Add Receptacle with Breaker

[rv46]

I would like to add a dedicate outlet for high draw items (hairdryer, heater, griddle, etc.) The plan is to a add an inlet and route the wire directly to this one outlet. However, I don't want to solely rely on the breaker on the post.

I saw this in a hotel. I looked at HD, Lowe's and two local electrical distributors with no luck. I would prefer 15A/20A breaker.

Any ideas where to find this? Alternatives?

[rv46]

I finally found time to do this project.

I posted it over here.

[rv46]

Thanks Bob.

[Bob_Landry]

rv46 wrote:
@Bob Landry - I like your design. What is the parts # for the Blue Sea breaker and plate?

I used a double pole breaker and switched hot and neutral because that's how we do it in the marine industry. I think NEC allows for only breaking the hot wire and you could simply go to bus bars for the neutral and ground.


Single breaker panel - p/n 8072. It takes a standard Blue Sea circuit breaker. These are available through any Marine store and at many places on-line.

[rv46]

@Bob Landry - I like your design. What is the parts # for the Blue Sea breaker and plate?

[myredracer]

Bob Landry wrote:
I installed a Marinco 20A inlet and ran Romex to a small Blue Sea breaker panel that feeds two outlets that I use to run space heaters or fans as needed.

This is an excellent way to tackle this. It's simple, low cost and gets the job done. I did it to our last TT. All you need to do is find a space to mount the inlet that has interior access like a dinette seat, back of kitchen cabinet, etc.

The thing with these is that the CG pedestal receptacle is 15/20 amp T-slot fed by a 20 amp breaker. I doubt you will ever need 20 amps for an appliance. You can't run a 15 amp extension cord to the pedestal because it won't be protected. To install a 15 amp inlet and receptacle, you will need to install a 15 amp breaker somewhere. Inside your unit would be best, but there's no reason why you couldn't mount it in an appropriate electrical box or use a circuit breaker enclosure as pictured above and make a stand and have it sitting on the ground under your TT. Even at the pedestal would work if it's rainproof. Putting the breaker at the pedestal would at least allow you to run 15 amp romex inside and extension cord to the pedestal.

AFIK, the NEC allows 15/20 T-slot receptacles in certain locations in a house. But in an RV I think this could potentially cause a fire and I don't think it would make a good general purpose receptacle. JMHO...

The 15/20 amp breakers in a pedestal are typically GFCI type. You wouldn't want two GFCIs in series. If the CG recept. isn't GFCI, that's probably no problem for most things you'd want to plug in anyway like heater.

[BarneyS]

Here is what I did although I did not install a seperate breaker. I see no problem in relying on the campground pedistal breaker.

I use it to run an electric heater or any other high draw item when we are running the air conditioner and/or microwave and using the water heater on electic. Out trailer is 30amp.
Barney

[RoyB]

The one big draw-back on going to the 50AMP SERVICE connection to eliminate the use of TWO shore power cables is extreme care has to be made on how it is wired up. The 50AMP service can give you 240AC inside you trailer unless you follow the RV WIRING Scheme.

This simple diagram shows the RV Wiring scheme for having two separate 120VAC Power panels.



The problem is some camp grounds only have 30AMP and 20AMP service requiring you to use an adapter. If you add the proper adapter then you are back to having the same problem of running out of 30AMP SERVICE. The 30AMP Service is split between the two Power Panels..


Photos from DMBRUSS

For the few times I run into this problem I found just connecting to the available 20AMP Service connection on the pedestal for the few high wattage appliances was sufficient for us. In my case it only cost the extra HD 20AMP Extension Cord which I already had for connecting my shore power cable to a 15AMP Receptacle at my home garage setup...

More food for thought
Roy Ken

[Bob_Landry]

If all that is needed is a couple of extra outlets in the trailer, then the 20A addition is the cheapest and easiest way to go. The advantage to adding a second 30A service is that you can sort out the loads according to current usage, split them according to current draw and get a balance between the two panels. This is easily done using a breakout box and running off the 50A outlet at the pedestal. That doubles your available service to 60A. If you do that and add an additional inlet to be fed from the pedestal's 20A outlet, that gives you a total of 80A of available service. Not as much as 50A service, but it's enough to satisfy most camper's needs.

[RoyB]

RV46 - I am adding comments again as I am still not sure from your comments what you are wanting to do...

Your trailer has a 30AMP Shore Power Cable that connects to the standard 30AMP Receptacle on the camp ground ground pedestal...

