I just heard from my friend who had his 30amp RV receptacle wired with 240v instead of 120v. The electrician fixed the problem when he wasn't home but left him a message saying so. My friend had visiting friends with a class C plug into the same outlet. Guess what? Funny things started happening to his rig. They checked the outlet again and found the neutral and hot reversed. I am now thinking this electrician, and I use the term loosely, doesn't have a clue! And yes, I had told the owner he should use a voltmeter to check before plugging in but evidently you can't teach an old dog new tricks.Dave

I smell a rat...Not you Dave!Something is fundamentally wrong here. Like if you go to the doctor bleeding and his gives you an enema. Twice.

Simple little circuit checker will save you a lot of $$$.Sun In Law wired a 30 amp for me at his house. First thing I did was use that little circuit checker. Just plug it in. It tell all.

Just goes to show ya: regardless of how competent (or incompetent) the technician, nothing beats checking up after them to be sure you got what you ordered.I do my own electrical work, thank you very much, and although I am not a licensed electrician, even I know enough to insure the hot and neutral wires are right, and to check before I plug in. Carry at least a circuit checker. Personally, I prefer a VOM, but hey, the lesson is PAY ATTENTION.

This further reinforces the idea to get an EMS. If one slips up, it at least means no power rather than a barbecued rig.

Looks like the electrician is on the hook for more RV repairs.For just a few dollars more should have had a 50A service installed vs the 30A.........less chance of messing up.I bet he doesn't accept another RV Outlet Job!

UPDATE to 240v 30amp recepticle fries another one!

12 Replies

byronlj
Explorer
Feb 20, 2014
I don't know why it is so hard for this guy to get it right. I am a general contractor not an electrician and I just wired my new garage. I have a 50a rv circuit, a 30a rv circuit, a 240v welder circuit, and a 240v air compressor circuit. I got them all correct the first time. Maybe he or his workers don't want or care to double check their work.
As far as the funny things happening with the hot and neutral reversed, I am not sure. This is now a friend of a friend conversation. I imagine the GFCI circuits acted up.
Dave
time2roll
Nomad
Feb 20, 2014
john&bet wrote:
So I guess now we need to check the electrical systems in the house we buy before we plug anything in. Same goes for our rv before we leave the dealer with a new one or one a dealer has worked on. To me the same logic applies. JMHO.

Yes if you buy a house it should be inspected. Especially if there was remodel work.

Same with the RV. If work was done on the 120v outlets then by all means check them.
john_bet
Explorer II
Feb 20, 2014
So I guess now we need to check the electrical systems in the house we buy before we plug anything in. Same goes for our rv before we leave the dealer with a new one or one a dealer has worked on. To me the same logic applies. JMHO.
Wayne_Dohnal
Explorer
Feb 19, 2014
Unless there's something wrong with the RV's wiring or one of the electrical devices, reversed polarity shows no symptoms. It must be explicitly tested for. If "funny things" happened, IMO there's something wrong with the RV wiring or one of the devices connected to it.
time2roll
Nomad
Feb 19, 2014
Great, so wrecking the new RV was not enough. He now wants to electrocute the owner :R
LittleBill
Explorer
Feb 19, 2014
although the electrician is an idiot. a reversed hot/neutral is generally just a safety hazard. AC has no polarity, most devices should have no issue with it.

what are the funny things?
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Feb 19, 2014
Meter the outlet, set the meter to the range that includes 250 volt initially. Modify if needed.

This is something you should always do if plugging into a "Strange" outlet, (one you have not yet used) or to a recently "Repaired" outlet (to make sure it is not broken instead of repaired) and there are those (I'm among them) who feel it's not a bad idea any time you plug in.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Feb 19, 2014
Looks like the electrician is on the hook for more RV repairs.

For just a few dollars more should have had a 50A service installed vs the 30A.........less chance of messing up.

I bet he doesn't accept another RV Outlet Job!
mlts22
Explorer II
Feb 19, 2014
This further reinforces the idea to get an EMS. If one slips up, it at least means no power rather than a barbecued rig.
naturist
Nomad
Feb 19, 2014
Just goes to show ya: regardless of how competent (or incompetent) the technician, nothing beats checking up after them to be sure you got what you ordered.

I do my own electrical work, thank you very much, and although I am not a licensed electrician, even I know enough to insure the hot and neutral wires are right, and to check before I plug in. Carry at least a circuit checker. Personally, I prefer a VOM, but hey, the lesson is PAY ATTENTION.