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Old 10-09-2009, 07:06 AM   #1
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50 AMP question

A brief question:

Does the 50 amp plug on an RV
carry 240 volts?
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Old 10-09-2009, 07:16 AM   #2
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Simply put Yes. Take a look here for more information. http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/50-amp%20Service.pdf
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Old 10-09-2009, 07:25 AM   #3
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Are you sure?

Question two:
Does the power supply at RV parks
provide 240 volts to the 50 amp plug?
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Old 10-09-2009, 07:51 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennethowens View Post
Are you sure?

Question two:
Does the power supply at RV parks
provide 240 volts to the 50 amp plug?
The National Electric Code governs the application of each electric plug configuration. A 50 amp 240 volt plug will have that voltage on it at the point where it is plugged in.

Now having said that that does not mean that 240 volts will be used on any application inside the trailer. At the panel there will be two 120 volt legs with each leg feeding say 1/2 of the fixtures in the traielr and the other leg feeding the other 1/2.

The only fixtures that would benefit from 240 volts are those that generally require higher power. These include AC, hot water heater, and cloths dryer. Those rigs that come from the factory with a 50 amp supply, if designed correctly will have these fixtures wired for 240 volts.
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Old 10-09-2009, 07:58 AM   #5
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By no means an expert so pardon the terminology. A 50 amp plug is a 240 volt plug. The four posts are Ground, common, and two 120 volt legs.
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Old 10-09-2009, 08:05 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennethowens View Post
Are you sure?
Yes! What HowieE and Grumpycamper said.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kennethowens View Post
Question two:
Does the power supply at RV parks
provide 240 volts to the 50 amp plug?
If an RV park has a 50 amp service plug then there should be the potential of 240 VAC from that plug. That said you should always check the output to make sure your getting the proper voltage.
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Old 10-09-2009, 09:07 AM   #7
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So it's still OK to use my 50x30 (50a shore receptacle x 30a trailer plug) dogbone when I connect at a campground?

Pat
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Old 10-09-2009, 09:13 AM   #8
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So it's still OK to use my 50x30 (50a shore receptacle x 30a trailer plug) dogbone when I connect at a campground?

Pat
If your dog bone was commercially manufactured it should adhear to the codes.

If you made it and only picked up one leg of the 240 system and connected the neutral and ground in the right configuration again you are OK.
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Old 10-09-2009, 09:31 AM   #9
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Thank you for your kind assistance.
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Old 10-09-2009, 10:41 AM   #10
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240VAC is just two legs of 120VAC

If you look up at a utility pole, at the very top, there are usually 3 wires separated by a distance and insulated from the pole. These are the 3 phases of 60 hertz(cycles) electricity that the utility generates. Combinations of those 3 phases result in the various voltage schemes used in commercial, and residential grids. I am ignoring the higher voltages, and industrial applications in this statement.
Most residential applications today use a 240VAC 200 amp SINGLE PHASE service drop from the utility. Most RV's today use either a 240VAC 50 amp service or a 120VAC 30 amp service, again, single phase.

The difference in voltage is acquired thusly: a single phase of power is connected to a step-down transformer; 2 "legs" of 120v AC are created within the transformer and can be combined to get 240VAC. This voltage measurement is made between the "hot" spades of a female connector. If you measure the voltage between each of the "hot" leads to the neutral, you will see a reading of 120VAC. Now, on the 120VAC, obviously there is only one way to get a voltage reading-hot to neutral, which will read 120VAC.

You can get voltage readings between the hot and the grounding conductor-but doing so may cause GFCI's (ground fault circuit interrupters) to operate-as they are supposed to operate when current is sensed on the grounding conductor.

Going back to the 3 wires on the utility pole. They represent the generated power-most generators have armatures divided into segment multiples of 3. This is where 3 phase power comes from-and this is an entirely different beast than what we are discussing here. The utility's neutral is NOT up on top-but rather down the pole about three feet or so-communications wiring (telephone, cable TV) should be below this neutral. Oh, and as an aside, the utility neutral is usually earth grounded on every other pole.

For best Electrical protection and operation, the RV's grounding conductor(s) should not be connected to the RV's neutral. Older RV's (and residences, too) combined the neutral conductors and grounding conductors on the same neutral connector bar. If you wish to upgrade your electrical system, this would be one place to start; separate these two types of conductors and place them on separate connctor bars. ALWAYS de-energize the system you are working on.
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