Shore Hookup at Home? 30amp? 50amp?

[juddf]

Hi All! I purchased a used 2007 Safari Bambi 19' and I'm going to have an electrician install shore eletricity at my house so that I can use it as an office and for family visiting. I want to be able to run the air conditioner etc without any issues.

Would that be 110V 30Amp? 110v 50amp?? Any help for a newbie would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

-Judd

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by juddf

Hi All! I purchased a used 2007 Safari Bambi 19' and I'm going to have an electrician install shore eletricity at my house so that I can use it as an office and for family visiting. I want to be able to run the air conditioner etc without any issues.

Would that be 110V 30Amp? 110v 50amp?? Any help for a newbie would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

-Judd

30A is more than adequate now, as your current trailer cannot utilize more. But if you ever think you might upgrade in the future to a larger 2-air conditioner model, then 50A now will future-proof your electical choice.


30A 120V is unusual for most homes, so make sure your electrician is familiar with rv power as I've seen rare posts of them wiring in 220V power like your home clothes dryer would use. That would be very bad.

[KYShelby]

Congratulations on your new Airstream, with the single A/C 110, 30 amp is all you need.

Good luck.

[Bubba L]

With our trailers at home, we have a 120vac outside 30a receptacle. The wiring runs to our 200a breaker box in the barn workshop and wired to a single pole 30a breaker. Just like a 30a hookup in a campground, it will run everything we turn on. Would you ever have a need for a 50a in the future? Good luck

[Martee]

Yest Indeed 30Amp/110V is good for most trailers. But while your doing that, ask him to include a couple of standard 20Amp 110V plug for nearly anything else you may need around the RV location. I use the extra 20Amp plugs for charging my lawnmower batteries, for outdoor LED lights, and the many power tools that are needed working on the Airstream. Here is a GE RV power box.


https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-70-Amp-P...let/1002750522

[jondrew55]

A single 13.5 K BTU AC will run fine off a standard 15 amp extension cord (the heavier the gauge the better). Just don’t run an electric water heater or microwave at the same time. But if you’re going to set it up for regular use, call around and find an electrician who knows how to install a standard 30 Amp RV outlet.

If you think there’s ever a chance you might upgrade to a larger RV, you might as well have them install a combo 50 amp/30 amp outlet. I would not think that would cost all that much more. And make sure this person has set up RV outlets. It’s NOT the same as a non RV 220 outlet. It would blow up your trailers electrical system.

[Fungus]

Most of the expense is getting the electrician out to do the work. A little extra expense for the wire for 50 amp vs 30 amp, depending on the length of the run.

Why not do both? 50 amp, 30 amp, a couple of 20 amp, all in the same box. I bought the box and the wire but have not done the installation yet. Too hot to work on it here. Only about a 20-foot run from the house breaker box to the trailer breaker box.

[juddf]

This is great info! Thank you everyone!

[AKNate]

By far the biggest cost is the electrician. I would definitely run 240V and install a standard RV hookup panel with 50A, 30A, and 15A receptacles and breakers. The panel is $200 on Amazon and the difference in cable cost is negligible. Then you’ll be future proof for anything. Having the breakers there makes it so you don’t have to plug in hot, which can cause arcing and corrode your contacts.
Electric cars are also rapidly growing in market share and having 50A 240V outside also gives you the ability to charge one. 30A 120V, while enough for your current trailer, isn’t enough to charge an electric car in any reasonable amount of time and may not be enough for a future trailer.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by juddf

. . .
Would that be 110V 30Amp? 110v 50amp?? Any help for a newbie would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
. . .

Welcome to the forum and the Airstream adventure!

Your first stop for info should always be your owner's manual -- not random advice from a bunch anonymous strangers on the Internet IMO.

What are the electric specifications in the manual?

In particular, you have to be especially careful with inaccurate, albeit maybe well-intended, comments like this one:

Originally Posted by AKNate

. . .
. . . I would definitely run 240V and install a standard RV hookup panel . . .
. . .

Taken on its own [which any newcomer might do innocently IMO] that suggestion is a bad lead entirely IMO. Taken in a broader [and correct] context by an expert reader, it might make sense . . . yes . . . but on its own it could be deadly IMO.

After checking your owner's manual, a licensed electrician should be able to advise you well IMO.

Good luck,

Peter

[marcvl]

30A should be sufficient for what you need right now, but I would also go for 50A to make it future proof. 50A gives you *A LOT* more power than 30A because a 50A circuit has 2 hot wires that can each carry 50A, so you get a total max of 11kW, vs 3.3kW for a 30A circuit.

