installing a 30 amp RV outlet at home

[mkarahashi]

Hi Airform!

I have stupid sounding question, but please bear with me.

I am planning to hire an electrician to install a 120v 30 amp RV outlet at my house. The circuit will be dedicated for the RV, and will branch at the main panel, not the sub panel in the house.

When I had my 240v 30 amp Electric Vehicle charger installed, the installation instruction explicitly said this requires a dedicated 40 amp circuit. I imagine it's to leave a healthy margin (but who knows, this is why I leave this to the professionals)

So on a similar note, for the 120v 30 amp RV outlet, does the electrician put in a 40am circuit breaker at the main panel then another 30 amp circuit breaker next to the actual RV outlet? or is a straight up 30 amp circuit breaker at the main panel sufficient?

I do plan to get estimates from multiple electrician and look for one that is familiar with RV outlets. But in the meanwhile, I wanted to ask you all to get additional knowledge I can cross check with.

Thank you in advance!

[david594]

The Ev charger falls into a special category for continuous loads and are limited to 80% of the circuit capacity. So on a circuit wires for 40 amps you could have up to a 32 amp EV charger.

I don’t know the specific answer to you question.

Did you consider running a 50 amp 240v lead instead? Would future proof yourself.

[ryanc55]

It should definitely be a 30 amp breaker if you put a 30 amp receptacle on it. The breaker is there to protect the wiring, which will be rated at 30 amps. Putting a higher amp breaker on would risk damaging the wire and/or outlets. The electrician would refuse to put a 30 amp receptacle on a 40 amp breaker. That said, you'd still be limited/protected by the 30 amp breaker in the Airstream in any event, so you could put a 50 amp receptacle on the circuit with a 50a breaker and then use a 50 to 30 amp plug adapter.

As David said, the EV charger is different/special.

[Silver Ship]

I found this GE RV Panel for my 2019 International 25RBQ dual air 50 Amp and was pleased beyond words. In my dreams I could not have specked a better panel for my needs. It came prewired with a four wire connection to my new 50 Amp breakers. The dual 110s (20 Amp) are GFIs which are perfect for connecting a compressor or other power hungry tools. Note the Breakers on the box making it easy to connect with no trips inside to your main box. The lid on the panel closes and can be locked to prevent the theft of your 30 Amp chord. ( It will not lock on the 50 however. ) I removed the single 20 Amp box that my Father had installed 63 years ago for his '56 Airstream 18 and pushed the new wire thru the same hole in the foundation to the Main Panel. I am running a heater in my winterized AS and make due with the 30 when parked. Sorry for the picture orientation. It is mounted vertically! Good luck with your quest. Cheers, J

[mkarahashi]

Wow, I didn't expect responses so quick, you guys are truly awesome.

@David, Thank you for the explanation about EV circuits. The point about EV circuit being a continuous load and thus requiring margin makes sense.

@Maxine, your panel with the 110v outlet is nice. And that is a good point, having a 20 amp 120v outlet at the same panel would be quite convenient for all sorts of reasons. I should consider doing the same!

@Ryan, I don't think I will ever need a 50 amp RV since my driveway wouldn't accomodate anything longer than a 19' trailer anyway (ok, may be the 20' Basecamp would fit, but anything longer would not fit. So I don't see a 50 amp trailer ever being parked here even if I wanted to). But a 30 amp RV outlet along with a 20amp 120v outlet next to it would be awfully convenient. So may be I will go 50 amp to this panel.

Thanks again!

[Bcc75]

May I also add that whatever you do, for safety reasons, have some means of disconnect for your 30A(or 50) outlet at the point where you plug into your trailer. If you run from your main panel in your house with a 30A breaker , just make sure you set a subpanel like the one posted above along with your outlet. That way your are protected there too. Former Electrician here speaking from experience. This may also be a code requirement in some areas but your electrician should know that.
Good Luck

[vlaming]

I installed a 30a GFCI at the panel, and a Midwest/GE Outlet box with breaker Model #U013CP at the "airport" I built. Gives provision to control power at the outlet. Passed local inspection.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Midwest-...13CP/100188200

[Mollysdad]

Remembering that the purpose of the circuit breaker is to protect the wire, I'd install one at the plug also.
It is imperative that the electrician understand this is a 120v. 30 amp circuit, NOT A DRYER PLUG!
YouTube young couple install a 30 amp outlet.
(They were next to the breaker panel so another breaker wasn't installed.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiV8YYgakPo

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Does the panel for the EV charger go pretty much to the same place as the RV outlet? Do you plan on charging the EV at the same time as powering up the RV? What sort of circuit /panel did they put in for the EV charger?

Indeed that's a lot of questions ... sorry about that.

If it is an either / or sort of thing and the charger is in the right place and it's set up so you can get at this or that ( yes that's a lot of IF's ) .... you may well be able to do this pretty easily. ( = I would at least think it through and talk it over with your electrician )

Bob

[dznf0g]

I did my project(s) very similarly to the video. I actually have two 30 amp RV circuits. I installed one in the garage, by the overhead door, before I poured my pad on the other end of the house. I primarily use it for my air compressor now, but it is there for the occasional guest. The other one is mounted just like the video above. That one uses 8 gauge conductor, as it was right at a 25 foot run. I have an unfinished basement, where the panel is located, so it was pretty easy to run conduit and cable.

