Temporary electrical hook up

Topic: Temporary electrical hook up (Read 818 times) previous topic - next topic

Temporary electrical hook up

December 17, 2014, 08:27:33 pm

Got the whole clan from Scotland coming to stay over Christmas , so decided the only way to maintain my sanity is to park the Foretravel on our driveway which is awfully tight but possible .
I am now trying to hook up a temp electrical supply
, I have an 50a extension lead connected to a 30a adaptor connected to a rv / 30a generator lead ( it was laying in shed )
See photo , now the question is once I cut off the male connection on the generator 30a 4 wire power lead , how do I connect to breaker panel ?

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #1 – December 17, 2014, 08:38:10 pm

Not sure I follow what you are trying to do. A 50A cord will have red, black, white, and green wires in it. Disconnect power to your breaker box. When you open your breaker box and find a spare 50A breaker you will connect the red wire to one side of the 50A breaker and the black wire to the other side. The white wire will go to a bus with other white wires and the green wire will go to a bus with other green or bare wires. The red and black wires are hot, the white is neutral, and the green is ground.

If you are trying to come up with a 50A to 30A adapter it is easier just to run to Wal-Mart or a camping store and buy one. If you insist on doing it yourself you will use a spare 30A breaker in the box and attach both the red and black wires to the breaker, the white to the bus with the other whites and the green to the bus with the other greens or bare wires.

If you already have a 30A extension cord (I think that's what you have) and are going to hard-wire it into the breaker box you should have black, white, and green wires in it. Black goes to the 30A breaker, white to the white bus and green to the green/bare wire bus.

Hope this helps.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #2 – December 17, 2014, 09:08:22 pm

I would not use that adapter that you posted. It is for a generator to supply a 30 amp cord. Like Dave said It's easyer and cheaper to buy a 50 amp to 30 amp R.V. adapter. then if you only need 20 amps or less in the motorhome for temporary service, also buy a 30 amp to 20 amp adapter. That will pulg directly into a 110 duplex outlet. Your 50 amp cord with the four wire sustem is to valuable to cut the end off of for temporary service...

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #3 – December 17, 2014, 09:33:00 pm

Sorry guys , my fault for lack of clarity .
I have the following
50a from coach to a 50/30 adaptor
Then the 30a gen to rv adaptor ( photo )
Then the 30a 4wire generator cable ( laying around )
Which I intend to cut off the molded male end and connect directly to breaker board

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #4 – December 17, 2014, 09:54:40 pm

Okay, that helps some. I see a couple of possibilities for you. If the wire in that generator cable is heavy enough you could just put a 50A end on one end and connect the other to an unused 50A breaker in the panel. If the wire isn't heavy enough for 50A, then ignore the red wire in the generator cable. Put a 30A end on one end, using the black, white, and green wires (be sure to connect each wire to the proper terminal) and wire the other end into the 30A breaker in the panel. The red wire won't be used, so make sure that it is properly capped at each end.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #5 – December 17, 2014, 10:20:01 pm

@Jimmy why not just wire in a 50a or 30a receptacle off the breaker box? No need to cut cables and you're setup for future visits.

see ya
ken

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #6 – December 17, 2014, 10:24:34 pm

I have a related series of questions concerning my need for a (temporary) 50 amp shore outlet.

My 200 amp electrical box does not have any empty slots. I do have two dedicated 30 amp circuits: dryer and range. I also have a 50 amp breaker and a quantity of 6-3 with ground cable.

It would be pretty easy to replace one of those 30 amp breakers with a 50 amp breaker. I could then use my 6-3 wire and go from the new breaker to a 125 amp subpanel. It would be pretty easy to wire the existing 30 amp wiring (8-3 or 10-3, I am not at home now and don't remember which it is) to the subpanel instead of the original breaker panel. I could then run from the subpanel with my 6-3 wire to the new 50 amp outlet.

If I mount the 125 amp subpanel near the original breaker box, I could reroute either the dryer or the range to the subpanel without lengthening the wire. The obvious question is which appliance would be used less often? The dryer is only used one or two days a week, for several hours. The range is only used occasionally, for short periods of time. I can see pros and cons for which one would be easier to work around; any ideas, fofumers?

I understand that I cannot provide 50 amps to the RV and another 30 amps to an appliance at the same time, since they both will route through a 50 amp breaker. However, I should be able to accomplish what I need, procedurally, by making sure I do not have a large RV draw *while* I am using the 30 amp appliance.

I would appreciate any feedback, suggestions, or advice from anyone who has tried a similar approach, especially attempts that did not work out for any reason. Also, since I am in the early conceptual stage, I would appreciate any other alternative approaches.

Note: I am an Electrical Engineer and am not asking for definitive design information. I take full responsibility for my final design and hold harmless all respondents who are willing to provide guidance.

Thank you,

Trent

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #7 – December 18, 2014, 01:21:26 am

Why not remove two 120v breakers and install the 50a 240v breaker to run the sub panel? Then you would run the two 120v circuits from the sub panel.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #8 – December 18, 2014, 02:11:36 am

Depending on the make of the panel. Look for some tandem 120 breakers.they are the same width as your singles now but have 2 110 circuits. Using these should open a space for your 50 to go into .
Square D Homeline Tandem Circuit Breaker, 20 Amp,store:5616078854428281335&prds=oid:5130126103195737614&hl=en&ei=4n2SVI7BOIuhyQTEtoK4Aw&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-202353308&ci_sku=202353308&ci_gpa=pla&ci_src=17588969&gclid=Cj0KEQiA8MSkBRCP5LaRlcOAusMBEiQAiqldkiiBv2krMCXtBqB09CeM9pIVrmP97_KlcY7HSseFXEYaAjPH8P8HAQ

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #9 – December 18, 2014, 07:27:38 am

All I will say is be VERY, VERY careful what you do. It will be easy to either mis-wire the circuit or end up with under-sized wire. The first could potentially cause serious damage to your Foretravel and the second could potentially cause serious damage to your house. I really like the idea of a dedicated RV outlet wired by a professional. At a minimum, you should probably pay an electrician to inspect your work before you plug in. Also, this work probably requires permits from your building department so proceed at your own risk.