The only disadvantage is that you need to deal with a much heavier and thicker (and more expensive) power cable.

Be aware that you cannot use a standard electric car outlet because these are typically wired as 240V outlets (2 hot wires but no neutral).

[Nomad518]

We have a 25ft 2001 Safari, single AC, 30amp system. I’ve been working from home in our AS for the last 16 months due to the pandemic. We have an RV garage at our house and it has a standard 30 amp plug just like you would find on a power pedestal at any RV park. Works great and allows me to run AC, lights, computer, etc. I can run the Fridge, but I normally don’t unless we’re getting ready to travel. A standard 110 plug on a 20 amp circuit would work for you, too. But you would need a plug adapter for your 30 amp trailer plug.

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

...
In particular, you have to be especially careful with inaccurate, albeit maybe well-intended, comments like this one:


Taken on its own [which any newcomer might do innocently IMO] that suggestion is a bad lead entirely IMO.
...

What exactly is the least bit inaccurate or bad about what I said? (Sorry, it won’t let me include my quote you quoted)

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by AKNate

What exactly is the least bit inaccurate or bad about what I said? (Sorry, it won’t let me include my quote you quoted)

Post #10 speaks for itself, especially when one is able to read the small quote from your Post #9, which you acknowledge is missing.

"Over and out" on this issue.

Happy trails,

Peter

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by AKNate

What exactly is the least bit inaccurate or bad about what I said? (Sorry, it won’t let me include my quote you quoted)

I’m guessing you interpreted what I said as me telling him to install it himself? If so, that was not my intention at all. He stated he was hiring an electrician. As I said, that’s the biggest cost, so what you choose to install makes little difference. Might as well install a 240 panel with the full set of hookup options, regardless of what his owners manual says his particular trailer uses. He’ll then be able to power any trailer (or charge a car with the correct adapter).

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Post #10 speaks for itself, especially when one is able to read the small quote from your Post #9, which you acknowledge is missing.

"Over and out" on this issue.

Happy trails,

Peter

Post #10 calls my statement “I would definitely run 240V and install a standard RV hookup panel” inaccurate, a bad lead, and could be deadly, but it doesn’t give a hint as to why. I’m at a loss as to why you think that, but it doesn’t sound like you are going to explain.
I stand by my advice. It’s actually a safer option than installing a simple always-powered receptacle that matches what his owners manual says his trailer uses, which will end up being hot plugged.

[Al and Missy]

RV 30A service is 120 VAC, 30A, 60Hz which has a hot line, a neutral line and a ground. RV 50A service is 120/240 VAC, 50A, 60 Hz which has 2 hot lines 180 degrees out of phase, a neutral line and a ground. By those descriptions a licensed electrician should be able to install what OP wants.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by AKNate

Post #10 . . .
. . .

Once again, you have not quoted me accurately and fully IMO.

Please stop trying to put your words in my mouth!

Post #10 speaks for itself. [hot link in blue]

Thank you Al and Missy.

Peter

[uncle_bob]

Hi

How fancy do you want to get?

How much money is in the piggy bank?

How much space is there for a larger trailer?

How long are you likely to own the house?

How fancy is the "rest of it" ? ( paved pad, water, sewer, roof ....)

Lots and lots of variables to consider.

As mentioned above, the standard power pole at a lot of campgrounds is 50A 240V / 30A 120V / 2x 15A 120V. There are enclosures purpose designed to make this all happen.

With anything like this, there *may* be restrictions on what you can do. Best to look into local building codes / permit requirements *before* spending any money. It depends a bit on how exotic you get. In some places simply setting up the trailer and hooking it up for occupancy gets into a tangle.

Bob

[uncle_bob]

Hi

As an example of "permit fun":

Many years ago, we lived in cute little town in New England. I decided to put an extension on the side of the garage for an un-heated workshop. When we went in for the permits the guy really had one question: "could anybody sleep in this addition?". Note the "could" rather than anything about planning to or wishing to, the criteria was only "could". In our case it was easy to make the argument that with no heat it's not going to be any more of a sleeping area than the garage.

Being the curious sort, once we had things signed and stamped, I chatted with him for a bit about "why the question?". Simple answer, they have a formula for the size of the septic field. Adding another (potential) bedroom would mean putting in a new septic field..... yikes .....

Bob