Your 30AMP trailer shore power cable is either a pull-out cable or direct connected like in these photos.


This is a typical camp ground pedestal setup where the above shown cables plug into. The 30AMP connection in your case.


I think what you are saying as well as bunch of others on here that if you have your air conditioner running and you turn on an additional high wattage unit you end having to go outside and RESET the 30AMP Shore Power Receptacle.

This happens to most of us...

If you add a separate power distribution unit in your trailer with its own dedicated 20AMP Circuits and tap off your existing 30AMP Shore Power Connections inside your trailer then the same thing is going to happen. You will have to go outside and reset the 30AMP Shore Power Connection receptacle.

What you want to do to get around this problem is add a SECOND SHORE POWER cable coming into your trailer and have it plugged into the 20AMP RECEPTACLE on Shore Power pedestal. Now you have TWO shore power cables coming into your trailer. You will have to rig up a NEW receptacle on the outside of your trailer (either a pull-out cable or direct connected PLUG type) and wire this to a new power distribution panel connected to your dedicated NEW 120VAC 20AMP receptacles around your trailer or so like a bunch of us do which is less expensive and that is just run a 50-foot HD Extension Cord from the 20AMP Connection on the shore power pedestal and route this into your trailer thru the storage door area.

Adding a complete second 20AMP shore power cable (either the pull-out or direct connected plug type) connected to a NEW Power Distribution Panel inside your trailer sounds expensive. If you select to use the outside trailer flip lid direct connected PLUG type your shore 20AMP Shore Power cable will have a 20AMP MALE plug on one end and a 20AMP FEMALE PLUG on the other end. This will require you to install a 20AMP MALE PLUG behind your flip lid receptacle on the outside of your trailer that is wired directly to your new 20AMP power distribution panel. A pull-out cable with a MALE 20AMP plug on its end would be the less expensive solution. This could even be a HD extension cord arrangement...

Your idea of installing a NEW 120VAC 20AMP Distribution Panel and NEW dedicated receptacles is fine but keep in mind it has to connect to the 120VAC 20AMP RECEPTACLE on the camp ground pedestal shown in this typical camp ground pedestal. Note each of the 50A-30A-20A receptacles have their own circuit breaker on the camp ground pedestal.


You are probably saying this in your remarks but wasn't clear to me you was. Will require TWO Shore Power cables to do what you want to do. One cable connected to the 30AMP Service and the other cable connected to the 20AMP Service.

Just making sure we are all on the same page
Roy Ken

[john_bet]

rv46 wrote:
I would like to add a dedicate outlet for high draw items (hairdryer, heater, griddle, etc.) The plan is to a add an inlet and route the wire directly to this one outlet. However, I don't want to solely rely on the breaker on the post.

I saw this in a hotel. I looked at HD, Lowe's and two local electrical distributors with no luck. I would prefer 15A/20A breaker.

Any ideas where to find this? Alternatives?

If you install a receptacle near the bathroom sink or the kitchen sink it will have to be a gfi receptacle or the c/b will have to be a gfi c/b. Also the receptacle will have to have the same or greater amp rating as the c/b you use.

[D_E_Bishop]

rv46,

You might search in Leviton.com or Lutron.com. Both make a huge number of outlets in different configurations. Any GOOD, meaning "Business to Business" electrical supply house would probably help you too.

Another source is Graingers, they are expensive but they stock or have access to lots of specialty products.

Another source of information would be architects, but, they can be expensive.

[westend]

Nice work, both Larry and Bob! That level of craftsmanship is better than you're going to get from a dealer.

[Bob_Landry]

I installed a Marinco 20A inlet and ran Romex to a small Blue Sea breaker panel that feeds two outlets that I use to run space heaters or fans as needed.

[LarryJM]

rv46 wrote:
I would like to add a dedicate outlet for high draw items (hairdryer, heater, griddle, etc.) The plan is to a add an inlet and route the wire directly to this one outlet. However, I don't want to solely rely on the breaker on the post.

I saw this in a hotel. I looked at HD, Lowe's and two local electrical distributors with no luck. I would prefer 15A/20A breaker.

Any ideas where to find this? Alternatives?

When I installed my second 30A service supply I fed that into a 60A "Load Center" shown below with two 15A CB each of which protected a single duplex outlet inside the trailer. The Load Center is available from either Lowes or HD and runs around $20 (less the breakers). I mounted my new load center in my rear pass thru which was the easiest location for my particular needs.






The little dark grey cover is something I added so the CBs were a little more protected since they were in the pass thru where stuff is stored.

Larry