Rich

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #10 – December 18, 2014, 07:33:30 am

I would go the sub panel route. You could also wire it in for a generator at that time too.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #11 – December 18, 2014, 09:17:10 am

what John s said times two

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #12 – December 18, 2014, 09:23:51 am

How much power do you need? Are you going to run A/C or just small appliance and charge batteries? If the latter, just use 15 or 20amp regular outlet.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #13 – December 18, 2014, 09:42:02 am

In winter, we just have a household to 50 amp adapter and use an extension cord to for battery charging and/or guests. The worst case would be the fridge running along with the big screen TV. It's LED plus interior lighting is all LED so never much of a load. Amazon.com : Conntek 14222 RV 1.5-Foot Pigtail Adapter Power Cord 15 Amp Male

Even in summer, I use the same lighted/three outlet Harbor Freight extension cord to run one roof AC. The outlets are right underneath in the pit so not much of a run. 220V there but I don't like to bother with the big cable so unless it's really toasty, it stays in the garage. Since we almost never go to a RV park, the big cable stays home and use solar. The only time it might go along is to Mexico in the summer but have not done that yet.

Here is the cord: 50 Ft. 12 Gauge TripleTap Extension Cord with Indicator Light

The idiot that wrote about the cord tangling has no clue on how to coil ropes or extension cords. Bring them back to the outlet by one coil over, the next under. That way, they will feed out without twisting. That's Sailing 101.

Pierce

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Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #14 – December 18, 2014, 10:51:12 am

Quote from: sedelange – December 18, 2014, 01:21:26 am

Why not remove two 120v breakers and install the 50a 240v breaker to run the sub panel? Then you would run the two 120v circuits from the sub panel.

Steve,

Thanks, that idea solves my problem and is relatively safe!
(At least compared to messing with the 220 volt circuits)

Trent

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #15 – December 18, 2014, 10:59:01 am

Quote from: John S – December 18, 2014, 07:33:30 am

You could also wire it in for a generator at that time too.

John,

That is a good idea. I suspect you were talking about a real backup generator system.

Is there a simple way to access the output from my 10 kw Foretravel generator to use for the house in emergencies?

Thanks,

Trent

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #16 – December 18, 2014, 11:50:09 am

If you only need 110V, you could just go from a Foretravel outlet to the house with a dbl male into the house. You would have to switch off the juice at the meter or you could kill someone trying to work in the street somewhere. The best would be to hire an contractor to install a changeover switch. That way, you could not power the house with the power company hooked up at the same time. I think Barry has a schematic to bring 220 out of the generator in case you needed it in the house for a well pump, range, etc. An unqualified homeowner installation has a possibility of a fatal shock as intermediate voltage is the most dangerous kind and a severe shock will need a defibrillator to get the heart started again.

Pierce

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #17 – December 18, 2014, 07:48:40 pm

Quote from: TulsaTrent – December 18, 2014, 10:59:01 am

Is there a simple way to access the output from my 10 kw Foretravel generator to use for the house in emergencies?

Unless you are willing to install a transfer switch in the house, the only really safe way is to go to Lowe's or Home Depot (for example) and get a power inlet. Run the cable from the inlet through the wall and into the house and wire a few outlets into which you can plug extension cords. Connect a cable (or cables) outside from the inlet on the house to the outlet(s) on the motorhome. In this way you will have a completely separate system in the house powered by the motorhome and won't run the risk of electrocuting anyone working on the power grid.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #18 – December 18, 2014, 08:04:55 pm

David is absolutely correct.

Bottom line is that you have to either run the house off "extension cords" from the coach OR install a transfer switch.

Just like you can not be on both shore power and generator at the same time, your house can not be connected to the grid and motorhome generator. In addition to the electrical hazard to you and your appliances, as David said were you to "backfeed" the power grid, you could electrocute someone working on the lines.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #19 – December 18, 2014, 09:12:31 pm

You need to decide how many times you are going to need to use RV generator to power you house. If it is rare, you can run extension cords to freezer and refrigerator. If it is often, like we have down in hurricane country, get a dedicated generator and transfer switch for your house. In my case I have a 30kw generator with a 400 amp transfer switch to power the whole house including air conditioners. It's amazing how often our electricity has been off since I installed the generator.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #20 – December 18, 2014, 09:17:39 pm

In 2007, long before we had our coach, Southwest Missouri had a major ice storm. In our county, Dallas, the question wasn't "did you lose electricity" but "how long were you out?" A couple of years after that I bought a $2000 generator and built a $20000 garage to keep it in. Since then we didn't need it.

That place is for sale, but if we were to stay there and keep the coach I'd just move into the coach when power went out.

Re: Temporary electrical hook up

Reply #21 – December 19, 2014, 10:45:56 pm

Thanks for all the advice , got it hooked up today and put a seperate feed to a battery tender on start battery's but just thinkng I could just plug tender into one of the basement outlets .

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