[dnsapp]

I recently installed a box for my AS at my house. I ordered a box from Home Depot made for an RV. It comes prewired with a 50 amp, 30 amp and a 20 amp plugs and an empty for what ever. I put another 20 amp in and wired overhead lights for my shed for the trailer. The 50 amp is 220V and the rest are broken down already in the prewire to 120V. I found out that where my heating a cooling unit power supply on the outside of my house had some empties and I put in a 50 amp breaker. I never plan on using that plug but I do have a 220V table saw I might someday plan in. My AS only draws about 20 ample if I were running the A/C. The breaker in the main box to the A/C box is 100 amp. I buried a # 6 wire to the RV box in conduit. I did not tie in the green equipment ground to the box on the house. I drove a copper rod in the ground at the RV box and grounded there as a sub box needs to be so if a lightning strike hits it will ground there instead of making a trip back through the house. It works great. I also bought a timer and I plug my trailer in and it comes on for an hour twice a day to charge the batteries. I don't think they need charged 24 hours a day. The 20 amp plug is a GFI plug and Thats what I use to charge the batteries. I only use the 30 amp when I run the AC.

[banderabob]

How much does distance from the panel on the house to the 30 amp plug impact? That distance for me is 120 feet. Thx.

[TerraYacht]

My main breaker box is on the side of my house where my Airstream is parked and also near the parking spot for my EV (BMW i3). I got a box from Amazon with a 50 amp and a 20 amp 120 as well.

The NEC requires the breaker is NOT exactly what the receptacle is rated at for equipment supply, should have ~20% overage so I have an 80 amp breaker supplying what are designated as a 50 amp and a 20 amp receptacle.

I couldn't add anything larger than the 80 amp at the time or I would have used the box that Maxine-A suggested. Thus my car charger is usually plugged in to the 50 amp and I just use a 120 on the moho to keep the batteries topped off and have lighting when I step in. If I will need a/c in the summer while in storage then I'll just change the plugs in the 50 amp receptacle.

I suggest you use a licensed electrician who is familiar with NEC requirements for protection, wire size (4 ga), etc. for safety.

https://smile.amazon.com/GE-Unmetere...%2C248&sr=8-27

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by banderabob

How much does distance from the panel on the house to the 30 amp plug impact? That distance for me is 120 feet. Thx.

Distance, wire type and gage and more are factors. Here's a calculator.


https://www.southwire.com/calculator-vdrop

[douggant]

I added a 30-amp circuit for my AS last year. The only thing I'd add to the discussion is to be sure your electrician installs a breaker switch on your outside box.

[Glen Carter]

Just curious, why not use a 50A to 30A RV adapter and plug into your EV power source?

[SailorSam205]

My understanding, the breaker you will use to turn power on and off regularly should have a SWD or HID classification on it. From what I've read, both can be used in applications where the breaker is used as a switch.

[ryanc55]

Originally Posted by mkarahashi

But a 30 amp RV outlet along with a 20amp 120v outlet next to it would be awfully convenient. So may be I will go 50 amp to this panel.

An RV outlet box is a great idea if you want to spend a little more. In that case, the feed breaker to it would be sized up to a maximum of the box's rating, then you put the receptacle breakers on the box matching the receptacles.

For example, you could have a two spot outlet box with a 30R and duplex 20R GFCI. Since both of those are 120V, you could run a 3 wire (plus ground) feed to it and use a 30 amp two pole breaker/wiring. One leg would drive the 30 amp plug and the other leg would drive the 20 (through the 20 amp breaker in the box). This also gets you a disconnect at the plugs, which is nice to prevent arcing when you plug in.

A 50a single leg feed would work as well if you're really short on main panel space, it will just be a little more expensive in feed wire.

[Gene]

There have been threads in the past telling about how an electrician installed a dryer plug instead of an RV plug because both are 30 amps. The problem an RV plug won't fit in a dryer receptacle because the dryer is 240 v. and the RV is 120. Different patterns for the lugs on the plug. Some electricians didn't learn RV wiring or slept through that class.

Since the trailer has a 120 v. receptacle on the exterior, it seems unnecessary to install another one next to RV 30 amp receptacle.

I did one on a previous house, but I have done residential wiring before, so I knew stuff. Now I just use the 20 amp exterior receptacle on the garage since all I am usually doing is keeping the batteries charged. I have stayed in the trailer at home when my in-laws slept in our bedroom. The A/C worked fine though I wouldn't use the microwave at the same time.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Gene

The problem an RV plug won't fit in a dryer receptacle because the dryer is 240 v. and the RV is 120. Different patterns for the lugs on the plug. Some electricians didn't learn RV wiring or slept through that class.

I'm not concerned that my dryer won't plug into my RV outlet, I'm concerned that the electrician installs so many dryer plugs that he doesn't want to listen.
"I've installed a million of these, gramps, now just go sit down and I'll handle it." <Boom>