon just like on a sailboat. Smaller, neater, easier to wire and a lot more durable.

Order lots of 10-12 gauge uninsulated fork (spade) terminals for receptacles. Much better contact and WAY easier to wire.

Rerurning to your power panel...

Klixon ganged 40-amp master breaker. A pair of inexpensive 200-volt digital AC voltmeters. Plug in, refer to the monitor and when YOU decide that L1 and L2 are adequate YOU flip the ganged Klixon and power-up. This guarantees zero missing neutral nightmares. You can also monitor each AC leg at the same time.

Wire the rig with intelligent wiring color coding. Black Blue white and green for the 240 AC.

Red and YELLOW for DC. Yellow is now the standard YSB color coding for 12-volt ground. It prevents fatal confusion between 120 volt hot legs and DC ground.

Use 16-gauge duplex wire with yellow ground for 12-volt lighting feeders. Instantaneous recognition of circuit.

I did all this with the 2 buses I built. But it was a long time ago. Analog gauges, halogen lighting and BW Magnatek chargers. Yes all this costs more. But you will throw yourself kisses in the mirror later on.

Forget resale value. You are building a heirloom. A new 40 grand rig is worth 30 the instant it hits the street. If you hide an 8,000 BTU window AC under the bed and a second AC under the dinette seat you will jump for joy at the elimimation of problems using AC with a generator. I refused to endanger an AC by placing it on the roof. One tree limb and ka-pow. Also leaves the roof wide open for solar panels.

Good fortune to you! Planning and building your own rig to me is fun beyond description.

One more note - insulate the heck out of the gas refrigerator insert space. I used 4" rigid foam block. Then foam insulated the actual rear of the refrigerator. Saves EIGHTY-PERCENT on LPG. I clad both doors in 1" foam board with mahogany panel (thin).

WOW. So many great pieces of information and ideas. I need to take a little time and digest it all but thanks for your very detailed input. It is very appreciated and I will take it all into consideration with my plan.