Can I Install A 50 Amp Plug At My House So I Can Plug In My RV?

by Mike
(Georgia)

Am I right to assume that the "50" amp system in my RV is just 2 legs W/each carrying 110-120 volts at 25+- amps each.

My question is if I wanted put a 50 amp RV plug in my garage could I take a pedestal female receptacle, run one wire (black) to one 20-30 breaker, one wire (red) to another breaker of same amp, one wire (green) to the grounding side in box and one wire (white) to common side in box?

ANSWER: Greetings thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

I am afraid you are not going to like the answer I am going to give you to your question. When it comes to modifying the electrical system in your home, you need to hire a qualified and licensed Electrician to do the job. Unless you are an experienced electrician you should not even attempt to this job.

Installing a 50 Amp receptacle in your home's electrical system is not like replacing a bad light switch or electric receptacle. Your home's wiring system has to be modified and all electrical codes for you area have to be met.

If wired incorrectly or if the proper protection systems are not installed, you stand a good chance of burning down your house or frying the electrical system of your RV.

In my younger years I was a Volunteer Fireman and we had a call for an electrical fire in a garage at a private residence about 10 miles from our station. Upon our arrival at the scene the whole house was fully engulfed in flames.

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The home owner was sitting on the front lawn with his head in his
hands and his wife was hovering over him screaming at the top of her lungs "I told you to get an electrician".

The home ended up being a total loss. The homeowner explained to us that he had recently bought a 220 volt welder from a friend and that he had decided not to hire an electrician to install a 220 volt receptacle because it would cost too much. So against his wife's advice he did it himself.

After he installed the 220 receptacle he flipped the main breaker on and immediately sparks started to shoot everywhere in the garage which ignited a trash can full of rags sitting against the back wall of his garage, by the time he got the garage door open and got his garden hose the whole inside of his garage was on fire.

He told us over and over "I thought I knew what I was doing".

Bottom line based on the fact that you are asking about wiring a 50 Amp Receptacle to existing breakers in your home's electrical system, leads me to the recommendation that you hire an Electrician to do this job.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

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Happy RVing

RVing Al

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Comments for Can I Install A 50 Amp Plug At My House So I Can Plug In My RV?

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starstarstarstarstar 		50 RV Plug
by: Ron Lynch

I have a 50 amp breaker in my house panel that isn't been used any more. Our electric range was replaced with gas. I should be good hard wiring a 50 amp 50 foot RV power cord to the current breaker.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		50a rv plug has 240vac
by: Anonymous

No, you are wrong. There is 240vac when measured across the 2 hot leads. Each hot leg is 180 degrees out of phase with each other. However the rv only sees the 120vac on each leg. Each leg has the ability to carry 50 amps, giving you 100 amps available to the rv.

If you wire each leg to the same phase then you double the current on the netural wire. Example, each leg is drawing 30 amps, then the netural would show a current of 60 amps. A #6 wire is only rated for 50 amps.

Now, with each hot leg on different phases, 240 across the 2 hot legs, each leg drawing 30 amps, the current on the netural is 0 amps. If you measure each hot leg to netural you will see 120vac, which is what the rv sees.

Either understand this or get a electrian that understands how a rv plug is wired
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rv hook up at the house
by: Anonymous

People don't under stand a RV does not have any 220 in it. It's all a 110. I learned the hard way. Just because you have a big plug it is still just 120 on one side and 120 on the other on a 50 amp plug NO 220 on the plug or in the box of a RV PARK.

Yes you can Install a 50 amp plug just make sure you wire it up right NO 220. Get you a Electrician that knows about RV's.

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